The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, released on the Chinese mainland on Sunday, is the third movie based on Suzanne Collins' trilogy of books set in a dystopian future.

Following the event of its predecessor, the film features the outbreak of civil war in a fascistic country known as Panem ruled by the Capitol and its evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland).  

The hero of the series, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence, pictured below) returns to her home, District 12, only to find that it has been bombed by the Capitol.

The survivors, including her childhood friend Gale (Liam Hemsworth), have moved to the militaristic District 13, where an uprising against the Capitol is being led by President Coin (Julianne Moore). The rebel army wants Katniss to be their "Mockingjay," a symbol to encourage Panem people to revolt.

The Capitol, however, has a symbol of their own in Katniss's one-time partner and lover Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson).

At first, Katniss hates the militaristic code of District 13, where people are given few freedoms. However, in order to rescue Peeta from the Capitol, Katniss makes a deal with President Coin. Katniss agrees to be the "Mockingjay" if the rebel army promises to save Peeta. She goes into battle and shoots video clips exposing the crimes of the Capitol and President Snow.

Of course, being part one, not everything goes to plan, and we are left with a cliffhanger.

This serves as a good lead-in for the follow-up.

Director Francis Lawrence does a good job of heightening the dour and desperate atmosphere of war. Jennifer Lawrence's sensational performance also draws us into the love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale, which may be developed further in the next movie.

Yet this prologue is slower than the first two movies. While Catching Fire seemed fresh and fun, Mockingjay - Part 1 gets repetitive.

There is also a serious lack of action. Unlike the previous two movies, with their eye-catching fierce fight scenes, Mockingjay - Part 1 has few such set pieces.

As a heroine, Katniss also fails to impress with her personality. In the scenes mentioned above she is more of a follower than a leader. Despite Lawrence's noteworthy performance, the character is dull and inert. Those who expect to be thrilled by the "Mockingjay" may come back disappointed.

There has been a trend recently for films to split adaptations of a single book into more than one part as a tool to boost box office takings. However, this strategy also usually results in a proportionate rise in excess material and boredom.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 may please die-hard fans as a warm-up act for the grand final. However, it may leave the wider audience cold. Let's hope Mockingjay - Part 2, to be released next year, flies higher.

A poster for the film Photos: CFP

Everyone's a critic

Pu Minghui

20, student

"I feel disappointed. The film was quite slow and boring. What should be told in one hour was stretched into two hours. Even if die-hard fans could endure the extremely slow pace, those like me who haven't watched the first two films must have felt lost. A couple beside me even fell asleep while watching. In comparison, The Hobbit was much easier to follow."

Yu Xingwen

27, clerk

"It felt like a tediously long trailer lacking action, a solid structure and splendid special effects. The tension built up in the previous movies didn't burst out as I expected, which I think is the consequence of splitting one movie into two parts."

Lu Chenjie

30, bus driver

"I would give 4 our of 10 points to this movie. The whole thing is about shooting an advertisement for 'mocking bird,' the mouthpiece of District 13. The director took two hours to teach you how to shoot a VCR, pose in front of a camera and say the lines naturally to beat your political rivals."

Global Times