The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 Review

Rating: 7/10 (21 November 2014)

My Thoughts: First and foremost I am going to just try to focus on the movie and not how it relates to the book. Yes there are differences some major some minor, but we have been dealing with that since Hollywood took a book and converted it to the silver screen. There is no chance to ever get a book translated perfectly to the movies.
Okay that being said this movie falls into another category where Hollywood is so desperate to make money from their blockbuster movies that they needlessly take the last book in the series and split it in two. I think this started with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I could be mistaken. So what does that mean for these movies? It means that all we get in this movie is the work up to all the action that will happen in the second movie. Don't get me wrong this is a good movie but there is very little action taking place in this movie. And right when you know things are going to get good, fade to black and come back next year thank you for your $12.
This movie runs around two hours before you add in the previews and I wish I could say that they used all of those 120 minutes to good effect but they do not and so in a movie that is already slow we get these scenes that really do not help propel it further. I mean we as the audience already know that Katniss has love issues trying to choose between Gale or Peeta, but the simple fact that you are now the face of the Rebellion and they all believe you love Peeta you should probably tone down the way you behave around Gale. Though thank god the rebels have to much going on that they don't notice, except Gale who is finally coming to realize that Katniss will never be able to make that choice.
Look we know this movie isn't going to be the best of the four total movies when the last one comes out. This ones whole job is to transition us from how the last two films were set up to this civil war showdown in the final movie. Does it make it bad? No. You just have to set the expectations that this movie is more story driven vice action driven. And do not let me get you done there is some action taking place in this one, but just enough to keep you interested.
My Recommendation:
Really if you aren't that big a fan I would say wait until it comes out on DVD and watch it right before you go see the second part of Mockingjay.