Just about the only major complaint anyone has with “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1” is that pesky “Part 1” on the end. You could argue there was no real reason to split Suzanne Collins” third novel in half, but the rebuttal is obviously “$$$$$$” and who can argue with that?
Given most of the “Mockingjay” action happens in the second half of the books, this film could”ve been a slow slog…and for some it probably was. But for me, and plenty of others, it was an excellent way to let the horror of dystopian society and imminent civil war breathe a little. Do we trust the leaders of the rebellion, or has Katniss just traded puppet masters? How do you unhook the chains of tyranny without leaving nothing but rubble and extinction in your wake? And how do you not go crazy – much less function – when faced with how powerless you are to save your loved ones from torture?
But that”s not to say there wasn”t baffling behavior going on in “Mockingjay Part 1.” Oh no, it was all just coming from President Snow. Speaking of, I have a few questions for our benevolent dictator…