Last Thursday, “Mockingjay Part 1”, the third movie in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, was released.
In “Mockingjay Part 1”, the rebels in District 13 try to convince Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, to become the face of the rebellion (The Mockingjay). District 13 has pretended to be destroyed by The Capitol in exchange for being left alone; none of the other districts knew about District 13’s existence until the end of the 75th Hunger Games, when they rescued several victors, including Katniss Everdeen and Finnick Odair. In “Mockingjay Part 1”, President Coin, the leader of District 13, prepares an army for the rebellion. However, the Capitol is holding several victors, including Katniss’ ‘star-crossed lover,’ Peeta Mellark, captive. “Mockingjay Part 1” follows Katniss’ dilemma on becoming the Mockingjay and the price she will have to pay if she agrees to lead the rebellion.
Since the movie is only the first half of the book Mockingjay, it doesn’t have a definite climax or resolution. The majority of the movie is spent setting up the plot, introducing new characters and demonstrating character changes. The movie was still highly entertaining: there is action, comedy and plenty of suspense, but there is no real ending; in fact, it is more of a cliffhanger.
As a huge fan of the series, I can say that the movie followed the book very well. Splitting the book up into two movies allowed for more attention to detail; there are many scenes that had an abundance of quotes from the book. The movie even includes a song (“The Hanging Tree”) from the book. The only major differences were that (Spoiler!) it began in District 13, not 12, and Katniss’ prep team never made an appearance.
However, for the most part, the movie follows the book very well and includes all of the major and minor events and characters. The movie also had a similar atmosphere; Katniss was just as desperate and unstable as she was in the books.
Overall, I would give “Mockingjay Part 1” a thumbs up. If you’re looking for something to do with your family or friends over Thanksgiving break, the movie is an option that won’t leave you disappointed.
