Mockingjay Part One came out on November 21, 2014 with fans lining up at the door on premiere night. After the last movie in the trilogy of the Hunger Games, Catching Fire, people’s expectations were high. The producers of this movie did not disappoint. Theaters were crowded with many people raving about this movie only days after its premiere. Although I did enjoy this movie, I was not nearly as excited about the film as many of those viewers were. Overall, I thought it was a quality movie, but really lacked the action that the previous two movies in this series portrayed so well.

In this one hundred twenty-three minute film, the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, joins with the rebellion force that is teaming up against the Capitol. She even agrees to be their symbol, an icon of hope and uprising, which is a very risky position. Her love interest, we find out, is in the possession of the very Capitol that they are trying to separate from. The majority of this movie is spent trying to describe the situation and watching Katniss star in advertisements to try and promote the rebel cause. There are a few moments of suspense that make you grip your seat, but in general the film is a bit slow.

The main reason I was not a huge fan of Mockingjay Part One is simply because they made it into two movies. Having read this book, I was suspicious as to how the producers could manage to stretch it into two separate films. Being as there is minimal action and, quite frankly, many boring moments, this story truly did not have to be made into two showings. Entertainment Weekly said about this movie, “Mockingjay—Part 1 is like a term paper with the margins enlarged and the font size jacked up to reach the assigned number of pages.” It was as if the producers decided they would get more revenue and have more fun if they made two movies instead of one. There is truly no other valid reason that this rather small book had to be split up into two. It seemed more of a movie to get the viewer ready for part two than a movie in itself.

Although it was bothersome that this book was made into two movies, the actual film was quite good. With all of its negative aspects, it still had a great idea behind it, with great actors bringing the story alive. As The Washington Post says, “Overall, we were very impressed. Like the previous movies in the series… this one features strong performances by the actors and does a good job of bringing to life the atmosphere and message of the books.” Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne, and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark all did impressive jobs portraying their emotionally damaged characters. As far as the plot, although it was not the most engaging film, it was interesting. To see this futuristic world with a dictator-like leader was thought provoking.

Overall, the movie Mockingjay Part One was a decent film that is worth seeing, especially if you read the books. It is a good movie to get you excited for the final movie, premiering in November of 2015. It also brings to life many details of the book and lets the viewer see things he or she could previously only imagine. Although it was displeasing that there are two movies being made for this novel, I would still recommend viewing Mockingjay Part One.