Book VS. Movie: Mockingjay Part 1

Rating: 9/10 (30 November 2014)

I shall tell you, point by point, what I missed and what I liked:
Cue to District 13 as soon as the movie starts - the book starts with Katniss visiting District 12, seeing the horrors that President Snow inflicted on her people. In the movie, Katniss takes her time in District 13 and we do not see 12 for quite a long while. Somehow I feel the movie Katniss is more weak and frail than the book version.
Effie Trinket is in District 13 - as opposed to the book where she is in the Capitol and Katniss "prep team" (Venia, Flavius and Octavius) are forced away from the Capitol at the same time with The Hunger Games being hijacked by awesome Plutarch. Now that is one of the biggest deviations of the movie, but somehow it feels comforting and reassuring to have Effie there. In the movie she is quite a huge character and you grow to love her with each movie. And who could wear Grey colors like her, making them look fashionable?! :) Plus she has a lot of humor in Mockingjay and occasionally flirts with Haymitch - makes me believe that maybe in part 2 they will end up together?! :) Not that I would not agree...
Katniss demands from District 13 and President Alma Coin - they seem to go from big to small in the movie as opposed from small to big in the books. In the movie she first demands the victors (Peeta included) and Annie (Finnick's love) to be rescued and pardoned and then demands on her sister right to keep the cat. In the book she first starts small... with the kitten request... and then grows into asking for Peeta and the killing of President Snow by her own hands (and by the way, this demand does NOT get into the movie lines... I wonder why!). At first, in the book, she focuses so much on her anger that she forgets about Finnick & Annie, but comes back eventually and demands freedom for her as well.
Katniss does not request for President Snow to be killed, in the movie. In the book she wants him dead so somehow, again, I feel that the movie tries to make Katniss weak. I makes me think/feel that she is still afraid of the President hurting her and the ones she loves.
Finnick gets less action on the big screen than in the book - and I think I get that, as in the book he is a huge character, well developed and very well connected with the story. When he dies in the storming of the Capitol I could not stop myself from crying. For me Finnick was on the same step as Katniss and Peeta and to tell you the truth I always placed Gale lower. Finnick is a strong character, he was made wise by playing inside the Capitol and having access to their secrets and lies. There are two options here: either the director wants us not to get attached to him and suffer when he dies, or they will not follow the course and he will not die... I wonder how they will play this!
The Tech-Bow all the book readers were waiting for is not featured in the film! :O Katniss receives as prop, in District 13, a bow created by Beetee. True, we see that in the movie that he gives Katnip the bow with 3 different sets of arrows and it looks pretty and shiny but hey! where is the feature of the bow that we were all waiting for? The bow is supposed to open up only to her very own voice! Where did that go?
Katniss soldier training is non-existent in the movie - yet another point in making Katniss Everdeen look weak and frail and senseless on the big screen. Somehow I felt the movie was focusing too much on Gale and Katniss than the relationship in the book between Katniss and Peeta/Finnick/her adorable little duckling-turning-into-a-swan sister. In the end, in Mockingjay the book, we can see Katniss severing all relationship with Gale; so where did that kiss came from? The need for some romantic action must-have in nowadays movies?! Cah! :/
Either way I am glad I saw the movie and it was a night well spent, but hey! I am critical when it comes to the books I love, and The Hunger Games series is one of them. It could have been better done but as it is I must admit that for me it was the movie I have waited for more than a year! and either way I would put it in the top 3 best movies of the year. And last but not least, long live Donald Sutherland as President Snow :) Now that is one character you love to hate! I recommend you go see it for yourself, especially if you already read the books ;)