(MENAFN- Arab Times) All is not well in Panem. At the conclusion of "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," Katniss's (Jennifer Lawrence) force-field shattering arrow left the society in turmoil. The desperate act was perceived as subversion, inciting populist uprisings and devastating counter attacks by the governing elite.
Thus, revolution is on the horizon in the franchise's third installment, "Mockingjay - Part 1," and it all hinges on Katniss, the unwitting face and spirit of the movement. You see, Katniss, much like the movie star actress who plays her, is just generally liked. Everything she does is slapped with meaning and significance, regardless of her intentions. She has become the property of the people.
This has always been clear to Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who aims to use her as a propaganda machine. But there's a problem: the girl on fire has flamed out.
In the chaos that followed the conclusion of the second film, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) was captured by the Capitol, District 12 was destroyed (though Katniss' mother, sister and the steely jawed Gale (Liam Hemsworth) escaped alive), and Katniss was taken by the militaristic District 13. Their President, Alma Coin, (franchise newcomer Julianne Moore) needs her to be their poster girl.
Slow-burn
"Mockingjay - Part 1" is, ultimately, a slow-burn portrait of the repeated rise and fall of dystopia's most reluctant hero, nimbly told through its examination of the mechanics of propaganda. With the help of Plutarch, Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) and the toned-down (but still delightful) Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks), Katniss attempts to serve the cause in her own way.
But it's not just a matter of convincing her to forget, or at least shelve, her past traumas. Katniss's confidence and devotion to the revolt is put to the test when she sees how the evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland) is manipulating Peeta and using him for his own propaganda needs.
Simple
In the Games, the goal was simple: Keep Peeta alive. Now, Katniss is powerless, just a tool of the machine. Charred and fatally wounded bodies aside, "Mockingjay - Part 1" is not for the faint of heart when it comes to the relentless emotional torture of its heroine.
Director Francis Lawrence, in his second outing in the franchise, stays fairly true to the original text, carrying over the war-torn bleakness of "Catching Fire" without any of the disturbing thrill of the Games. He sprinkles in a handful of fairly exciting action sequences (one of which was not actually described in the book), but, he mostly allows the film to luxuriate in the quiet moments. Yet too many involve Katniss tearing up while sitting on piles of rubble.
In its best moments, the movie has a tense, night before the battle feel. Only the battle is still a year away.
Ever since the "Harry Potter" juggernaut split their final story into two separate films, it's become standard practice in Hollywood for every successful franchise, regardless of whether or not the story is there. "Mockingjay - Part 1" is a serviceable entry into the conclusion of Katniss's saga. It boasts some imaginative visuals, a few truly thrilling moments, and standout performances from Lawrence, Banks, Harrelson, and Hoffman, to whom the film is dedicated.
Still, even with Hoffman's subtly brilliant reaction shots, it does not seem to be the type of movie that fans will revisit on its own. This half is part of a whole in the most cynical way.
You say you want a revolution? They'll get to that next year.
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1," a Lionsgate release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images and thematic material." Running time: 123 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
Movie-goers worldwide will flock to see the new "Hunger Games" film this week, likely making it another blockbuster mega-hit - even if critics are divided on Katniss Everdeen's latest adventure.
The film is dedicated "in loving memory" to Philip Seymour Hoffman, the Oscar-winning actor who died of an accidental drug overdose during back-to-back filming of the movie and the "Mockingjay - Part 2" finale, due out next year.
Original
With much of the original cast back and music by superstar New Zealand teen Lorde, the movie presses all the buttons of its predecessors, 2012's "The Hunger Games" and last year's sequel, "Hunger Games: Catching Fire."
Adding to the hype, a mobile game has been launched, and a stage show is in the works in Britain.
Box Office Mojo predicts it will score the biggest domestic box office of the year of $350-400 million - slightly less than its two predecessors but still a highly creditable performance.
"Like an overgrown and bloated trailer for a film yet to come, (the film) spreads perhaps 45 minutes of dramatic material across two far-too-leisurely hours," commented the Hollywood Reporter.
Industry journal Variety meanwhile opined that "the series' two-part finale gets under way in solid, absorbing if not exactly inspired fashion."
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" will enjoy the biggest opening of the year, but just how big a launch it receives is a matter of dispute.
Lionsgate, the studio behind the $1.6 billion-grossing franchise, is staking out a broad range, projecting the film will do between $130 million to $150 million when it bows Friday in 4,151 locations in North America. Most analysts are being bolder and predicting the hotly anticipated sequel will pull in $150 million at a minimum, noting that the previous two chapters both eclipsed that mark. Should the film top $160 million, it will be one of the five best opening weekends of all time.
Whatever the final tally, it will trump the $100 million that "Transformers: Age of Extinction" racked up last June - the year's previous high-water mark.
"This isn't one of the top-tier YA series, it's one of the top-tier series in all of filmdom," said Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations.
Indeed, "The Hunger Games" now breaths rarefied air. It's a franchise on the level of "Lord of the Rings," "Star Wars," Batman and James Bond. Unlike other blue chip series, it broke into the pantheon without the benefit of 3D. In the case of "Mockingjay - Part 1," it will not get an Imax boost, something that's its predecessors benefited from when they were released. Those screens are reserved for "Interstellar."
But analysts think that the lack of premium bells and whistles and their attendant surcharges won't dent "Mockingjay - Part 1's" opening.
"You could release 'The Hunger Games' in early February and have a hit," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Rentrak. "It doesn't matter where on the calendar it falls. It's that strong."
In addition to its US opening, "Mockingjay - Part 1" will also release day-and-date in 85 international markets. That's most of the major territories except for China, Japan and India.
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