This is a great piece that raises some excellent points, but my take on the film is pretty different from yours. A couple of things I wanted to mention:
1. One of the things I like least about the books is how deeply embroiled we are in Katniss's point of view. The super-close first person narration works pretty well in the first book but is less successful in Catching Fire, and it's especially a problem in Mockingjay. I appreciate that the movies take a few steps back and give us a wider view, that we learn more about other characters and what they're thinking, how they're feeling, and what they really think about Katniss and the world situation (as opposed to what Katniss *thinks* they're thinking). By actually seeing Coin in operation, outside of what Katniss knows and sees, I felt like we did get the sense that her regime and the Capitol's aren't so different -- and more directly than in the books, because the film is showing us the parallels in her decisions and actions, rather than Katniss having to infer them.
2. While I definitely see what you're going for in your suggested changes to the ending, and they might have worked well for the series taken as a whole, I suspect a more ambiguous ending would have hurt Mockingjay Part 1 as a complete story that stands alone from its sequel. When I heard that the filmmakers were splitting Mockingjay into two movies, I was concerned that it would only feel like half a story. By making "what happened to Peeta?" into a major story arc, and then giving us the complete answer to that question, the movie is able to close out that arc while sowing the seeds for the next phase of the story. If they'd left that arc any more open, I feel like Part 1 would have had a far less satisfying ending. Not that the ending isn't a cliffhanger -- it absolutely is, just like the first two movies in the series. But it's a "where do we go from here" cliffhanger, not a "wait what just happened" cliffhanger, and I think the latter would have been frustrating for many viewers, especially those who haven't read the books.
Thanks for writing this, it does give me a lot to think about, and I will definitely be looking for the missed opportunities you saw the next time I watch it. :)
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1. One of the things I like least about the books is how deeply embroiled we are in Katniss's point of view. The super-close first person narration works pretty well in the first book but is less successful in Catching Fire, and it's especially a problem in Mockingjay. I appreciate that the movies take a few steps back and give us a wider view, that we learn more about other characters and what they're thinking, how they're feeling, and what they really think about Katniss and the world situation (as opposed to what Katniss *thinks* they're thinking). By actually seeing Coin in operation, outside of what Katniss knows and sees, I felt like we did get the sense that her regime and the Capitol's aren't so different -- and more directly than in the books, because the film is showing us the parallels in her decisions and actions, rather than Katniss having to infer them.
2. While I definitely see what you're going for in your suggested changes to the ending, and they might have worked well for the series taken as a whole, I suspect a more ambiguous ending would have hurt Mockingjay Part 1 as a complete story that stands alone from its sequel. When I heard that the filmmakers were splitting Mockingjay into two movies, I was concerned that it would only feel like half a story. By making "what happened to Peeta?" into a major story arc, and then giving us the complete answer to that question, the movie is able to close out that arc while sowing the seeds for the next phase of the story. If they'd left that arc any more open, I feel like Part 1 would have had a far less satisfying ending. Not that the ending isn't a cliffhanger -- it absolutely is, just like the first two movies in the series. But it's a "where do we go from here" cliffhanger, not a "wait what just happened" cliffhanger, and I think the latter would have been frustrating for many viewers, especially those who haven't read the books.
Thanks for writing this, it does give me a lot to think about, and I will definitely be looking for the missed opportunities you saw the next time I watch it. :)