--- title: "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1" critics_score: 61 critics_reviews: 25 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014): what the critics said Critics' score 61 from 25 reviews: 12 positive, 7 mixed, 6 negative. Most critics give it a cautious pass, and nearly all of them agree on why it works at all: Jennifer Lawrence. Review after review singles out her Katniss as the thing holding the film together, even where the rest is found wanting. The second cluster of praise goes to the film’s treatment of propaganda and the selling of a revolutionary as a brand, which several reviews find sharp. Little White Lies goes furthest, calling it the best of the series so far, and The Guardian picks out Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Plutarch as the most fully rounded figure on screen. The reservations are about the split. Most reviews say this is half a film: slow to start, short on action and left without an ending. The spread is wide. The Evening Standard thinks it simply treads water until the next instalment, Eye for Film finds the script full of holes, and The Hollywood Reporter calls it bland and needlessly stretched. ## Little White Lies — Sophie Monks Kaufman Rating 2/5/4. 19 November 2014. The critic calls it the series’ best film so far, praising its emotionally powerful, self-aware treatment of propaganda and filmmaking. She particularly singles out the moments when collective acts of solidarity become soaring emotional set pieces. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1) ## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds Rating 4/5. The critic finds the film an effective but imperfect bridge in the series, lacking the satisfying self-contained narrative of earlier instalments. The available review text singles out that lack of closure as a weakness. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-m6urcg/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1/) ## Time Out — Cath Clarke Rating 4/5. 11 November 2014. The available standfirst frames the split-book sequel as risking a derailment. The review text is unavailable, so its verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be established. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1) ## Total Film — Kevin Harley Rating 4/5. 11 November 2014. Harley finds the film a gutsy, considered adaptation that mostly holds up despite its slower, politically focused plot. He praises Jennifer Lawrence’s portrayal of Katniss’s fraught humanity and the way the action builds tension. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Richard Scott Larson Rating 3/4. 19 November 2014. The review finds the film uneven but ultimately intriguing, especially as it sets up a dramatic conclusion. It praises the film’s ambiguity about media and trust, while criticizing its simplistic view of propaganda and lack of catharsis. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1/) ## Film Comment — Michael Sragow Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). Sragow presents the film as a performance-driven and engaging first half of the finale. He singles out the performances as more compelling than the explosions. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/deep-focus-the-hunger-games-mockingjaypart-1/) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 2014. Edelstein finds the film bleak but really good, praising its sharp meta-commentary on selling Katniss as a revolutionary icon and as a movie star. He especially singles out Jennifer Lawrence’s unaffected performance, while noting Liam Hemsworth’s lack of emotional force. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2014/11/mockingjay-hunger-games-review.html) ## Variety — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 10 November 2014. Chang finds the film solid and absorbing, though not especially inspired, and views its transitional, subdued approach as both effective and somewhat unsatisfying. He praises Jennifer Lawrence’s compelling performance and the rousing uprising sequences, while faulting the film’s overly safe, by-the-book feel. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-1201352024/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page appears to be a review of the specified 2014 film. Its contents are inaccessible, so the critic's verdict and any praised or criticized element cannot be confirmed. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-2014) ## Screen Daily — Mark Adams Fi1m's normalised score 63/100 (inferred from the text). 10 November 2014. The headline frames the installment as bleak and downbeat, but the review’s full verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or complaint beyond that tonal framing is visible. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1/5079832.article) ## Sight and Sound — Sophie Mayer Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2014. Mayer finds the film’s war story and set pieces more compelling than its predecessor, but says they risk overwhelming the central character. She praises Jennifer Lawrence’s performance of “The Hanging Tree,” while lamenting how little room the plot gives Katniss to express herself. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/review-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1) ## The Guardian — Mark Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 23 November 2014. Kermode finds the installment less dramatically even and more didactic than its predecessors, but appreciates its media satire. He singles out Philip Seymour Hoffman, whose wit and gravitas make Plutarch a fully rounded figure. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/23/hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-one-review) ## Empire — Helen O'Hara Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2014. O’Hara finds the film tense and atmospheric but ultimately a frustrating slowdown before the finale. She praises Jennifer Lawrence’s charismatic, compelling performance as Katniss, while faulting the near-total lack of action. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2014. Turan finds the film an unsatisfying placeholder, slowed by a thin story and an unresolved ending. He praises Jennifer Lawrence for maintaining a fierce, compelling hold on Katniss. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-hunger-games-mockingjay-review-20141121-column.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 November 2014. McCarthy finds the film disappointingly bland and unnecessarily stretched, despite its engaging premise. He singles out Elizabeth Banks’s amusing performance and the scenes shaping Katniss into a revolutionary figure as highlights. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-3-747902/) ## Evening Standard — David Sexton Rating 1/5. 23 November 2014. Sexton finds the film engaging but ultimately thinks it treads water, largely setting up the next instalment. He praises Jennifer Lawrence’s authenticity and allure, which he says lift the film. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-film-review-jennifer-lawrence-is-as-earthy-as-ever-9874690.html) ## HeyUGuys — Emily Breen Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 November 2014. The critic calls it a powerful, moving chapter that avoids padding. Jennifer Lawrence’s subtle performance and the film’s thoughtfully staged action stand out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-review/) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating B. 19 November 2014. The review finds this a mature, character-driven installment that makes it easy to anticipate the finale, though it feels incomplete on its own. It praises Jennifer Lawrence’s performance and the screenplay’s brisk political maneuvering, while criticizing clunky dialogue and heavy-handed imagery. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-starring-jennifer-lawrence-philip-seymour-hoffman-and-more-20141119/) ## /Film — Germain Lussier Rating 7.5/10. 21 November 2014. Lussier finds the film a welcome departure for the series, though its slow start and unresolved ending weaken it. He praises its exploration of media and war propaganda, which builds momentum through inventive scenes and performances. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/534799/hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-review/) ## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 November 2014. The critic finds the film suspenseful and satisfying despite being a setup for the finale. They praise its political storytelling and single out Francis Lawrence’s striking visual moments, including a staircase that evokes Metropolis. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-review-jennifer-lawrence-liam-hemsworth-josh-hutcherson/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2014. Hammond says the film should satisfy fans despite being only the first half of the finale. He singles out Jennifer Lawrence’s performance as a key reason it works. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2014/11/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-review-pete-hammond-1201289472/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 3/5. 19 November 2014. Crow finds the film compelling but incomplete, with its divided story and unresolved ending limiting its impact. He singles out Jennifer Lawrence’s intensely realized performance as Katniss for praise. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/books/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-review/) ## Paste — Andy Crump Rating 6.3. 30 November 2014. Crump finds the film staunchly mediocre and overextended, with no satisfying climax. He praises the hospital scene and a tense crosscutting sequence, but says filler buries the story’s promise. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-hunger-games/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1) ## Consequence — Leah Pickett Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2014. Pickett finds the film well-acted and politically sharp, but ultimately an overextended, dreary middle passage. She singles out its media-manipulation commentary and says it lacks the excitement and impact of its predecessors. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2014/11/film-review-the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2014. The critic finds the film slow, implausible and weighed down by glaring script holes. He singles out two exciting moments, involving Katniss’s sister’s cat and her boyfriend Peeta. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1-2014-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-1.md