ShangLuda
Admirable film.
Arianna Moses
Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
Kien Navarro
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
invisibleunicornninja
For my review of these two movies, I'm going to be treating them as one movie and copy/pasting this review onto both movies. The only reason why this movie was split into two is because the studio wanted to make money. There is no other logical reason for this nonsense. Plot - This movie isn't very interesting or compelling. The first half is all filler while the second half is a series of semi-violent sequences of poorly choreographed action in between more boring filler. For the most part these movie are very predictable. Anything that is unpredictable is only made so due to the level of stupidity involved. I'm not sure if I can stress enough how much of this movie is boring filler. Characters - None of the actors really care anymore. The guy who plays Haymitch is still enjoyable, but he's a minor character. The characters are all as boring and idiotic and simplistic as they always were.Cinematography - The whole look of this movie is just as bad as the previous movies, but at some points its even worse. There isn't really anything to say about this movie. Its just a load of boring, predictable nonsense.
Phoenixphire81
Fantastic film. Brilliant addition to the series even as part 1 of 2. Mockingjay has dispensed with the killing games of the 1st two instalments in favour of war, political power plays and the beginnings of a rebellion. There is also an underlying theme highlighting the power of the media and it's influence in such matters. This one is intense and really packs an emotional punch - aided by some excellent direction and some great acting from the lead players. It is sad to have the knowledge that we have now lost a talent like P.S. Hoffman - his Plutarch is a wonderful exercise in subtlety and intellectual prowess. An interesting match against the power of the capital, with it's abundant troop numbers and heavy firepower. He is a gifted strategist and the one who seems to really know what is going on. Jennifer Lawrence is excellent once again as Katniss. It is clearer now (than in the 1st two films) why she had been picked for this as she really makes you believe the up and downs of this difficult journey, and you are with her for every step. Some of the heart wrenching scenes/speeches (one early one in particular) may have fallen flat in the hands of another actress. I found myself completely engrossed for the entirety of this film, not wanting to take my eyes off the screen for any of it. As I said previously, this is heavy on the emotion and it rarely lets up. Even with little knowledge of the intricacies of the back story and history of Panem, you are wholeheartedly behind the rebellion and you so fervently despise the man behind the suffering. Sutherland hasn't had much screen time in any of these films but credit to him to still make you loathe the Snow character and his relaxed attitude to the genocide of entire cities of people. It's a pity that this film had to be split in 2. It's annoying to have to wait so long for a conclusion. I am deducting a star purely because it feels unfinished. However, considering this is based on fiction for young adults...it still hits hard and will stay with me for a while.
The Duke of Movietown
It's finally here! The last chapter to the popular Hunger Games movie series that broke literary sales records, made Jennifer Lawrence's career and influenced young girls everywhere to take up archery is finally coming to a close... well sort of. This is only part 1 of the final chapter. In it's infinite wisdom, Lionsgate films has decided to take the Harry Potter route in finishing off the Hunger Games series. What can I say about this movie that hasn't already been said about the second to last Harry Potter movie? Some may call this film a necessary bridge to the final chapter of the series, others may call it a gradual build to something far grander in scale than what we've seen before in other Hunger Games films. Some may say that but the fact of the matter is, this movie is just plain old fashioned filler. Trust me, I've read the books and the only thing you're seeing in this film is pure filler. I don't think I'm giving anything away by telling you that The third book of the Hunger Games saga depicts the events of a massive war between the capital and the other districts but it's not ALL just a battle, there are quite a few pieces of plot that need to occur leading up to the epic spectacle of war, things that the makers of the Hunger Games film series would rather just get out of the way than have them share the spotlight with what is sure to be the special effects event of fall 2015.I could go on and tell you about everything else in the film as far as the cast and the story and the special effects but honestly, nothing has changed since the last film. Everyone does a good job and the film ends up where it needs to be but the overarching feeling behind it all is that it all of it adds up to being just a bunch of Hollywood BS stretching out projects for no reason. There's no real reason for this movie to exist, everything that happens here could have been explained in the first 20-30 minutes for the most part, Lionsgate just decided that they wanted to line their coffers with a little more coin before this franchise ends. Eh, who can blame them. Money is money after all. Unfortunately it doesn't add up to a very entertaining ride for everyone else in the theater.All in all, if you're a fan of The Hunger Games films, you're seeing this for only one reason, to get to part 4 where the real action is. If you're just a casual fan, I'd say read the back of the DVD case or the wiki synopsis and hell, just watch the trailer and prepare yourself for part 4 because that's what you should be paying to see, not this. Perhaps I'll have a different opinion of the series once part 2 of Mocking Jay comes out, but as it stands right now on it's own, Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 gets a 2.5...out of 5
onaizakhan
The Hunger Games movies have been amazing till now. The characters, the action and the sets breathtaking. But the only problem is that they don't match the level of the books. The book explains everything in details. I believe one can never actually understand and feel the story from the movie like from the book. The book is pooling with action all over and yet quick and interesting. There are movie franchises like Twilight that do better than books but The Hunger games movies are not that. There is a lot of scope of improvement ant entertainment. This movie seems like a sluggish attempt at picturing half the book. I wouldn't even give it 6 stars if I had watched the movie without reading the book. It wouldn't engage and hook me. All the while I was comparing the movie with the books. And I realized the book was so much better. So if anyone finds the plot of Hunger Games interesting, he'she should give the books a shot. But if you can't read the books, the movies aren't that bad either.
