Hunger Games Mocking Jay part 1

[dragon]

Didn't get to see it this weekend. Has anyone seen it and if so how was it?

[FaxModem1]

It's the best of the film series so far. The Hanging Tree song sequence was a rather powerful scene. Though the storming of the Tribute building felt a bit like a Hunger Games video game adaptation. I rather loved the characters in this movie, and Effie Trinket shows how to do a comic relief character in a serious drama without feeling out of place. I eagerly await the sequel.

[Gandalf]

I liked it, mainly because it was a fun film about duelling propagandists as opposed to a standard rebels/empire story.

I also enjoyed the suicide bombers.

[RogueIce]

A good story. If you're expecting straight action, you'll be disappointed as it takes awhile before they really start doing stuff. I don't feel like that detracts from it too much though, even if Katniss really only uses her bow once - but when she does, she makes it count.

Overall though, it's a Part 1, so plenty of setup. But it never felt boring to me, and had some good twists and turns while making me excited for Part 2.

I just don't know what they'll do with Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character, though. He was damned good in this movie, I must say. But such a tragedy...

[SCRawl]

I just don't know what they'll do with Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character, though. He was damned good in this movie, I must say. But such a tragedy...

According to imdb he's in the finale, so they must have gotten his scenes in the can before he became unavailable.

[FaxModem1]

Supposedly, they filmed most of his scenes before his death, as they filmed both movies at the same time.

[Gandalf]

Yeah, I spent a lot of time in his scenes looking for possible body doubles or evidence of edits around his absence.

[LadyTevar]

I have heard that they had enough film of Hoffman from the cutting room floor that they can wiggle believable scenes with him. Dialogue might be another matter, but even him just glaring from a window silently could make a strong point in the right context.

Technology has also advanced since "The Crow", where a good 20min of film was nothing but body double and film tricks. I think they'll be able to pull it off as a grand tribute to the man.

[Patroklos]

I was cool with the movie until they went from giving Katniss a bow and arrow as a propaganda image to sending Katniss into combat, actual combat, with the bow and arrow instead of a gun. Even that I could excuse until they mentioned the combat trident...

Also the LEET hacker stuff.

But those did not derail the entire movie. It was fun, and as someone said above not focusing just on combat but also the information/misinformation angle was refreshing.

[SCRawl]

I was cool with the movie until they went from giving Katniss a bow and arrow as a propaganda image to sending Katniss into combat, actual combat, with the bow and arrow instead of a gun. Even that I could excuse until they mentioned the combat trident...

Also the LEET hacker stuff.

But those did not derail the entire movie. It was fun, and as someone said above not focusing just on combat but also the information/misinformation angle was refreshing.

In the book they gave her a gun as well. I'm not sure at what point in the book the film ends.

But the whole "victor platoon" (or whatever it was called -- the combat unit composed primarily of victors) was assembled and sent into combat for propaganda purposes. There might even have been another reason...

[FaxModem1]

There was also the stipulation that if she died, that the only important thing was getting it on camera.

Shouldn't this be in Other Sci-Fi?

[Crazedwraith]

Saw it over the weekend, despite not having read the books or seen the second film.

It was pretty good, I picked up most of what had been going on in the previous film and it was entertain and comprehensible. And I liked how Katniss was entire unable to act in the propaganda reels.
Spoiler

Peeta's attack on Katniss was amazingly sudden and brutal though, sort of standout moment for the film for me. Still those brainwash techniques must be pretty damn fast to get him from 'warn katniss of danger!' and 'beserker attack her on sight' in the time shown. It didn't feel like the attack of district 13 was supposed to have taken very long.