The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 – The Hanging Tree
No one who saw Mockingjay – Part 1 left the theater without Jennifer Lawrence’s grim rendition of “The Hanging Tree” echoing through their heads. The Panem nursery rhyme, sung to Katniss by her father as a child, becomes one of the rallying cries for the rebellion against President Snow and the totalitarian Capitol. Director Francis Lawrence (no relation to his star) begins the film’s coverage of the crucial song with a close-up of Katniss as, sitting by a picturesque lake during a rare quiet moment, she begins to sing.
The raw beauty of her voice shocks her documentary team, which, sensing the moment’s potency, begins to roll the cameras. Soon, Katniss’ voice has been broadcast to all the districts, which take up the song as they march on the Capitol. The chilling conviction of the rebels as, under cover of night, they advance on a shadowy dam, incurring heavy losses from Capitol guards along the way but never ceasing in their chant, cut me to the core. The scene speaks volumes about the darkness of dystopia, the solemnity of rebellion and the undefatigable nature of the human spirit – all aspects of the Hunger Games franchise that makes it the most politically astute and thought-provoking YA phenomenon, perhaps ever.
– Isaac Feldberg
Captain America: The Winter Soldier – The Elevator Scene
Marvel shifted genres with Captain America’s second film this year, producing their first spy movie for the masses. Of course, with this being a superhero blockbuster, The Winter Soldier still packed in the mind-blowing action sequences we’ve come to expect from the comic book studio. While the climactic face-off between Cap’s allies and Hydra was engrossing from start to finish – with fans overjoyed to finally see Nick Fury prove why he’s so bad-ass in the car chase sequence – the highlight of Winter Soldier takes place in the small confines of a simple elevator.
The scene starts innocuously enough as Steve Rogers enters an elevator with a few S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Tension begins to build, though, as Cap notices some of the men suspiciously holding their guns close by. Small talk ensues until the elevator is filled entirely with undercover HYDRA agents.
“Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?”
In the ensuing chaos, Rogers is immediately pinned against the wall and cuffed by over a dozen men. Five seconds later, almost half have already been taken out. Despite being repeatedly tasered in the stomach, Cap continues to fight on and takes out the majority with literally one hand behind his back.
Anyone who still considered Captain America as the weak link in the Avengers had to eat their words after watching what was arguably the coolest fight scene Marvel have yet committed to celluloid. The entire sequence is worth watching just to see the way Rogers casually flips his shield up into his hands at the end. Badass.
– David Opie