FILM: The Hunger Games - Mockingjay Part 1 (dir: Francis Lawrence, 2014)

"It takes ten times longer to pull yourself back together than it does for you to fall apart."

Right from the start, Mockingjay Part1 presents a very different tone from its predecessors: bleak, sombre, shattered.  The traumatised Katniss finds herself no longer a symbolic figurehead of rebellion but increasingly its actual leader, discovering the true horror of President Snow's dictatorship.  Apart from the tonal difference, this entry also places a range of characters in interesting and unexpected places, and finally Josh Hutcherson's Peeta is given something interesting to work with, leading to a genuinely shocking late moment in a film that already pushes the limits of a 12A/YA feature.  Jennifer Lawrence's terrific acting ability still elevates the material but this should not be taken for granted, as she owns the character and dominates the screen with genuine credibility.  The smaller-scale action set-pieces are well-staged and work in their own right, but this Part 1 will obviously sit well next to the upcoming finale.