Fans of the book will still enjoy, but most should wait till Part 2

Rating: 7/10 (5 December 2014)

Mockingjay: To say that I am a fan of the Hunger Games Franchise would be an understatement, I have been eagerly waiting for this film since last year after watching Catching Fire. I am a huge fan of the books, so I had a general idea of what was going to take place in this film and where they would end it. I was a little disappointed with the movie, I still liked it very much but was a little disappointed. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is well thought-out, very well acted, but lacks the action and intensity that made the first and second films so enjoyable.
Aside from adding in a few propo(propaganda pieces used in the film) scenes, the director did a pretty good job a keeping it true to the book. That is the problem though, it was one book and this is only half of it. The book was honestly a little boring for the first half compared to the other two, but was still a great book because it picked it up in the second half. The film obviously had scenes that were only there to lengthen the film and were very unnecessary and added little to nothing in terms of the plot. It would have been a much better film if it was closer to three hours and was just one film. That way they could have given the book adaption justice and would have been much better overall. Of course, they would make nearly double the money by splitting the book into two parts which is the only reason why they did it. The director did his best with what he was given and I give him much credit for making it a very enjoyable film.
What made this film still incredibly enjoyable to me was the acting ensemble they had. They have so much great actors and actresses across the board that they used tremendously well throughout the movie. Jennifer Lawrence(surprise, surprise) still gave the best performance. She continues to perfectly convey the personality and attitude that is Katniss Everdeen. Liam Hemsworth also did a outstanding job since this is the film that gives the most screen time. He is no Peeta Mellark to me, but he did a nice job at playing the tough, honest guy who you can tell really wants Katniss to love him the say way he loves her. Josh Hutcherson has far less screen time in this film, but was given a much more challenging role. I was curious to see how he would take to it since it is abnormal for a character to have to change his entire personality during a film. He was brilliant. He exceeded everyone's expectations and I have very high hopes for him in the final Hunger Games. The rest of the ensemble did very well. Woody Harrelson continually gave the audience nice laughs throughout the film.
It is up to you on this, I think you should see this film in theaters, but you will honestly have a better experience if you just wait to see this a little before you see the final Hunger Games. Still, I think you should see The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 at some point, whether it is in theaters or on DVD.
For more of my reviews, go to my website at reviewsbywest.com