Not nearly as bad as everyone says

Rating: 8/10 (22 February 2015)

I've read plenty of negative reviews before watching this movie. As a fan of books and previous movies i was a bit afraid 'Hunger games: Mockingjay - Part 1' will disappoint me. But it DIDN'T.
Of course this movie is different from first two, but so were the books. It's the first movie in Hunger games series without actual Hunger games. Action buffs may be disappointed, this movie is slower than previous two, but i didn't feel prolonged. Two hours which it lasted, passed very fast.
I even started to think that splitting the third book into two movies is a great idea. Stunning performance of Jennifer Lawrence reveals true Katniss Everdeen. This Katniss (at least for me) was closest to the one i read about in the books.
All in all, i enjoyed watching this movie. Maybe my expectations were too low and this is why i it surpassed them. Performance of Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinket) must also be mentioned. It's a pity she played only a few scenes. Puff of energy in a grey strict world.