'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1' Review: No Arena, No Problem

Back when Lionsgate decided to make Suzanne Collins' trilogy of novels into movies, they made a bold choice: they decided to split the final book, Mockingjay, into two movies.

This was not without precedent. The "Harry Potter" and "Twilight" series had done the same with successful financial results. Even now, "The Hobbit" has been split up into three movies, without much complaint from fans or critics.

The problem with "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" is that it's not quite as action-packed as "The Hobbit" or "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." As a result, the movie does suffer a bit.

Where the first two movies saw Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) going into the Arena for the titular Hunger Games, "Mockingjay" takes place entirely in the dismal, war-torn world outside of the Arena. The story picks up shortly after the events of "Catching Fire," with Katniss and the rest of the District 12 refugees holed up in the underground bunker of District 13.

It's easy to look at this movie and say that nothing really happens, and you'd be partly right. Other than a short (but eventful) excursion to another district, Katniss is pretty much stuck in District 13 with nothing better to do but shoot propaganda pieces for Plutarch (the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and 13's president, Coin (new cast member Julianne Moore).

Still, you have to give the screenwriters and director Francis Lawrence credit: they manage to make a whole lot of nothing feel important, eventful and consequential. Where "Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire" were physical challenges for Katniss, this one is mental, emotional and political. Instead of steeling herself to kill others in an arena, she must balance her guilt over the loss of Peeta with her desire to take down the Capitol the only way she currently can.

What "Mockingjay" misses are the lingering effects of Katniss' time in the Arena. In the books she struggles with severe PTSD, even in the relative safety of District 13. This is touched upon at the start of the movie, but gets lost in the shuffle as it goes on. Presumably, it wouldn't be much fun to watch our heroine hide in closets for two hours, but it would have added an extra obstacle for Katniss in a movie where she doesn't do much. She spends the climax of the movie watching a video screen, so it feels as though she needs something else to battle, even if it's internal.

The movie does a good job of making Katniss seem involved, and structures events nicely to show the direct effects of her propaganda on the rebellion. There are even some moments of levity, and what the series has started doing with exposing the emptiness behind the media is thought-provoking. Watching "Mockingjay - Part 1," you certainly get the feeling that you're just watching the setup to the big finale, but it's still a setup that's engaging and interesting to watch.

"Mockingjay - Part 1" has been met with the worst reviews from critics and the lowest opening yet for the franchise, but if you're a "Hunger Games" fan, don't let that deter you. You'll still enjoy this one.