**THE UGLY: ‘THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 1’**

WRITING: 65
ACTING: 75
LOOK: 70
SOUND: 50
FEEL: 60
NOVELTY: 50
ENJOYMENT: 60
RE-WATCHABILITY: 45
INTRIGUE: 50
EXPECTATIONS: 40

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**THE GOOD:**

This film and the second part are easily the most depressing and dark entries in the series. The film manages to capture the fierce force of the resistance and the terrors of the Capitol better than the novel ever did and there is a sense of war and uprising never palpably present in the book.

With Peeta mostly left in the shadows, the story allows Katniss and Gale to bond in ways they haven't been able to until now.

Unlike the source novel, which left much of the action to the background, this film drops us into the middle of it. We go beyond Katniss' point of view, which is better for the overall story.

Suzanne Collins manages to make President Coin an incredibly repulsive and annoying character in the novel, and that carries over to the film, mostly thanks to a fine performance from Julianne Moore.

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**THE BAD:**

The war propaganda filmmaking is a lengthy and mostly pointless part of the last novel, and it doesn't feel much better in the film version, despite being a good way to naturally bring in some emotional moments into the story.

Katniss is a constant pain in the ass throughout this entire movie so it’s difficult to sympathize with her.

I can't help but feel that this film is just a lengthy introduction to the emotional finale that is Part 2. As such, this is the weakest entry in the series.

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**THE UGLY:**

Katniss going from a reality show star to a TV ad star feels like a career downgrade.

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**THE VERDICT:**

_The first half of the final Hunger Games movie is a lengthy introduction to the final battle, with a slower pace and lesser tension than in the previous entries, making this the weakest film in the franchise._

**57% = :heavy_minus_sign: = UGLY**