The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

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Victims of the Capitol's oppression show their support for Katniss Everdeen. the hunger games: mockingjay - part 1

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 – Following the destruction of the Hunger Games and the Capitol’s annihilation of District 12, a reluctant Katniss Everdeen is enlisted by the District 13 rebels as their figurehead: the ‘Mockingjay’. Having to star in propaganda videos (or ‘Propos’), Katniss sees first-hand how the uprising is affecting the citizens of the districts with oppression, terror and death; and that President Snow has no intention of giving in to the demands of the rebels. With Peeta Mellark held hostage by the Capitol, Katniss’ loyalties are torn between wanting to help the rebels and wanting to rescue her friend from a terrible fate.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) – Director: Francis Lawrence

Is The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 appropriate for kids

Rating: 12

Running Length: 123 mins

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama

REVIEW: ‘THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1’

Serving as the third movie in a four-part series and based upon the novels written by Suzanne Collins (a trilogy), ‘Mockingjay – Part 1’ follows suit with other Young Adult Fiction adaptations by splitting the final part of the story into two (see Harry Potter, Twilight, etc, for example). Unfortunately, with the format of the plot in the novel being the same as the previous two (set-up of the story for first and second act, then all-out action for the third act), this results in  ‘Mockingjay: part 1’ being all set up and no action! Despite good performances from its actors and being a faithful version of the book, ‘Mockingjay – Part 1′ lacks excitement, making it a rather dull watch, especially for audience members who will be expecting the same level of action as the previous two films.

Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss is now somewhat of a weak, miserable young woman, struggling to cope with what she has been through and seen in the Hunger Games. While this is understandable, her character is no longer the anger driven, pragmatic protagonist that we have been used to in the previous films. She also now seems more concerned with the men in her life (Gale and Peeta) than fighting for survival against the Capitol, and in particular, the evil President Snow. This being said, ‘Mockingjay – Part 1’ is certainly worth watching as a lot of important plot is revealed in readiness for the (presumably) all-action finale, ‘Mockingjay – Part 2’.

CONTENT: IS ‘THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

Throughout the movie, there are various explanations and visuals surrounding the destruction of Katniss’ home, District 12. She visits a couple of times and both of these show skulls and skeletons scattered around the ground. Part of a skull is shown in close up and several skeletons are shown in a wide shot but these visuals are not overly gory. However, Katniss’ distress in seeing them may be a little upsetting for some young children.

In one visit to District 12, Gale describes his part in helping many inhabitants escape the bloodshed. Although he saved many people, he becomes upset that he was unable to save more and is visibly shaken by the sight of the skeletons.

The majority of the remaining Districts take up the cause of the rebels and there is quite an upsetting scene where some of these rebels are being made an example of. The inhabitants of three districts have been gathered together and a few ‘criminals’ are kneeling in front of them with their hands bound behind their backs and hoods over their heads, Peacekeepers stand over them with large rifle-like guns. The people are informed of what these people have done and told that anyone found to be joining the rebels will suffer the same fate. The Peacekeepers then shoot every criminal in the head, there is usually a close up of the gun, and the victims are shown falling to the floor, however there is a close-up of a Peacekeeper’s visor and the reflection clearly shows someone being killed.

One character explains how, as a captive of the Capitol, he was sold to high-class members of society. He says that this happened to many other captives, particularly if they were ‘desirable’. If anyone refused to do this then their loved ones would be killed. Although the dialogue does not go into detail, these victims would have all been children when this started (aged between 12 and 18) and so child prostitution becomes part of the crimes that the Capitol is guilty of.

One character violently attacks another by slamming their head into a glass door and trying to strangle them. This attack lasts for around a minute and is shown in close up, with the victim being clearly terrified and gasping for air.

There are several videos throughout the film of Peeta being interviewed by Capitol resident, Caesar Flickerman and in each one, his health seems to be deteriorating. It is made clear that as he is a hostage of the Capitol, he is likely to be tortured and starved; this is confirmed towards the end when his torture is described in some detail, including being beaten, shocked and injected with venom which will cause pain and affect his mind.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?
VERDICT: IS ‘THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1’ FOR KIDS?

Due to the finale of the series being split into two parts ‘Mockingjay – Part 1’ was never going to be the most exciting movie, especially compared with the other films. Fortunately the story being told is good and helps to clarify what has happened so far and also gives a good background of what is to come in ‘Mockingjay – Part 2’ (currently due for release in 2015).

While there is only a small amount of violence in comparison with the previous movies, there are strong adult themes of oppression, torture and murder. Also, due to the slowness of the plot and lack of action, we would not recommend this movie for kids aged under 11.

  • Violence: 3/5
  • Emotional Distress: 2/5 (a building housing innocent people, including children, is bombed, killing everyone inside)
  • Fear Factor: 3/5 (several characters, including a main protagonist, walk into a trap and is presumably taken as a captive by the Capitol, this is an intense scene and could be very frightening for young kids)
  • Sexual Content: 2/5
  • Bad Language: 0/5
  • Dialogue: 3/5 (Katniss sings a song about a man being hung who was possibly innocent of the crime he was accused of which becomes an anthem for the rebels and is sung several times. Torture is a continual theme running through the movie with several known characters being victims)  
  • Other notes: Deals with themes of a totalitarian government, the elite being indifferent to the suffering of the less fortunate, the consequences of a rebel uprising, torture, threat not only to the individual but also their loved ones and fighting for what’s right, even if the odds are stacked against you.
  • A cat is found alive in District 12 and Katniss unceremoniously puts it inside a bag. It snarls and is clearly unhappy about what is happening to it but she is not cruel and takes it back to District 13 to ensure it survives.

Words by Laura Record

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2 replies
  1. The Hunger Games Fan
    The Hunger Games Fan says:

    (BEWARE OF POTENTIAL SPOILERS) I saw this movie and I’m a crazy fan of the books and I’m also a teenager. I don’t think anyone under 11 or 12 should watch it, just because its sad and a little bit scary. I mean, who really wants their kids to watch a hospital be blown up? Who wants their kids to see bones of the dead on the ground? There’s a scene where innocent people are shot, but it isn’t shown that much. You only see a distorted reflection, but I really don’t recommend it for younger kids. My friend’s 10 year old brother watched it and now refuses to go into places alone in fear of Peeta. [EDITED for spoilers – Mike] and the last scene is also a bit disturbing. Just my opinion, just a 12 year olds opinion. Please take note, however.

    Reply
    • MikeandLor
      MikeandLor says:

      Hi ‘The Hunger Games Fan’. We know you said ‘beware of potential spoilers’ but we felt that the comment about the end was too clear as to what happened, so it has been removed.

      Otherwise, thanks for your comment! It’s always interesting to hear what someone in the target age feels about a movie.

      Reply

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