The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1

There's a dark, melancholy tone to this movie, but it matches Katniss' state of mind. She's borderline despondent over Peeta's capture and frightened of President Snow's psychological terror campaign against her. She's not the Girl on Fire of the Games; she must become the real heroine of the revolution. Director Francis Lawrence continues to prove his commitment to making adaptations that are faithful to the spirit of the source material while also introducing changes to enhance the visual and emotional experience for movie-goers who haven't read the books. It was unclear how Mockingjay would work, being divided in two, but the movie succeeds in capturing Katniss' emotional volatility as she goes from Hunger Games Victor to revolutionary symbol -- even if that means it feels like not much happens in this installment compared to the first two films.

As Snow icily tells Katniss, love can destroy you -- and, in this case, Katniss' singular focus on Peeta consumes her to the point of distraction and instability. Lawrence is such a gifted actress that it seems completely authentic that a post-traumatic 17-year-old girl would care more about the one person who kept her sane in her darkest moments in the Arena than she would about furthering Coin's mission (and what a perfect job Moore does of playing the calculating leader). Liam Hemsworth does Gale justice, showing how the intelligent young man is in his element with the rebels of District 13 but also that he loves Katniss so much that he'd be willing to risk his life to save his rival for her affections. Hutcherson isn't on screen all that much compared to the first two films, but when he is, you can't take your eyes off his transformation from the charismatic Boy with the Bread into a starved, wild-eyed hostage. This isn't the sequel you'll want to rewatch again and again, but it does set things up for the final film, when Katniss will have to lead not just the stirrings of rebellion but an actual war.