Not As Exciting As The 2nd Installment, But Still Decent

Rating: 6/10 (30 July 2015)

So, here we have the 3rd installment in the film series of The Hunger Games and unfortunately it's not as good as the 2nd film, Catching Fire. For me, Mockingjay - Part 1 takes a step backwards as it's not as exciting, fast-paced, or absorbing as the previous film. It is, however, still better than the 1st movie.
Before I started watching The Hunger Games film series, I was of the opinion that they were just another bunch of massively over-hyped SciFi/Action films aimed at the teeny crowd. I only ended up watching the 1st film because it was on TV. I still stand by my original thoughts about that 1st installment because it really wasn't anything that great and was a very average outing. Where it changed for me was the 2nd movie. That one was MUCH better than it's predecessor, and I actually enjoyed it, even with the 1st 40 minutes or so being slower than a snail in treacle. Mockingjay - Part 1, though, while still decent and better than the 1st movie, was still a bit of a disappointment.
This time around, the story is more focused on the emotion and getting Katniss Everdeen to become a sort of rebel leader/saviour for the people of each District and to start a rebellion against President Snow. I'm not complaining about where the story's focus is as I know the series can't be JUST the games all the time. It's the execution of the story that lets me down a bit as it was just a bit too bland and slow. Even Jennifer Lawrence's performance was pretty bland also. She didn't seem to have the same conviction with her character as she did in the previous films.
That aside, there were still some good moments of tension and the action that is in the film is good. In fact, it's this tension and action that keeps the film going for me. Another thing I liked? No Alice in Wonderland style costumes!! That was one thing I hated about the previous films, and thankfully none of that is here.
Anyway, onto Mockingjay - Part 2 and hopefully that won't fail to deliver.