Hunger Games: The Mockingjay Part 1

As colossal Young Adult franchises go, The Hunger Games is reassuringly edifying. Instead of a teenage sulk-puss enslaved by a pretty-boy vampire, our heroine is a warrior and anti-capitalist revolutionary. With a normal BMI and a tendency to kick ass much more decisively than her male counterpart, Katniss is a perfect modern role model.
For the uninitiated: the story, based on a trilogy of the same name, takes place in a dystopian America, ruled by a wealthy Capitol who keep the people down in dire poverty. As an annual means of entertaining and pacifying the population, teenagers are forced to fight to the death in gladiatorial combat. When two victors are chosen – Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) rather than one, the state plunges into revolution and civil war.
Jennifer Lawrence’s performance has always been a primary strength of the franchise. Hollywood came knocking after her portrayal of Katniss -tough yet vulnerable, a fighter and a lover- proved she could act like the best of ‘em – and has since won an Oscar. The wonderfully sinister Donald Sutherland and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman are joined by Julianne Moore and Natalie Dormer in a strong supporting cast.
One of the franchise’s great successes is the way it is rendered visually. Rather than a sexed-up CGI viewing experience, the visuals are, on the whole, naturalistic – basic, even. This modesty serves to highlight occasional flourishes of the fantastic. The elaborate wardrobe of citizens of the Capitol, for example, throws into sharp relief the greyscale deprivation of Katniss & co.