Classic Review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014)

"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1" stars Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, and Julianne Moore. Released on November 21, 2014, the film is about Katniss Everdeen being chosen to lead the rebellion and rescue Peeta from President Snow and the Capitol.

The film is directed by Francis Lawrence, who also directed The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and the upcoming Mockingjay Part 2. It is based on the novel, "Mockingjay", by Suzanne Collins and serves as the third installment of the Hunger Games film series. We are nearing the end of the franchise and it looks like things are getting serious. I enjoyed the first Hunger Games movie and Catching Fire because of their political themes and Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal as Katniss. So I was pretty pumped up for this chapter.

The story takes place after the events of Catching Fire in which Katniss (Lawrence) destroyed the Hunger Games and Peeta (Hutcherson) got captured by the Capitol. As a result, the Capitol decided to be a total ass and blew up Katniss' hometown, District 12. We now find Katniss living in District 13, where a rebellion is being formed to take down the Capitol. Like the first two movies, the film did a brilliant job at expressing its political themes with its strong script and its somewhat emotional depth. Jennifer Lawrence was once again amazing as Katniss. I can't even tell you how much I wanted to care for her character since the moment where she experienced District 12 as a big pile of rubble. There were some moments in this movie where it got slow a little bit, but it managed to get back on track afterwards. Yep, in this movie, there are no games, just conversations and a little bit of violence. Now for those who think this installment is boring, you are completely missing the point. It doesn't need to have action scene after action scene to make it engaging. Sometimes it's the conversations that drive the movie. When they're done correctly, they'll never let you go until the very end. This movie does that very well.
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Overall, I wouldn't say that "Mockingjay Part 1" is better than the first two, because that would be lying. However, with its engaging performances, some strong political themes, a well written script, and its emotional depth, this movie is enough to pull through against the case of threequal-itis. Hunger Games fans or fans of dystopia movies should definitely check this movie out. With that said, are you willing to join the fight for freedom?

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A-