We’ve all been there: we stumble across a well-written series and immediately devour it, only to be left with a bittersweet feeling after binge reading all the books. Engulfed in despair, you try to move on, but you can’t. Somehow your prayers get answered and a rumor starts to swirl that a movie is going to be made about the series. You eagerly await its release, and then stand in a seemingly never-ending ticket line, only to have your hopes pulverized when the movie is horribly produced or faintly resembles the series you love.
Fortunately, fans of “The Hunger Games” can rejoice because we have managed to avoid such a fate. With the launch of each movie, favorite lines are written in and vital scenes make their way onto the big screen. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1,” released November 21, is no exception.
For those who are unaware, “The Hunger Games” is about a country called Panem that is separated into the Capitol and 13 other districts. Each district is responsible for manufacturing or cultivating various foods, which the Capitol plunders for themselves, leaving little for the people who actually do the work. Naturally, citizens of the districts grew annoyed and revolted against the Capitol. District 13 manufactured all of the weaponry and technology, but after being obliterated by the Capitol, the other districts lost the battle.
As a reminder of the district’s defeat, the Capitol created an annual “game” in which a randomly selected male and female from each district are sent to an arena where they battle to the death until only a single victor remains. The Hunger Games continues as usual until Katniss Everdeen volunteers in her sister’s place and turned the Games upside down, much to the dismay of the Capitol’s president. Ready or not, Katniss becomes the face of the next revolution, leading the districts into battle against the Capitol.
“Mockingjay – Part 1” has a delicate but fiercely written story line that follows Katniss and her group of rebels including District 13’s president Alma Coin and Gale, Katniss’ childhood friend, hunting partner and third in the love triangle. Reluctantly, Katniss agrees to become the face of the revolution, adopting the name of “the mockingjay,” under a few conditions, most noteworthy, her condition that if the past victors are rescued, they will be pardoned.
Throughout the movie, viewers balance on the edge of their seats as we watch the various districts fights against the Capitol and their military, ironically dubbed “peacekeepers,” and the Capitol’s retaliation efforts to silence them, including bombing District 12, which reduces Katniss’ home to mounds of rubble littered with decaying bodies. We watch helplessly as Katniss’ lover, Peeta Mellark, is used as President Snow’s pawn in an attempt to discourage the group. Then we watch gape-mouthed as every twist and turn unravels before our unbelieving eyes leading up to the most shocking plot twist of all, which leaves every viewer speechless as the screen fades to black and the credits begin to roll.
A part of us dies knowing we will have to wait an entire year for its sequel, but when the movie is finally released, it promises to be action packed. If “Mockingjay – Part 2” is any bit as good as the first part, odds are “Hunger Games” fans will not be disappointed.
