To start off, I should warn you that there will be spoilers in this article. Nothing that would ruin the movie; I would never be so cruel as to ruin one of the greatest movies in the known universe. Just, if you haven’t read the book (which you should– I can’t tell you enough how annoying it is when people are Hunger Games fans and have never even read one of the books), you may be surprised at some of the parts I bring up. So, if you haven’t read the first half of Mockingjay, now is your chance to log off and prepare yourself for the greatest cinematic experience of your life (until Mockingly: Part 2 comes out next year).

To those that read the books and stuck around to continue reading, thank you for proving to me that there are still brains in the world! Way too often people express their admiration for movies like Divergent, The Hunger Games, The Fault in our Stars, Perks of Being a Wallflower and so much more without experiencing the magic only captured by their book counterparts. But enough about my passionate dislike for people that don’t appreciate reading– let’s hop right to it.

The Good: Movie > Book

For the first time since a book was transformed to big screen magic, THE MOVIE WAS BETTER THAN THE BOOK. Gasp, scream, and even throw your phone across the room in utter shock and disbelief. But I promise you, FOR ONCE, THE MOVIE WAS BETTER THAN THE BOOK. Considering that Mockingjay was the worst book of the trilogy (not only my opinion, but the final consensus of the Hunger Games fandom itself), the movie was an enjoyable alternative to Suzanne Collin’s biggest mistake. By splitting the movie into two separately released parts, a move many angry fans found as an unfair ploy to get more money, it did the story of Katniss’s journey some well deserved justice.

• Splitting the movie into two parts allowed more screen time for the greatest rebellion in literary history. The two-hour powerhouse of emotional strain allowed an incredible insight on the rebelling Districts, especially District 7 and District 5. The book tells that the Districts are uprising, but only the movie shows what every fan has been trying to picture. With Katniss no longer the narrator (as she is in the books), the revolution of Panem is not restricted to her viewpoint in the movies. We see the people of 5 and 7 become hardcore rebels, sacrificing themselves in the name of the Mockingjay. Viewing this, the districts in rebellion against the Capital, is unparalleled to the reports Plutarch gives District 13 in the books of what is happening outside of the compounds. In conclusion, the movies showcasing of the rebel’s actions were beautiful and long-awaited.

• Because you read Mockingjay, you know of Katniss’s “The Hanging Tree” song. And, being the super fan that you are, you probably tried to sing it in your head to understand the power of “The Hanging Tree.” Well, I am here to say that Jennifer Lawrence’s singing in the movie (which you can listen to on the soundtrack or on youtube) is incredibly moving and powerful. The film shows Katniss singing the song she and her father shared, cutting to clips of rebels joining in, symbolically and literally adding a voice against the injustice of their oppressive government. It shows what the book lacked– a detailed explanation of how Katniss’s father’s song fueled those in the rebellion to do whatever it took to end the Capital’s reign of tyranny. Not only will you be singing “The Hanging Tree” as you exit the theater, but it’ll remain in your heart and your head probably until you’re on your deathbed. It’s that addicting.

• Other than Katniss, President Snow is my favorite character in both the books and the movies. I AM NOT SAYING THAT I WAS ON HIS SIDE SO PLEASE DO NOT HATE ME!!! I just think that President Snow, perfectly played by the seemingly ruthless Donald Sullivan, is a unique villain. The movie proves better than the book because it shows more of President Snow’s anti-Katniss movement. It shows the speeches the book never talks about, the fearsome lines of dialogue that threatened to extinguish the catching fire against him. One more thing to add (not a spoiler just a tiny thing, so relax) is that when President Snow announces that any association with the Mockingjay will be punishable by death, his granddaughter (who we saw in the Catching Fire movie standing proud with Katniss’s braid) is seen off to the side panicking and quickly unfastening her rebellious hair. I loved this scene, because it showed that HIS OWN GRANDDAUGHTER believed that he was ruthless enough to kill her for going against what he believed. Snow is a ruthless and selfish guy, but man is he brutally awesome.

• Another great character that we lost contact with in the books was Effie Trinket, the Capital’s prestigious escort for Peeta and Katniss. Mockingjay the book presented a lack of Effie until the book came to that amazingly unexpected ending which I physically cannot wait for. In the film, Effie is present in District 13, proving herself to be more than a selfish Capital citizen. The movie shows Effie’s transformation from wigs and glamour to the dull lifestyle of District 13, which is both comedic and sympathetic. Effie’s presence in the movie was more than just a comedic ploy, as she proved to help inspire Katniss to be the Mockingjay and really developed into a strong role model for fans of the book.

• One thing that every member of the Hunger Games fandom was looking forward to seeing was Finnick and Annie’s relationship on the big screen. Love struck Finnick Odair’s (played by Sam Claflin) undying relationship with the beautifully insane Annie Cresta (played by Stef Dawson) was both realistic but awesome to see. Finnick is a great character, with a complicated past that nobody in all of Panem was ready to hear. I am talking of course about Finnick’s televised speech about how Snow turned him into a prostitute for the Capital’s elite, receiving secrets as payment. Finnick tells of how Snow threatened the safety of his family, and the love of his life Annie Cresta, if he were to not comply with Snow’s outrageous commands. Finnick proved to be less of a self-centered jerk as he was in the beginning of Catching Fire, but more of a genuine good-guy that people of all ages in the theater were mesmerized by. Finnick’s long-awaited reunion with Annie in the film was much more powerful than in the book. When you see the movie, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

•  Perhaps the greatest scene in all of the Hunger Games trilogy that every moviegoer was sitting on the edge of their reclinable seat for was Peeta’s CRAZY attack at Katniss after his rescue from the Capital (which I’ll get to next). He throws her head through a freaking glass door and almost kills her! Literally, Katniss was a second away from being a flightless Mockingjay, which was so amazing and cool to watch. To see Josh Hutchinson not act like a little lovestruck fool in the film was not only a big step for Peeta, but for Hutchinson’s future career in more serious roles. When you watch this movie, your brain will explode because it will be that good.

•  One thing that the book lacked were ANY DETAILS about the rescue mission to save Peeta, Johanna Mason, and Annie Cresta. The book lacked this detail because, as previously stated, Katniss’ role as the sole narrator gave the audience a lack of information on what was happening outside of her PTSD-filled world. In the movie, however, over twenty minutes were spent showing the rescue team’s recovery of the three pardoned victors as they were saved from Capital clutches and brought back to District 13. It was cool to see Gale and the rest of the team repel down into the Training Center and take out some guards. It was awesome and one of the coolest scenes in the movie.

The Ugly Truth

I am seriously considering starting a Kickstarter to raise enough money to never stop buying tickets to see Mockingjay: Part 1. It proved to be way better than I thought it would be, as the third book stunk so hard compared to the first two. I went to the midnight premiere and was thoroughly not disappointed. I totally recommend going on opening night for the next movie! The people were actually respectfully quiet, except this woman next to me who would snap in excitement every time something big would happen, but nonetheless it was an awesome experience I was so thankful to be a part of. I also LOVED the Insurgent teaser trailer (that can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ql1T41Jw5U ) which played before the movie began. In conclusion, WATCH MOCKINGJAY: PART 1, it is an awesome emotional roller coaster.

Sorry that this review wasn’t as sassy is my first, but with a movie like this, it was hard to find any flaws at all.