6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The continuing adventures of Katniss Everdeen, which take place in a futuristic dystopian world.
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald SutherlandAdventure | 100% |
Action | 83% |
Fantasy | 74% |
Sci-Fi | 62% |
Teen | 29% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (224 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English: DTS Headphone:X
English, English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The questionable marketing gambit of splitting one book into two (or in some cases, even more) films may make sense from a potential box
office standpoint, but it has some built in risks which can debilitate if not outright threaten whatever franchise is involved. Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows: Part 1 and
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 were seen by many as an overly rapacious attempt to wring as much moolah out of
the ticket buying populace as possible, though most critics (including our own Ken Brown, who reviewed the films here and here ) were won over by the two films’ overall
dramatic heft and pacing sensibilities. When Twilight Forever: The Complete Saga split its “final” entry into The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 following
Harry Potter’s bifurcated approach, fewer were convinced the tactic was anything other than an obvious cash grab, though it must be
admitted that if it were only a tactic, it worked spectacularly well, something that no doubt caught the further attention of already
interested Hollywood bean counters. The sheer volume and density of J.R.R. Tolkien's iconic Lord of the Rings prequel probably
helped to make Peter Jackson's
decision to trifurcate that novel into what became The Hobbit: The Motion Picture Trilogy more palatable. The difference in literary quality between the
Tolkien and J.K. Rowling tomes and those of Stephanie
Meyer
perhaps played at least a small part in the somewhat less adulatory responses to the Breaking Dawn films, and that same issue may
in fact hobble how fans feel about one of the latest “two-fers” that the avaricious film industry has foisted on the paying public,
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. Even many rabid aficionados of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games (supposed)
trilogy found the final novel to
be the least compelling of the bunch, and there’s a certain minor if still noticeable downward turn in this cinematic first half of the last book
that the upcoming
“final final” film (currently slated for the pre-Christmas marketplace later this year) will have to struggle to overcome. Those who
have stuck with the ongoing saga of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) will no doubt find more than enough in The Hunger Games:
Mockingjay Part 1 to distract from some of the film’s lethargy, but this is one case where less (as in one film instead of two) conceivably
could have been considerably more.
For those wanting to brush up on the story thus far, our reviews of the previous films can be accessed by clicking on the following links:
The Hunger Games Blu-ray review
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Blu-
ray review
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. Digitally shot with the Arri Alexa, this release falls very much in line with both The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, with a sharp, well defined image which offers excellent and at times spectacular levels of detail and fine detail (close-ups of faces are especially remarkable). This outing once again traffics in a fair amount of color grading, with both amber and blue hues bathing many sequences, as can be clearly seen in a lot of the screenshots accompanying this review. The amber (or kind of honey yellow) tones tend to mitigate very slight amounts of detail, something that's probably exacerbated by the fact that many of these moments play out in the underground lair of District 13, where lighting is at a minimum. Despite the many dark sequences in the film, shadow detail is generally quite commendable. As with the previous entries in this series, CGI has been artfully woven into the proceedings but can tend to look a bit soft in comparison to the bulk of the presentation. Finally, there are no issues with image instability and despite the general dankness of the ambience, no noise creeps into the image.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 offers a commanding Dolby Atmos (core Dolby TrueHD 7.1) track that provides near constant
immersion not necessarily limited to the somewhat abbreviated action elements this film indulges in. In fact some of the most convincing spatial
recreation comes courtesy of the cavernous environment of the underground District 13, with its slightly hollow, echoing ambience. Dialogue is
cleanly presented and is neatly directional quite a bit of the time, and a glut of well done sound effects are expertly placed throughout the
surrounds to nicely create a lifelike ambience in both interior and out of doors sequences. Fidelity is superb and dynamic range is extremely wide
in this problem free track.
For what I believe is the first time in my personal reviewing history, there's also an interesting DTS Headphone: X mix which offers a faux
11.1 surround mix. I sampled this on my home computer and while it of course doesn't provide the spacious ambience of a true surround mix, it's
quite impressive on its own terms.
- Hope and Rebellion: Continuing the Saga
- Designing Dystopia: Visual Aesthetic
- Rebels and Warriors: The Cast
- Fusing Form and Function: Costume, Make-Up and Hair
- Fighting the System: Shooting on Location
- D13: Rebellion Tactics: Stunts and Special Effects
- Perfecting Panem: The Post-Production Process
Perhaps if The Hunger Games: Catching Fire hadn't been such a generally exciting and well done second chapter in this supposed "trilogy," the flaws of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 wouldn't be so pronounced. This is an oddly static offering, one that admittedly has a number of really interesting elements, but which never works up much momentum or (even more importantly) emotional heft. Fans of the franchise will no doubt be willing to (at least largely) forgive the film its shortcomings, but The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 already has its work cut out for it. Technical merits are very strong and the supplemental package is well done, and with caveats noted, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 comes Recommended.
2014
with Bonus Disc
2014
Rental Copy
2014
2014
2014
2014
2013
2015
2012
2017
2013
2003
2014
2023
2015
2017
The Rogue Cut
2014
2014
2015
2005
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2009
2013
2006
The Divergent Series
2015
2011
2018