Hi!
I went to see the Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 this week and I thought it was really good. To be honest, when reading the books I found Mockingjay the hardest one to get started in. The first part of the book was just so boring. When you finish reading Catching Fire you are super excited about what will happen next, and then in Mockingjay, the answer is: nothing. Nothing happens. A promo video here, a bomb there, but the story hardly progresses. However, the characters do. And they managed to really show that in the movie.
The fact is: nothing happens. They try to get the rebellion going, but it is difficult and it is slow and it is painful. And as the characters you know and love go through all this, they suffer from a whole range of emotions: fear, anger, hate (beware of the dark side guys) as well as confusion and doubt. For me, the fact that there is not a lot of story progression in this movie actually makes the viewer understand what it must feel like for Katniss and the others. This reminds me of what Coin said to Katniss: "It’s the worst torture in the world, waiting when you know there’s nothing you can do."
I think this movie is not as sensational as the other two, but is by far the most emotional. Also, I think they really managed to show people what it is like to be in a war. Of course, watching a Hollywood movie cannot give you the slightest idea of what it is actually like, but still. War is loud. Bombs and airplanes are loud as hell. And war is also waiting, in silence and in fear. A lot of people don't appreciate the Hunger Games series very much, and link it to Twilight, but I don't see that at all. In Twilight you just have a whiney main character who can only talk about the boys she has a crush on. Whereas here, you have a strong but at the same time human and fragile young woman who goes through an incredibly interesting journey. I really think this movie is great, because it might make teenagers a more critical towards the media and press, as well as more understanding towards the concept of war.
All of that aside, it's just a very entertaining movie and I had a great time. :) They could have made the movie 30 minutes longer and finish it off all together, but I guess this way they will really have the time and space to say everything that should be said, and to show everything that should be shown. I'm really excited to see the final part next year!
