So, after the wretched cinematic abortion that was catching fire, katy and I had avoided the hunger games movies.
Until tonight, when katy put on the mockingjay part 1 and within 2 minutes, I understood why it is free to stream.
The movie is so bad. Sooooooooooooo lazy. I assume the books are better, but just basic plot lines in the movie would suggest otherwise.
We made it through half the movie so far, and here are a few of my grievances:
1. I absolutely draw the line at that bogus arrow shot that brings down not one, but two jets clearly flying a several hundred feet altitude and high speed. I mean come on. There was a high rate of fire anti-aircraft gun sitting right next to them that was unable to take out the jets, but a supposedly (but not by the looks of her) athletic girl who hasn't shot in at least weeks pulls that shot off? Never mind the physical impossibilities. Ugh.
2. That hydroelectric dam, the source of the capital's electricity, was way too lightly defended. 10 guys guarding a dam that a pears to be at least a mile across? And why we're on that, how come the outlets had concrete walkways on which thousands of people could sneak within 50 meters of the dam? Carrying caskets full of high explosives. What, the capital can build a giant hydroelectric dam but can't afford a few night vision cameras? Oh, they were apparently singing too.
3. President snow says the capital needs all the districts to survive. Yet, he firebombs two to the ground and there are apparently no adverse effects on the capital or its economy. And how did the capital not notice that 915 people were in the woods next to district 12 when they firebombs it. Their bombers have shitty optics too! Add that to their arrow-vulnerable tin foil armor and fuck, what is district 13 worried about?
4. For that matter, how does the capital not know where thousands of rebels are hiding underground in 13? 13 was the military, right? I guess they just wrote off all the military hardware as "lost" in the firebombing? Enon keeps better records than that!
5. Also, the dude that designed the capital's video system can't break into it? Apparently no one in Panem ever heard of radio. Or laser. Or just running a wire. One of the thousands of people who stormed the dam could have carried a coax cable. And, apparently radar is a thing of the past in the future because the rebels fly around like they are the pimps of the sky, dropping off people wherever they want.
6. And even the deer don't make sense. A deer just stands there waiting to be killed? Gale said they aren't used to being hunted. I suppose they are dirt eating vegetarians in 13. 75 years of thousands of people living underground in 13, and somehow katniss and gale are the only two people who thought of hunting above ground?
7. The whole structure of the rebels bothers me. An president of unexplained origin in district 13, I assume elected? Or is 13 just a failed microcosm of the same failed system in the capital? It would seem so. As soon as they need katniss her family gets special treatment, like keeping the cat. Are they slyly saying that all human societies are inherently corrupt?
8. Basic cinematic weirdness. There are several seconds of Gale chewing before a line, weird closeups of people's chins. A lot of odd walking scenes. Just obvious that they were desperately trying to fill up a couple hours with very little plot. Like Tolkien.
The only believable part of the movie so far is when Woody Harrelson asks the audience when they have ever been inspired by Jennifer Lawrence's lifeless, expressionless face with dead, soulless eyes. And as a viewer you realize "He's right, why am I watching this?"
If we ever watch the second half, I'm taking the laptop down. My thumbs hurt. And judging from the first half, there is a lot more to go wrong....plus there's a whole another shitty movie to go!
