The Hunger Games 3 Honest Trailer Points Out All The Little Problems With The Film

Are you the world's biggest fan of The Hunger Games franchise and can't stand it when people criticize the films in the series? Well, you may want to turn away now, as the most recent title, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - 



This video is the latest installment from Honest Trailers, and you'll notice while watching it that all of their complaints really stem from one central issue: the fact that the film is an adaptation of only half of a book. We'll be seeing the second half of the story and the finale of the franchise play out later this year, but these guys really didn't love the fact that The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 didn't really operate as its own story. 

So what are the consequences of trying to craft a movie from half a plot? As Honest Trailers says, the big problem is that everything feels like it is being drawn out to satisfy an expected running time. Instead of getting Hunger Games arena-type action, audiences instead see the characters do quite a lot of idle waiting and repeating themselves. It's understandable why folks hoping the movie would be an action flick on the level if its predecessors might be disappointed. 

These Honest Trailers are built to nitpick, however, and the truth is that The Hunger Games Mockingjay - Part 1 actually had a great deal of redeeming qualities that prevented it feeling like a cash grab. It's true that the installment didn't have quite as many action sequences, but that's simply because the movie was trying to tell an alternate kind of war story - and it was quite effective at doing so. What's more, the propaganda stuff and the politics of war is some of the most fascinating material in the film, and I think it's a touch unfair to dismiss it like this video does. 

It's also worth pointing out that The Hunger Games franchise wasn't exactly the genesis of the "split the last book in two" idea that has become popular in the genre of young adult fiction adaptations. It was actually the Harry Potter movies to first pull this off - releasing The Deathly Hallows as two separate features - and that in turn was followed by Twilight: Breaking Dawn making the exact same move. It may be fair to criticize the strategy for diminishing the impact of the franchises, but it's also inaccurate to point the finger at The Hunger Games or even Lionsgate as being the ones who are "casually redefining the word trilogy." 

Do you agree with the points that this Honest Trailer is making, or would you argue against some of their complaints? Hit the comments section with your thoughts!