Mockingjay Part 1

I had to wait until yesterday to see The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.  If you know me well, you know that it just about killed me not to see the first screening at midnight!  For this reason I told my students not to say one word about it on Friday!  But I eventually caved and asked a few who saw it if they liked it.  I got mixed reviews.  Some of them really loved it but most thought it was one long advertisement for the final movie.  Hmmm.  In the trilogy, Mockingjay is my least favorite book and I am not a fan of turning the final book in a series into two movies (gotta keep that gravy train running as long as possible).  So I was musing out loud about whether I would even like the movie when one of my students told me not to think about it so much and just go and enjoy myself.  What?  Even though I can never turn off the inner critic in my head, I actually did really enjoy this movie.  In fact, I think I liked it for the exact reason that many of my students didn't: it is more cerebral and less action packed than the first two movies.  I liked the fact that Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is suffering from PTSD and that we see her struggling to come to terms with everything that has happened to her (the same can be said of Finnick).  I liked the fact that she is reluctant to start a revolution and takes time making a decision about becoming the Mockingjay.  I liked the fact that she spends a lot of time thinking about her relationship with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and lobbying for his return.  I don't think this makes Katniss weak;  I think it makes her human.  The slower pace of this movie allowed for more character development, especially Gale (Liam Hemsworth) and his role as a rebel leader, Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his role as a master manipulator, and Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) and her role as a fish-out-of water in District 13.  I liked the casting of Julianne Moore as President Coin and I loved her Eva Peron-like speeches to the citizens of District 13.  I had tears in my eyes when Katniss visited District 8 and the wounded saluted her.  I also loved the propaganda film she made there (Jennifer Lawrence is an amazing actress who gives an incredible performance).  The rescue of Peeta (comparisons to Zero Dark Thirty, notwithstanding) had me on the edge of my seat as did the reunion of Katniss and Peeta.  I will admit that I am now very eager to see Part 2 but I do not feel the least bit slighted by Part 1.  In fact, it was worth the wait!