The Hunger Games: Mockingjay pt. 1

It's been a long, tumultuous journey since that fateful day when Katniss Everdeen volunteered to take her sister's place and first stepped into the arena of the Hunger Games. Since then rebellion has spread among the districts, growing from a glowing ember to a full blown roaring fire. Due to her actions in the arena (as well as a few on the outside), the districts look to Katniss as their symbol of hope, their Mockingjay. Of course, Katniss never wanted any of this. All she could think about was getting her and Peeta Mellark safely out of the arena and to keep her loved ones out of harm's way. As the fires of rebellion spread, the Capitol lashes out at the districts by firebombing several of them in hopes of crushing the rebels. It isn't until Katniss receives word that Peeta has been captured by the Capitol - along with several other victors - that she realizes the only way out of her situation is to lead her people against the Capitol by becoming their symbol: she must become the Mockingjay.

Going in I had really high hopes for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay pt. 1. As far as the books go, many people (myself included) agree that Mockingjay is the weakest of the three books. When it comes to the movie adaptations, however, it's actually the second best, right behind Catching Fire. The first time I saw it I had several problems with the character development, thinking certain characters didn't get their chance to shine in the spotlight. The second time I saw it, however, I took a closer look at the overall story and the character development wasn't as bad as I had originally thought, but as always there is room for improvement. Unfortunately, with the story being split into two parts, Mockingjay pt. 1 doesn't quite reach the level of intensity and storytelling that Catching Fire does. I did appreciate that the audience was able to see more of both sides of the conflict instead of mainly in Katniss's thoughts of what's going on. The story was able to have a little freedom to explore both sides and get a better feel of the motives of each side. However, I feel like it would have benefitted greatly if it had stayed as a single movie instead of being split up into two. When the credits start rolling the audience is left wanting more, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but in this case it does slightly take away from the experience of watching Mockingjay unfold onscreen. While I won't give away any details, the point in which the story gets split up results in some pretty cool visuals. The cinematography throughout the film is pretty neat as well.

To sum it all up, I wasn't completely blown away like I was expecting to be, yet neither was I disappointed. Catching Fire is still the best in terms of story, acting, and cinematography, but Mockingjay pt. 1 comes in at a very close second. I can't wait until next November when Mockingjay pt. 2 comes out.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

There are survivors of the Hunger Games, but no one ever truly wins. Since being placed in the Games one year ago, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have been trying their best to forget their experiences and move on with their lives as victors. With time, however, both Peeta and Katniss realize forgetting is virtually impossible. Every so often they are brought back into the spotlight to show off their relationship which began in the arena - and saved both their lives. It doesn't help their predicament that President Snow is still angry at them for showing the Capitol up in the arena by attempting to commit suicide instead of killing each other. Whereas the districts saw a love story, President Snow saw an act of defiance which could spark a rebellion among the districts. As punishment for their defiance, President Snow issues a decree that the 75th Hunger Games - known as the Quarter Quell - will involve only past winners of the Hunger Games, hoping that Katniss and Peeta will die and keep the embers of rebellion from fully catching fire.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is without a doubt the best so far in the Hunger Games series. Thankfully the quick, choppy/shaking cinematography where it was difficult to see what was on screen during the arena battle scenes was left behind in the first Hunger Games. I did appreciate the reasoning behind doing it that way, but it got old after awhile. The acting as a whole was leagues better than the first movie, and was also able to improve on giving the spotlight to more than just the main characters; in doing so the audience was able to care for much of the rest of the cast, instead of just using them as 'filler' or (for lack of a better description) props only as a way to propel the story along. The Hunger Games was able to do this, but not nearly as well. The director, Francis Lawrence, was also able to stay even closer to the source material this time around, going so far as to directly take bits of dialogue from the book and put it into the movie. There were some important parts of the book I wish had been included (I won't specifically name them so I don't ruin the story for anyone who has never read the books), but nevertheless it was a very solid adaptation. I would actually go so far as to say Catching Fire is one of the best sequels/adaptations I've seen in several years.

Another thing I liked was the accomplishment of building on what The Hunger Games established previously when it came to the world of the Capitol and the surrounding districts. In Catching Fire, the audience gets the chance to better understand what some of the districts are going through as they start to revolt against the Capitol, and as a result become more emotionally invested in the fate of the rebellion. In The Hunger Games, the world was limited to District 12 and the Hunger Games arena, so it was a little difficult to truly get the sense of what was going on.

In my review of The Hunger Games (which you can read here), I mentioned how the story was about kids being placed in an arena and forced to kill one another, and that I didn't think it was suitable for kids under 13 unless their parents thought they could handle the mature themes. With Catching Fire, the tone goes from a statement on our entertainment and how it affects us, to political thriller showcasing a tyrannical government essentially enslaving its people. I would still urge parents to be careful with this one, seeing as how it's still a pretty dark movie; however, the adults, teenagers, and older kids who can still understand what's going on in the story will love it. Especially if you have ever read the books.

Big Hero 6

Hiro Hamada is a teenage genius. At 14, he's already a high school graduate. There's just one problem - instead of continuing his educational career, Hiro would rather spend his days participating in underground robot fights. Hiro's brother Tadashi has attempted to get Hiro to consider college for several years. As one last attempt, Tadashi brings Hiro to the science department of the University of San Fransokyo in the hopes of sparking his interest. It is at the university where Hiro hears of a competition for young inventors to showcase their creations. Unfortunately, while competing a fire breaks out, destroying the building. Tadashi perishes in the fire trying to save others trapped inside. Overcome with grief, Hiro drops out of the University of San Fransokyo and locks himself in his room. While grieving Hiro stumbles onto one of Tadashi's own inventions - a medical robot named Baymax. The friendship that develops helps Hiro come out of his depression and search for answers to the questions surrounding his brother's death.

Big Hero 6 is, quite simply, a whole lot of fun. I honestly don't think I've had this much fun in an animated movie since seeing Up back in 2009. I liked how it tried to incorporate adult themes such as dealing with the loss of a loved one while still being appealing to kids. Big Hero 6 does it quite well, for the most part. The only problems I saw were: some of the story felt a little rushed, and as a result some of the supporting characters didn't feel fleshed out enough for the audience to truly care about them - Tadashi in particular. He only showed up in the beginning so his death didn't seem to have the same impact as it could have been. The same goes for friends of Hiro who are there for him after Tadashi dies.

Still, none of that is enough to recommend not seeing it. I would totally recommend it, especially for younger kids. I can guarantee this is one movie both kids and parents will enjoy.

The Equalizer

On the outside, Robert McCall may seem like your average Joe you would meet while walking down the street. He's the kind of person who helps out with whatever you need, no questions asked and wanting nothing in return. Since Robert's wife died a few years back, he's lived a quiet life working at the local Boston Home Mart and helping one of his fellow co-workers named Ralphie train for a security guard position at Home Mart. At nights after work, he can usually be found at the local diner reading a book and interacting with other customers. Robert's quiet and simple life comes crashing to an end after he meets a young call girl named Teri. As he gets to know her, he finds out she wants to be a singer, so he helps her out by giving her advice on how to keep her voice taken care of, among other things. One night as Robert makes his way to the diner, he sees Teri and notices she has a bruise on her cheek. Soon both Robert and Teri encounter her bosses henchmen, and Teri ends up in the hospital after being beaten. In a fit of anger Robert makes a personal visit to Teri's pimp, a Russian Mafia member named Slavi. It's at this meeting where Robert reveals his dangerous (and violent) past.

I never saw the original TV show that The Equalizer is based on, so I can't make any judgements on whether it's a good adaptation or not. Solely on the merits of The Equalizer as a movie, however, I can say that I was hoping for a slightly better story, yet Denzel Washington was (unsurprisingly, considering he's an amazing actor) able to rise above the material and give a great performance as Robert McCall. The way he's able to go from the "bad boy" image to genuinely caring for the people around him is really cool. As far as the story goes, it's still your stereotypical revenge thriller that action movies are so fond of nowadays and are a dime a dozen. I also don't think I can recommend this for younger audiences, as the violence gets pretty graphic. The body count is high, and Robert dispatches his adversaries in various...uh, creative ways, for lack of a better description.

Still, for the more mature audience who can handle this kind of stuff I can safely say that if you are a Denzel Washington fan like I am you will most likely enjoy his interpretation of Robert McCall as the Equalizer.