Let's Talk : Mockingjay (Part 1)

When I found out that they were going to split Mockingjay into two movies, I was a bit disappointed. It seems like every finale in a book-turned-movie franchise gets turned into two movies and I don't like the idea of having to go the movie theater twice to see a story that I got out of one book. Having said that, I do really enjoy watching the movies for the books I read and so the upside to having a book split into two films is that we get more visuals.

I was a bit skeptical going into Mockingjay Part 1  but also super excited because, let's be honest, the Hunger Games is a prime example of when a book turning into a movie goes well. The movies are really good and they don't disappoint the fans of the book while simultaneously drawing a crowd of new fans who've never read the books but love the story. This installment was no exception. The movie was great and true to the book, for the most part, and any variations were completely excusable because the story overall flowed really well. I liked that we got to see the raid in the capital because we don't get that in the book. I loved Jennifer Lawrence's acting (no surprise there) as well as Josh Hutcherson's, who did an amazing job depicting the slow deterioration of Peeta (I know the physical change was CGI but the emotional change was all acting on Josh's part). The scene at the very end when Peeta sees Katniss for the first time after (spoiler alert) being saved from the capital was 100% perfect! It was just how I imagined it to be and it was almost terrifying and heart-breaking to watch. I also really appreciated the way the story treated the ending or coming to an end of any possibility of a 'Kayle' romance and how the series never emphasized the love triangle too much (there was some of that happening when the first movie came out but this book isn't about a love triangle, there isn't really much of a love triangle there and I like that they didn't emphasize that). Plus, we got to see so much Gayle in this movie and people who haven't read the books can finally gain more of an appreciation for him.

Overall, I was happy with this movie. I don't mind that there are two parts to Mockingjay. Well, actually, I do mind that I have to wait another year before seeing the next half (I saw it in November and I'm just writing this late) but I can be okay with that because I know that the movie is going to be good and completely worth it. The Hunger Games movies haven't disappointed so far and I don't expect them to start now.