The third and penultimate installment in the hit “Hunger Games” franchise, “Mockingjay Part 1” does an excellent job of moving the story to a nationwide stage filled with all-out war and clandestine political maneuvering, but while setting things up nicely for the epic finale, it falls a bit short of its predecessors as a standalone film.

When the first “Hunger Games” film came out in 2012 it was a wide-spread success, despite some horribly filmed action sequences and several changes that had book fans tearing their hair out.  The second film “Catching Fire” in 2013 greatly improved upon the franchise as new director Francis Lawrence was able to supply a more intelligent, well-filmed and all around more entertaining movie.  With “Mockingjay” he brings the same level of excellent filmmaking, but with only half a novel he has little to work with.

“Mockingjay” starts off with main protagonist Katniss Everdeen (portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence) in the hidden underground District 13 after escaping the previous film’s death tournament known as the “Hunger Games.”  Her defiant actions, seen on national television, have sparked a massive rebellion against the tyrannical Capitol, which now holds her friend Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) captive.  After witnessing the aftermath of her home’s destruction at the hands of the government and watching them use a tortured Peeta as a tool of propaganda, Katniss agrees to join the revolution in hopes of rescuing him.

This is where the film takes an interesting step away from its predecessors, exchanging action for political intrigue as a team led by Plutarch Heavensbee (portrayed expertly by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) engages in a propaganda war against the Capitol, using Katniss as the quintessential Joan of Arc of the rebellion.  It’s amusing to watch a proven actress like Lawrence try her best to be terrible at acting, as the character of Katniss is awful on stage and can only actually be charismatic when thrown into real combat situations.  Wonderful performances by Julianne Moore as District 13’s president and “Game of Thrones” veteran Natalie Dormer as one of the propaganda directors are a great support to the film.

As stated before the film is very clever in portraying a more behind-the-scenes look at how wars are run and coordinated, showing us both the making of propaganda videos and the unifying effects they have on the oppressed people, inspiring thousands to fight back against the government.  Unfortunately these wonderful elements are spread very thinly throughout a film that has to drag itself to a two hour runtime.  It’s clear there just wasn’t enough material in the book to justify a two-part film, and this is a blatant cash-grab on the part of the producers.

While the feeling you’re being exploited leaves a sour taste in the mouth there is still plenty to enjoy in the film, including some fantastic cinematography and a wonderful score.  The music in this film clicks perfectly with every emotional moment, and while they are few and far between in the movie they will hit the audience hard when they do appear.  Superior to the first film but inferior to the second, “Mockingjay Part 1” is a good prologue for the finale, but isn’t recommended to those who didn’t enjoy the previous installments.