December 3, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 23 ‘Mockingjay, Part I’ is a sluggish coming attraction Gale (Liam Hemsworth) and Katniss (Jen- nifer Lawrence) look over a devastated Dis- trict 13 in ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part I.’ by Dennis Seuling “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part I” is the third installment — and the most cumbersomely titled — of the franchise featuring Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), the courageous young woman who opposes the dictatorial Capitol in her dystopian world. The filmmakers have broken up the final book of the trilogy into two parts, likely to squeeze out maximum dollars at the box office. Naturally, this installment must have unresolved situa- tions and a cliffhanger or two. This ploy is not unprecedented. The final Harry Potter book was also adapted into two feature films. This annoying trend is a transparent attempt milk profits at the expense of a cohesively structured, satisfying adventure. As “Mockingjay” opens, Katniss has been sequestered in District 13, a vast underground complex of ex-military lead- ers who have built up a store of armaments and are waiting for the right opportunity to lead the other districts in revolt. Presi- dent Coin (Julianne Moore) and her strat- egist Plutarch (Philip Seymour Hoffman) see Katniss as the catalyst to rouse and motivate the masses. She is to be used as the focus of propaganda films. Their first attempt to create a stir- ring propaganda film goes bust, primar- ily because of Katniss’ less-than-stellar acting (it takes a good actress to feign (continued on Crossword page)