By Stephanie Luciano
“Horribly Dull ‘Mocking Jay’ fails to take flight ” –said The New York Post. Woah there, that’s a harsh critic. But many early reviewers were less than impressed by this latest episode in the science fictional adventures of Katniss Everdeen.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 was widely expected to be an exciting, action-packed motion picture. Yet, according to critics and close friends of mine, not only did it drive people to sleep, but it left many Hunger Game fans skeptical about Part Two!
Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson star in the third sequel of The Hunger Games, in which their characters Katniss and Peeta assume very different roles that not only affect their friendship, but the future of their entire society.
Although a “Mockingjay” is a fictional creature, in the real world they would be called mockingbirds. These birds can mimic any noise and use this ability to defend their territory. In the movie, Katniss Everdeen is asked by a militant group of rebels hiding underground in “District 13” to help them unify the other 12 districts against the capitol. They want Katniss to appear in propaganda broadcasts as The Mockingjay–their symbol of resistance. The real plot of this particular sequel concerns whether or not Katniss will agree to be the “face” of District 13’s revolution. After suffering post-traumatic stress from being repeatedly forced to fight to the death in the capitol’s arena, will Katniss have the heart to publically confront President Snow on his heinous oppression of all the nation’s districts? More importantly can Katniss even trust the rebel leaders?
Before I saw Mockingjay, hearing short scenarios from it while walking down the halls of MCSM, became irritating. It seemed like everyone had something to say! . So I decided to step away from the crowd and watch the movie myself. It turned out to be much more informational and slower paced than I expected, but I remained a Hunger Game fan. The film did have its ups and downs, maybe more downs than usual, but I left the theater with the vivid final scene stuck in my mind. I attended the movie happily accompanied by my best friend. He was also very excited to check out the sequel, and made sure no one told him anything about what would happen. Others interviewed for this story were more than willing to share “plot spoilers.”
“Well, my favorite character is Peeta, and it definitely surprised me when they only showed him during the last 15 minutes of the movie,” reveals John Carlos Ramirez, a teenaged Hunger Games fan. When asked if he liked how the actors fulfilled their roles, Ramirez said: . “Don’t get me wrong, it was the best 15 minutes I saw! But I expected more. Although Katniss is the main character, I felt this sequel was only about her and her frustration towards President Snow. But, what about Peeta? I felt he should have been as important a character as Katniss in Mockingjay Part One, being that he left us curious during the ending of Catching Fire “
Besides those who were going to see this movie no matter what, there were others who were steered away by movie-spoiler comments like: “It was boring”, “Don’t bother watching it,” and “It’s not worth your money.” Opinions about the film also appear to vary depending on whether or not viewers previously read the books from which The Hunger Games films are adapted.
I was able to sit down and speak with Ms.Rodrigues, a teacher whose two older daughters have both seen and read The Hunger Games series. “Both my daughters went to see the movie and they told me not to get excited over it,” she said. “They’re hoping Part 2 is 100 times better, but I’m still willing to watch the movie regardless.”
