The international movie franchise of The Hunger Games’ latest installment Mockingjay Part One made a spark by having the best opening day of the year. Following the success of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, this film further depicts the on-going agonies and struggles Katniss and Peeta have to go through at such a young age. With the games ending, this movie focuses on the beginning of the revolution against the Capitol, which the Capitol and the revolting districts are inflicted with pain, both mental and physical.

With the electric ending in Catching Fire, Mockingjay, Part 1, begins from a tearful start taking the audience on an emotional rollercoaster with a heartfelt performance by all characters. In particular, lead actress Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen) performs with raw emotion and makes the hardships of her character seem real which completely encapsulates the audience.

The action-packed movie never had a dull moment and was much better than the book, even though it stuck to the main premise of the book. The book was confusing and rushed, whereas the movie made more sense and gave more room for explanation, especially since it is divided into two parts.

Furthermore, a few scenes not described in the books (since they are in first person) are executed in the movie which adds a lot more action and suspense to the film. Each scene evoked a lot of emotion from the audience as they could feel Katniss’ grief as her world crumbled in front of her.

With each movie better than the last, with more action and tears, Mockingjay, Part 1 kept me on the edge of my seat and gave me goosebumps. Katniss is a strong, independent female lead who stands up against the government to fight for the people in her country and the ones she loves.