The first movie introduced a unique world that was cruel and cutthroat. The second movie edged out the first one by a fraction and suddenly it was starting to come to its own.
Coming out of the third one, I couldn't believe what I just sat through. For what the movie represented, following the second installment, and setting up the final movie; it was unsuccessful in all fronts.
This was the weakest of the three. This was not the same as what Francis Lawrence did with the second. Though it did feel like it's a continuation of the Catching Fire, but at the same time it also felt like a separate movie, what with all the propaganda and what not.
The propaganda was way too much in this movie, and sometimes bordering on cheesy. Perhaps Lionsgate studio had too much to say in the development of the movie, or perhaps Lawrence's weakness is starting to show.
Comparing to the first two, this one was a bore. The running time could have been shortened. Many scenes had me questioning why they were included as the movie could have been edited to be tighter.
But that's not to say the movie didn't have any merits. Jennifer Lawrence once again did great in the acting department - the only one that provided any spark to an otherwise ho-hum pacing. But joining her this time was Liam Hemsworth, whom I still contend to be a great talent and may become a better actor than his elder brother one day.
Julianne Moore had plenty of screen time and overshadowed Philip Seymour Hoffman, a point that made me wonder why Hoffman would want this role in the first place as the character didn't have much to do. But every time Hoffman was onscreen, I couldn't help but remember that he is no longer with us. Also, who would take over his character in Part 2? But if there were there any scenes that were digitally edited, that I could not tell.
Donald Sutherland was also another fantastic performer here as the evil dictator that at the same time was so charismatic that he could rally his own troops. That line in the trailer, "It's the things we love the most that will destroy us," was even scarier in the movie.
Other standouts were Stanley Tucci and Elizabeth Banks, who stole scenes every single time. Tucci's dialogue with Josh Hutcherson were some of the best parts. And I must add that Natalie Dormer looked really badass with that haircut. Too bad she wasn't kicking butts.
That brings me to my biggest problem with the movie, and SPOILER alert.
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The movie never culminated to anything. It plateaued somewhere in the middle, after downing two fighter crafts with arrows as seen in the trailer; and that was it as far as action goes. There weren't anything in the third act for audience to sink their teeth into.
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Even for setting up the final movie, there should have been something that could make the movie more exciting. But sadly, and to whoever made that decision, this movie was a bad call.
But I remember unlike the first two movies where a lot of things I didn't understand, here everything was crystal clear.
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