Mockingjay - Part 1

I finally got to see Mockingjay - Part 1.  Better late than never though.  I didn't want to miss the latest Hunger Games movie in the theatre again. Mockingjay - Part 1 was pretty much what I expected.  Katniss was desperate to get Peeta back (like keeping him alive in Catching Fire), Prim was her sweet, level-headed sister. Her mom was background.  Gale came into his own more in the movie though.  When they go back to District 12, the expression on the film crew's faces as he speaks about what happened, it was a fantastic scene.

One thing I didn't notice until my Hubby mentioned it after the movie was that Katniss cried a lot. Much, more than the previous films. It is understandable, since there were a lot of upsetting things. But, he said, every time he saw her on the screen, he wondered what was going to make her cry now.  Thinking back on it, it's true.

I think Mockingjay did a good job bringing to the screen some of the horrors of war. Yes, they are fighting for freedom from the Capitol, but there is a cost.  It not as graphic as other films, many kids will be watching, but it's there, the death, sadness and despair.  There was also a lot of talking in this film.  I thought it might happen this way once they announced that Mockingjay would be two films.  There was explaining why District 13 survived, what happened in District 12 and the other Districts.  I did like the fact that it was interspersed with scenes showing the rebellion in the Districts. Though, I could have used more Finnick. Mockingjay - Part 1 was great, but I still felt like it was a warm up to the final film.  Maybe that's just because I already know what will happen.  It has also made me want to re-read the final book.

Have you seen all these amazing posters?  The District ones break my heart a bit. I think this is some great marketing on the part of the studio.

The Hunger Games (The Movie)

I loved The Hunger Games movie.  I will try to be as vague as possible, so that I don't spoil anything for those who haven't seen the movie yet.  Yes, there were a few bits that I would have liked to be more like the book, especially the muttations, but whenever a book gets made into a movie, things have to go.  Also, I would have liked the end of the movie to be a bit more like the book, concerning Katniss and Peeta's relationship, it was too positive.  The movie was a lot of action; a lot of the explanatory parts were very condensed, but since the movie was almost 2.5 hours, that is understandable.  Gale also felt a little stuffed into the movie, but whatever.

Overall, I was not disappointed.  I enjoyed The Hunger Games and my hubby did too.  If they made my hubby like this movie, I think they did a good job.  This movie is definitely not just for fans of the book.  People who like action movies will probably like this too.  A warning for those who think it’s all about the “teen romance”, it’s not.  There is death, a lot of it (not that it’s brutally violent, it’s rated PG-13).  It’s about 12-18 year-olds killing each other.  In The Hunger Games, the rules are 24 go in, only one comes out.  Some of the people in the theatre sounded shocked at some of the death scenes; what did you think was going to happen?  I described it once to someone as homicidal Survivor… with teens.

One more thing, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.  It must still be leftover pregnancy hormones or something (they can last for a year post-partum), because the same scene that got me a bit teary in the book, got me in the movie too.  I’m so crazy!  It’s not like I haven’t read the book twice!  I knew it was coming, but it was so wonderfully done and pretty much what I had pictured in my head.  There is a lot of emotion in this movie, so don’t be surprised if you end up feeling whatever it is Katniss is feeling too.

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