I recently watched The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1.  It begins with Katniss Everdeen recovering in District 13, a secret, underground rebel facility.  The previous movie ended with Katniss, along with Beetee and Finnick, being rescued from her second Hunger Game.  Peeta, however, was left behind, angering Katniss greatly.   Before Katniss could even fully recover, she was introduced to President Coin, the leader of District 13, and asked to become the “Mockingjay” – the symbol of rebellion.  She initially declines, but changes her mind after returning to the ruins of her district and finding out that Peeta is being used by the Capitol.  Katniss’s every action is then filmed to broadcast to the other districts and the Capitol, to help spark the rebellion. 

Other districts and rebel groups begin to catch onto the movement.  District 7 and another rebel group both successfully fulfilled their plans against the Capitol.  Because of the rebellion, President Snow orders an attack on District 13, but a warning from Peeta allows them to take the necessary precautions to barely survive the bombing.  Shortly following, a Special Forces team was sent by District 13 to the Capitol to rescue Peeta and the other victors. It was a risky and difficult mission, but they manage to get all the victors and return to District 13.

Unlike the other victors’ reunions, which were cheerful and heartwarming, Katniss and Peeta’s was the complete opposite. It was horror-movie-esque; Peeta unpredictably attacked and tried to kill Katniss.  Luckily, someone was close enough to knock Peeta unconscious before Katniss could be strangled to death.  After Katniss recovers, it is explained that Peeta was brainwashed and purposefully allowed to escape by the Capitol, for the sole purpose of killing Katniss, in order to put a stop to the revolution.  However, with the rescue of the victors, President Coin announces the success of the revolution so far and the progress towards taking the Capitol down, further inspiring and motivating the people.

I thought this movie was very well done, given it was only part 1 of 2.  I didn’t read the book before hand, but was still able to follow along, for the most part. Since it was part 1, there seemed to be a lot of setting up for the second part and not as much action as the previous films.  It was darker than I expected but I liked how it still had bits of humor added in every once in a while for comic relief.  For example, there was a cat that Katniss rescued from the ruins of District 12 for her younger sister. Katniss had to negotiate with President Coin to keep it and when the bombing was occurring, Katniss’s younger sister went to save the cat, barely making it into the bomb shelter.  Effie, another character from the previous two films, also provided comic relief.  I heard from other people who did read the book that Effie in the Capitol during the course of these events, but in the movie she is in District 13.  She has a close relationship with Katniss, since she was by her side throughout both games.  She looks to bring out the best in Katniss and always has a positive outlook on life, even though she is living completely out of her comfort zone.

Although the movie was casted, acted, and directed well, it did have some aspects that could have been better.  For one, the movie didn’t really focus on anyone besides Katniss.  It didn’t really even show the depth of her relationship with the other characters.  Another critic I have is that it showed the same, or very similar, scene about three times, the scene when Katniss sees the destruction of a district due to the Capitol.   The movie could have focused and elaborated more on the rebellious actions.  A very small portion of the movie was spent showing how the districts were going against the Capitol, and how they were reacting to the propaganda of both sides. 

Overall, I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys dystopias, war, or just an interesting story.  I would suggest seeing the first two movies before or reading the books, in order to know the background of the situation at hand.  I plan to read the books so I can learn even more background information about the characters and their relationships with each other.  I’m excited for Part 2 to come out next year, and believe this movie was a good setup for an action-packed revolution to overthrow the all-mighty Capitol.