If you know to expect a "Part 1" you won't be disappointed

Rating: 8/10 (4 December 2014)

I went to this movie knowing that it will be a filler movie. This Part 1 thing wasn't a problem for me. I was expecting a good set-up movie for the Part 2 and that's what I got. It had emotion and humor mixed well. The story however is slow, probably too slow for some, but the great performances save the day. Jennifer Lawrence, Philip Seymour Hoffman are especially good. Not to forget other cast members.
The movie also gave some wonderful moments. Partly thanks to the great soundtrack by James Newton Howard. I noticed some parts of the soundtrack to be the same from the first film and it was great that they used some of the same music because the first Hunger Games film's soundtrack was amazing.
The movie will need the second part however and I am looking forward to it. The part 2 will surely make this one look better on some viewer's eyes as well.
Concerning the source material. To those who have read the books: I think this movie stays more true to the source material than the earlier ones. Even more than Catching Fire. So in that sense this is my favorite movie of the series. In the sense of a stand alone movie, not so much.
If you liked the first movies you will surely like this one as well. If you didn't like the first ones, well you were probably going to pass on this one anyway so I don't need to tell you to do that.
BUT if you are a new viewer to Hunger Games as a whole, watch the first two first or this will confuse you very much.