THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 1 | FAMILY MOVIE REVIEW INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND KIDS

"THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 1"
(2014) (Jennifer Lawrence, Julianne Moore) (PG-13)

QUICK TAKE:: Action/Drama: In a post-apocalyptic world, the former teenage winner of a televised battle to the death competition must contend with the ramifications of being chosen as the figurehead leader of a growing rebellion against her nation's president and his totalitarian government.

PLOT:

In the undetermined, post-apocalyptic future, the government has long controlled the populace of Panem by dividing them into twelve districts. Each year, there's a televised event known as the Hunger games where one boy and one girl aged 12 to 18 are selected to compete in a battle to the death. It's designed as entertainment for the masses, but really to show the people that resistance against the government would be futile.

In order to prevent the unlikely winners of the 74th Hunger Games -- teenager Katniss Everdeen (JENNIFER LAWRENCE) who didn't kill her last competitor or "tribute," Peeta Mellark (JOSH HUTCHERSON) -- from becoming figureheads for such a resistance movement against his totalitarian government, President Coriolanus Snow (DONALD SUTHERLAND) ordered a special Hunger Games comprised of previous victors. But like before, Katniss turned the tables on Snow's plans and managed to ruin his goal.

When she woke up from that, she discovered that his former game maker, Plutarch Heavensbee (PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN), was actually a rebel conspirator headed with Katniss' mentor and former Games winner Haymitch Abernathy (WOODY HARRELSON), fellow competitor and tech genius Beetee (JEFFREY WRIGHT) and another competitor, Finnick Odair (SAM CLAFLIN), to District 13, a rebel stronghold run by President Alma Coin (JULIANNE MOORE). She also learns from her former boyfriend, Gale Hawthorne (LIAM HEMSWORTH), that Peeta and two others were captured by Snow's forces, and that TV host Caesar Flickerman (STANLEY TUCCI) is using Peeta as a pawn in government propaganda clips.

With the aid of stylist Effie Trinket (ELIZABETH BANKS) and under the encouragement of President Coin, Plutarch and others, Katniss agrees to make her own clips -- filmed by a TV crew led by Cressida (NATALIE DORMER) -- to counter Snow's message and to encourage the downtrodden in the various districts to rise up against their oppressors. She must then contend with being the chosen figurehead leader of the resistance, all while worrying about Peeta and his strange behavior.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: If they're fans of the earlier films or novels in this series, that's a definite yes.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images and thematic material.

Please watch the following short interview about why I started Screen It and continue to review movies for parents:

To continue reading the review and all of the highly detailed, scene-by-scene listings of the sex, nudity, profanity, violence and more (15 categories):

or

Just $7.95/month or $47/year

I have subscribed to ScreenIt for more than a decade. I check in every week to take advantage of their amazing services. Not only does their site provide a glimpse of exactly what content a movie offers, I've found the “Our Take” reviews and ratings for each movie to be right on the money every single time. I've referred dozens of friends to this service because my #1 resource for deciding whether or not to show a movie to my kids, or to see one myself, is ScreenIt.com!

Josh Nisbet
Director, State of CA Public Sector

I signed up to get Screen It weekly reviews a long time ago, when my kids were young and I wanted to know more about movies before we went to a theater or rented. Now one child is in law school, other in undergraduate, and I still read the weekly Screen Its! It helps me know what my husband and I want to see or rent, and what to have waiting at home that we all will enjoy when my "kids" come home. I depend on Screen It reviews. They usually just present the facts and let me decide if the movie is appropriate or of interest for my family and me. Thank you for providing that service, Screen It!

Patti Petree
Winston Salem, NC

I have 4 children who are now in college. I signed up for Screen It when my children were pre-teenagers. Often my children would ask to see a movie with a friend and I wished I could preview the movie prior to giving permission. A friend told me about ScreenIt.com and I found it to be the next best thing to previewing a movie. The amount of violence, sexual content, or language were always concerns for me and my husband as we raised innocent kids with morals. We constantly fought the peer pressure our kids received to see films that in our opinion were questionable. With the evidence we received at Screen It, our kids couldn't even fight us when we felt a film may have been inappropriate for them to watch. Thank you, Screen It. Continue to make this helpful service available to everyone, but especially the young parents.

Christine Doherty
Machesney Park, IL

Screenit.com is an amazing resource for parents, educators, church groups or anyone who wants to make an informed decision whether a movie is suitable for their viewing. The reviews and content descriptions are so detailed I am mystified how the reviewers can put them together.

Scott Heathe
Vancouver, BC

I love screen It! I don't know what I would do without it. It is well worth the membership. Before we take our son to the movies we check it out on screen it first. Thank you SO much for making it. Keep up the good work & keep 'em coming!!!

Patrina Streety
Moreno Valley California

Other new and recent reviews include:

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.