Movie Review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 is a 2014 American film directed by Francis Lawrence. It is the first of two films based on the novel Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. It is the third installment of The Hunger Games series. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, and many more. It is Fandango's most-anticipated film of 2014. At the time of writing, the film has earned more than $500 million worldwide, making it a box office success.


The story goes like this: With the Games now destroyed and in pieces, Katniss Everdeen, along with Gale, Finnick and Beetee, now end up in the so thought "destroyed" District 13. Under the leadership of President Coin and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss reluctantly becomes the symbol of a mass rebellion against the Capitol and fights to save Peeta and a nation moved by her courage.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 is of adventure, sci-fi, action genre, which runs for approximately 123 minutes. It's rated PG-13 in most countries for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images and thematic material. Being the third installment of a very successful movie franchise, I had high expectations from this film. Indeed, my expectations were met. Mockingjay Part 1 is now my favorite among the three films for the following reasons: first, there was less action. It is actually the gore and brutality that I didn't like about the first movie. Then in Catching Fire, there were relatively less gory and morbid scenes as well, which made the movie more tolerable and entertaining to watch. Second, the acting of Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Julianne Moore, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman were commendable. I now appreciate their characters more than ever before. Third, the plot in general is much easier to understand compared to the first two films, given the fact that I have not read any of the novels. I was just saddened when I realized that Philip Seymour Hoffman had already passed away, which kind of sucks, considering he really did an excellent job portraying Plutarch Heavensbee. I wonder how he would reprise his role in Mockingjay Part 2. I just can't wait for next year to see the finale. Having said all these, I think that The Hunger Games movie franchise will go down in history as one of the most successful and influential films of all time.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 STARS

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Til then...

xoxo Nash