Amazing in Every Way, Shape, and Form

Rating: 9/10 (24 November 2013)

I have been eagerly awaiting the sequel to The Hunger Games for over a year. I finally went to see it yesterday after planning the date weeks ago. I would have loved to have gone earlier, but I had to be in a play. I went to a matinée and my mind was blown. I was a little scared because I was awfully disappointed with the first movie. When I heard there was a new director, I was excited, then anxious because Francis Lawrence,I figured, could go both ways: give us a portrayal of the book that was extremely accurate and way better than the first, or a crap movie that was worst than the first. Fortunately, it was not the latter. It was worth the three hours in the movie theater (There were like 8 previews!) and worth being late for my makeup call. The only reason I gave this a 9 out of 10 stars is because there were a few things I would have liked to be included that weren't and one thing done differently. I would have liked them to show Haymitch in his Hunger Games, the runaways from District 8 and how Katniss found out about the uprisings in the other districts. Most of these, however, were a direct result of the first movie's mistakes, specifically how the Mockingjay pin came into Katinss' possession. Overall, it is a very good adaption of a very good book.