Mockingjay Part 1

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, 2014. An unwilling symbol of rebellion joins the propaganda team against a dystopian government.

Directed by Francis Lawrence. Written by Peter Craig, & Danny Strong; adapted by Suzanne Collins from her book. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, with Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, & Julianne Moore.

Concept: B
Story: Knowing where it's going, I know it's the first half to a great story. But the first half of a story is not a story. D
Characters: Again, a little slice of a great character arc isn't a great character arc. B
Dialog: B
Pacing: A
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: A
Acting: A
Music: Finally, they got the music right. That was my biggest pet peeve about the first two movies. A
Enjoyment: I can understand how so many critics are indifferent to this movie. It's half a movie - and the set-up half, at that. If you don't know where the story is going, it probably seems like a rambling mess. But if you're a fan, it's pretty damn great. Much stronger than the first two movies. (If you're not a fan, wait until part 2 comes out, because this does not work on its own. If they keep up this level of quality, the two parts together will make an amazing movie, and it's a shame the year wait between them will ruin it for a lot of people.) A

GPA: 3.3/4