When the movie ended and the screen read "This film is dedicated to the late actor Philip Hoffman", I moved my thoughts out of the turbulent frame. This time, Hoffman forever " The painting", and this posthumous work has really become the swan song of Mockingjay.
Francis Lawrence, you may not be unfamiliar. In 2005, the DC thriller comic adaptation film "Constantine" starring Keanu Reeves is from this director who is good at creating a thrilling atmosphere, although it is involved in other types of films. It can be counted, but the emergence of the "Hunger Games" series is enough to make him one of the first-line directors in Hollywood, and in this work, he is absolutely successful in creating a suspenseful and thrilling atmosphere, although the contradictions and conflicts of the film develop. Slow, but unique in terms of technology and film language, this composition is enough to make this composition over-exaggerated, and the merits and demerits are equal.
"The Hunger Games 3: Mockingjay" has an unparalleled lineup, including not only Oscar winner Philip Hoffman, actress Jennifer Lawrence, actress Julianne Moore who just won the Golden Globe Award, but also many big names such as Wood Harrison, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, etc., and Liam Hemsworth, Sam Claflin also really satisfy the girls who want to taste the little fresh meat .
In this work, Lawrence's stunning acting has become the backbone of the entire movie. The moment she met Prim and Gail, she was as happy as the clouds in the sky, her natural and calm smile slid a graceful arc along her bright red lips; she saw the tortured Peeta appear on the screen Here, she is grief-stricken like a full eagle bow, and as soon as she lets go, the furious arrow will turn into a feather of revenge and pierce the screen directly; the moment she is awakened by a nightmare, she is gentle like the warm sun, using The slender palms caressed Prim's face, and the calm and loving eyes were a thousand times stronger than the eloquent words; in the scene of making conditions to the president, she was firm like a rivet on the wall, revealing herself word by word. In the face of the president, her aura was undiminished, and her eyes and brows did not reveal any cowardice or withdrawal. She is the fiend in the play, if you make her not so shrewd, well, she will act as stiff as in the speech promotion video, when the unnatural movements and the speech lines that are out of the inner truth come out of her mouth , an unfinished robot whose incoherent limb language makes the audience laugh; but you have to make her brave and she'll roar as hard as she does in front of the fiery wreckage of a plane-blown casualty hospital in the Congressional District. , the heart-piercing declaration with a hoarse voice penetrated the entire congressional district. Tears of grief and indignation accompanied by gritted teeth not only affected the people of the 12 districts, but also infected the audience present. Lawrence uses sweet smiles, sad tears, angry roars and firm eyes to wrap her ordinary but elegant face with outstanding temperament, and compose a "facial symphony", sometimes calm and relaxed, sometimes confident , sometimes in tension, sometimes in panic.
In addition to Lawrence's stunning acting skills, another magic weapon of the film is the single-view narrative style commonly used in thrillers. In the film, attentive viewers will find that the Congressional District is actually disappearing in the true sense, and all the existences related to it are only displayed through the form of television media, and the lens combination of subjective viewpoints revolves around the rebel center established in the 13th District. The various characters in the story, even most of the scenes of the story's hero Peeta, are represented by picture-in-picture, that is, "the enemy is dark and we are bright" in the traditional sense. Therefore, thanks to the locking of a single point of view , the film has achieved a certain sense of success in depicting horror and rendering horror. When I wrote my review about "Mediterranean Exile", I briefly outlined the role and significance of the omniscient viewpoint as "God's perspective", so this "The Hunger Games 3: Mockingjay" can be regarded as a counter-example to "Mediterranean Exile". This film is locked from a single point of view, the actions of Katniss, Finnick, Haymitch and others are completely covered in the frame, and we have no way of knowing the information of President Snow and Peeta of the Congressional District. I believe that the audience in front of the movie screen will subconsciously ask themselves a question: What is President Snow doing at this moment? How is Peeta's condition? Did anyone else in the tribute area survive? With these questions, the director tied us in our seats honestly, waiting for the answer to be revealed.
In a scene where Peeta conveys orders from the Congressional District on TV, Katniss looks helplessly at the TV, as Peeta is devastated and black-eyed, and it's not just Katniss, but we too. I want to know how much punishment the Congressional District used on Peeta. The mental and physical torture are inevitable, but the process of this is impossible to know. In the back of my heart, I can't start, but I can't bear it anymore. When Finnick acted as the secret weapon of President Cohen's "bright plank road, dark Chencang", the team that rescued Peeta was carrying out intensive search and rescue work with scarlet flashlights in the dark tribute area. At that moment, my psychological Paradoxically, I wanted Finnick to keep spouting on to get Peeta out of the way, and at the same time I wondered what would happen if Finnick's signal dropped. Do people in the congressional district immediately smell the same odor? Will Gale die because of this? It is worth mentioning that the clip of Fennick stating the crimes of President Snow just became a footnote of the movie's point of view on power, and Fennick's footage and the live video of the team saving people coexisted in a frame also used "Time". The style of split-screen simultaneous narration in "Password". Although fans who have read the novel already know the result, only for the film, this inner curiosity and rebellious psychology really captured the hearts of the audience.
The Hunger Games series has never been a battle royale movie that focuses on human nature, but is full of politics and metaphors, showing American political culture and youth culture. Political themes will involve human nature propositions, but they will not be overwhelming, and will be discussed separately from the larger background and carrier of [politics]. If you blindly compare the Hunger Games series with the Battle Royale series, I can't think of any other reason other than finding fault. This is a typical dystopian, sci-fi political film where action is not the main and necessary element. The series created a utopian political system, and the destabilizing elements within it. The main purpose of this theme is to explore whether this [ideal] system can exist stably, and whether it can withstand the impact of social unrest, and quickly suppress and restore calm. The conclusion is often negative, which is the meaning of the word [anti-Utopia].
In the first two films, the Thirteenth District, which was the base camp of the revolutionary army, refused to show up for a long time. The film also naturally established the Congress District as the villain, standing on the opposite side of the protagonist and the audience's emotions. Therefore, we sympathize with the experience of the protagonist Kenis, hate President Shi Huiguo, and cheer for the people with lofty ideals who participated in the revolution. At the same time, in the two episodes of the movie, Kayneth's sense of resistance gradually awakened, and she also placed herself on the opposite side of the Congressional District and temporarily aligned with the Revolutionary Alliance. Kennis was shaped as a tongue-tied bird, a symbol of hope and a symbol of revolution, calling on the people of all regions to rise up and become the spiritual sustenance of the people.
In this episode, however, I thought the revolutionary mood would intensify and Kayneth would play a bigger role. As a result, the true meaning of Kayneth's existence finally emerged: she was just a tool for political propaganda. The core plot of the film is that the Revolutionary Army and the Congressional District use the fateful couple, Kenneth and Pete, respectively, to carry out political propaganda and launch a propaganda offensive. They kept inciting people in all districts to take up arms or give up their resistance. And this had the greatest impact on Kanesse. Her belief in [revolution] had begun to shake, and she even began to question the true intentions of the revolutionary army.
There is no right or wrong in politics. If there is an obvious separation of good and evil in the first two films, then this episode will not be able to see what is right and what is wrong. The President of the Revolutionary Army kept saying that he wanted to overthrow the Congressional District and establish a new Shihuiguo. But the ghost knows what the essential difference is between her so-called new Shi Huiguo and the existing old Shi Huiguo. The President of the Congressional District has at least established a [Utopia]-style country. Although it is autocratic, the citizens of the Congressional District can enjoy as much freedom and welfare as the law allows; while the President of the Revolutionary Army, in addition to issuing a A blank check, but nothing for her people, what we see is more hatred of the rich and an almost outrageous dictatorship. In particular, Kayneth's innate spirit of resistance was beyond her control. Thinking about the reluctant attitude of Kayneth when he offered her an offer at the beginning, you can expect the day when the two finally turned against each other. Accompanying Kayneth's pity for the suffering people was her growing suspicion and resistance to the revolutionary army.
Kenneth is a typical American heroic individual, the hero of the people, and the public enemy of the country. Those who can bring true freedom to the people are either lunatics or enemies.
Katniss eventually transforms into Mockingjay in the film. Mockingjay is born with chaos in the worldview setting of "The Hunger Games", representing resistance and freedom. And the Mockingjay that Katniss has become has become a political vassal. As Peeta said in the film, Katniss has no knowledge of the rebels' game plan to break the army, and all participation excludes her-in the end to get her. In the opinion of President Cohen, the leader of the resistance army, Katniss's popularity in the twelve districts can completely guide the people's beliefs. As long as she raises her arm, the fire of hatred among the people can be ignited in an instant, and become a leader against the Congressional District. ultimate power. The entrenched Congressional District felt its foundations shaken after the discovery of the Thirteenth District's plan, and President Snow exerted mind control on Pete to influence Katniss by expressing the invariable and oppressive rhetoric of the Congressional District. Before the final moment comes, everyone (including Katniss) is easily confused by the appearance caused by long-term oppression. President Cohen seems to conform to the public opinion, so everyone is willing to support her, and Katniss is also attracted by it.
Katniss just wanted to protect her loved ones, but she was caught in a political whirlpool.
Although the Twelve District was tragically destroyed by the Congressional District at the end of "Catch a Fire", Katniss' hatred for the Congressional District grew stronger, but she had doubts about whether to join the rebel army. She has always been a kind girl, as can be seen from the beginning, she volunteered to replace her sister in the Hunger Games, and she only wanted to protect the loved ones around her. She did not voluntarily join the Thirteenth District from her heart, but exchanged terms with President Cohen to rescue Peeta. President Cohen's side, on the surface, represents the people's hearts, but there is still no lack of dark political tactics. Of course, we'll have to wait until Mockingjay (Part 2) to really show that. It is mentioned in the play that President Cohen's husband and children died in the bombing a few years ago, which can be considered a sign of his transformation. What haunted him for many years is the violent hatred that can blind his eyes, forget true freedom, and let his heart turn sour to carry out rebellion in the name of rebellion, far more frightening than the dark rule of the congressional district. Trapped between the two whirlpools, Katniss, who couldn't help but endorse "Mockingjay", is just a poor irony.
Therefore, despite the procrastination, the film's ideological depth has achieved its goal. Catching Fire completes a reversal climax that, in Mockingjay, will not be completed until the next installment. The first half is more about the struggles of tiny lives such as Katniss, Peeta, Gale, the survivors of the thirteenth district, and the attacked eighth district, and the thinking about survival or resistance. The images of the people from Districts 1 to 12 are the images of the working class. In the changing District 13, they have turned into rebels, but they are undoubtedly the lowest-level existences who are restrained everywhere. President Cohen used this public opinion to form resistance, and then used Katniss as a tool to light the spark. In addition to the political manipulators on President Snow's side, the army is like a robot, and the army has never removed its helmets. If they are regarded as political service products, the meaning of this kind of political contest can be more strongly reflected.
The system is not divided, and the essence of resistance and oppression is entangled
. "The Hunger Games" restores an ancient topic - the system remains unchanged, no matter how the people resist, and what methods are used in the process, it is all in vain and futile. Just as the achievements of the 1911 Revolution were stolen by Yuan Shikai and then intended to be restored to the monarchy, the leaders of the Thirteenth District and the Congress District are the same people. The people are used in this as a tool, a tool for the realization of political aspirations. All are exploits, Katniss is, the other tributes are, Hammitch and Pratash are, and beyond, everyone in the Congressional District. The ravages of the Hunger Games don't stop at the arena. The evil has been implemented into every aspect of the world. Rebellion and oppression are blurred by the system in the collision. The actions of the Congressional District are outrageous. After the success of the Thirteenth District, the results will not necessarily be better. The innocent people are the most, they are the ones who sacrificed in pieces, and they are the most vulnerable. The "Mockingjay" is wrapped in the middle and drifts with the flow.
In terms of actors, the post-90s cousin Jennifer Lawrence's performance is as wonderful as ever, showing the confusion, vulnerability and anger of the role of "Katniss" to the core. It can be said that the story revolves around her, and the audience also pays all attention to her. on her. At the same time, she dedicated an original song "The Hanging Tree" in this film, giving the film's already excellent soundtrack the icing on the cake. Aside from Jennifer, another actor I like is Philip Seymour Hoffman, I noticed him in "Radio Pirates" and he performed very well in "Catch a Fire", but unfortunately passed away in the spring of 2014 . It was a pity at the time. Why did he just know and like an actor before he died... "The Hunger Games" director Francis Lawrence couldn't bear to delete his scenes, and did not hesitate to work with the screenwriter to modify the plot. Maybe when it comes to Mockingjay (Part 2), Philip's role will be reduced a lot.
I feel very sorry to see Philip Hoffman on the screen again. He has been dead for more than a year.
When he focused on depicting his thoughts, the action scenes in this film were reduced a lot, and some battle scenes were not enjoyable at all. The most impressive thing is My cousin shot down the plane with a bow and arrow in one fell swoop. Katniss was born in the forest lingering in the wild, and was born with bow and arrow hunting skills. This shot of jerking off the plane is as exciting as the second part of shooting the electronic dome in the sky. However, due to the increase of indoor shots, the special effects have stopped. I dare not say that the use of shots has declined, but I really feel that the fighting screen is not enough to watch. I look forward to the accumulation of the third part.
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1" has reached $330 million at the North American box office, surpassing Guardians of the Galaxy to become the annual North American box office champion. You must know that North America still does not have IMAX and 3D versions, but China does. This once again proves the popularity of movies based on teenage novels. In addition to the high-quality original works, a good director and a group of outstanding actors, it is not a dream to be a big seller. Like Marvel's superhero movies, it can also compete for hegemony in the mainstream film market. And "Divergent" and "Maze Runner" followed, not to be outdone. Now is the peak period, and in the future film market, the seat of the film adaptation of the original teenage book will be solid for a while. Original book + youth + special effects + star, this mode can continue to exist, and it is worth looking forward to.
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