Movie Review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Hey! How has your 2015 been so far? Mine has been... well, it currently involves a lot of eating, sleeping, and the internet. How productive. Anyway, while being oh so productive, I can't help but remember that I haven't shared my review of Mockingjay Part 1 yet. You might think it's a bit late but I'm going to share it anyway 'coz that's the way it is huehue. So here is my The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 experience and review! 

First thing's first. I would like to say a huge THANK YOU to Nuffnang and Cadbury for letting me and my friends be a part of this exclusive screening of Mockingjay Part 1! The exclusive screening was held on November 21, 2014 at the Shangri-La Cineplex, which was a HUGE convenience for me because I always pass by Shangri-La on the way home from school. All I had to do was freshen up and wait for my Cadbury Barkada and then we were all set.

After the movie, my Cadbury Barkada and I went home with some Cadbury! Cadbury is <3.

Heaven

THE REVIEW:

If you loved the book, you'll enjoy this movie. I was able to re-read Mockingjay literally before watching the movie and I was happy to know that some lines in the movie were super spot on with those in the book! Also, what I imagined while reading the book was what the movie delivered. Some small details are gone, though. And some big ones too. But I heard that those big details weren't to appear until Mockingjay Part 2 because the producers wanted to make some sort of central theme for each movie. Think of it this way: the big things that happened in Part 1 stays in Part 1 and the big things that are going to happen in Part 2 stays in Part 2. Also, they added stuff that weren't in the book but turned out to work well for the movie. It was like they filled up the holes that the book had. Ultimately, I think the movie did great justice for the book. 

Movie-wise though, I thought that Mockingjay Part 1 was... great! It was full of suspense that would leave you at the edge of your seats. I thought that you don't need to be an uber fanboy/fangirl of the books in order to enjoy it. The story was well constructed, and you won't be confused with the events. The actors did a great job of bringing the characters to life on the big screen. J-Law was, as always, smokin' hot a great actress, as well as the others, so kudos to them haha. The camera, which became a big issue for the first movie (hint: I could have done a better job of keeping the camera from being all wobbly), was thankfully stable. 

In this movie we get to see the aftermath of Katniss's escape from the Arena during the 75th Hunger Games/3rd Quarter Quell. What happened to District 12? What happened to the Tributes? There's a District 13?! What will become of Effie's humongous hair? All those questions are answered in this movie and if you are attentive enough, you would get to appreciate the twists and turns that are going to happen. The movie also ended with an interesting cliffhanger that I'm sure will make the people who haven't read the book go: "WHAT IN THE NAME OF BACON IS GOING ON HERE?!". All in all I can say that The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 deserves 4 stars.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 was able to bring the book to life, with the price of omitting and altering some details from the book, but it was a thrilling movie, and I thought that it did great in preparing us for the finale of the Hunger Games. A huge thank you again to Nuffnang and Cadbury for hosting the event! You guys are the best! 

May the odds be ever in your favor, 

P.S. Credit for the photos goes to Tita Brenda! :))