The unquestioning loyalty of a built-in audience is not necessarily a good thing. Just look at the latter entries of The Twilight Saga, the complacency of which was proof positive that little can do as much to dull the creative instincts of ostensibly talented film-makers as the guarantee of success. But once in a while, the unshakeable trust of a global fanbase can allow a seemingly straightforward franchise to progress in a startlingly incendiary direction. That would seem to be the case with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, a $125m blockbuster whose opening sequence concludes with one teenager deadpanning the line, “I wish they were all dead and we were too.”
From such moody beginnings, the film asserts itself as perhaps the most subversive studio product since Starship Troopers. Following on immediately from the events of the previous film, Mockingjay - Part 1 sees reluctant emblem-of-a-revolution Katniss Everdeen recruited by the rebel forces of Panem to spearhead their fight against tyrannical despot Coriolanus Snow. But with their strict prohibitions and regularly scheduled “propos” (manipulated propaganda films presenting their cause in wilfully simplistic terms) the rebels are not immune to the authoritarian instincts of their enemy, allowing the film to weave a provocative picture of war’s fundamental ambiguities.
Best of all, Mockingjay – Part 1 is ready and willing to turn this scrutinising gaze back on itself, especially once the rebels begin to deploy promotional materials identical to those used in the marketing of The Hunger Games series, complete with fiery CGI backdrops and sleek gold title designs. The late Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the sardonic propagandist responsible for such efforts, whose attempts to cajole Katniss into imbuing his fanciful creations with emotional authenticity must surely be familiar to returning franchise director Francis Lawrence.
Lionsgate
Also out this week
My Old Lady Inheritance-themed romcom with Kevin Kline.
Horns Darkly comic tonal departure for Daniel Radcliffe.
White Bird In A Blizzard Close-to-mainstream offering from Gregg Araki.
