By Nicole Macchio – Entertainment Editor

In “Mockingjay: Part 1,” the third installation of “The Hunger Games,” Jennifer Lawrence comes on-screen as Katniss Everdeen and blows the audience away. Since the first movie, Katniss has been in “The Hunger Games” twice, sparked a revolution, and had her district blown to bits. In this movie, Katniss is barely holding herself together. After everything she’s been through, she can hardly function and only acts out of pure rage or compassion for the most part. The leader of District Thirteen, where she and other survivors from District Twelve were brought, wants her to become the face of the rebellion, become the Mockingjay.  To assume the role, Katniss only has one request: they save Peeta. Until they have an opportunity to do so, they put her in the field going to districts and giving people hope and shooting a propaganda film.

The movie flung viewers right into the action, not allowing any minute of screen-time for unnecessary prologue. It simply picked off where the previous installment left off. As this is the first part of “Mockingjay,” it is basically just a filler for part two, setting up the plot so they can get into the real war. Thus far, there have only been revolts, not battles.

The basic storyline for this film was to show the progression of the rebellion against the Capitol and the consequences of Katniss blowing up the arena in the last movie, but also still following Katniss. This was captured very well throughout the film where it would show something Katniss did that would then spark a revolt in at least one of the districts.

The incorporation of the rebellion was flawless. From paper to screen, viewers can really tell that the director, Francis Lawrence, paid close attention to detail. He was able to create a way to show how what Katniss did sparked people to revolt. For example, she sang a song called “The Hanging Tree” and they filmed it to later show it to the districts. The rebels sang that song as they bombed a bridge and fought back against the peacekeepers.

The special effects were mediocre. There were times when the background looked like a green screen, but overall, it was realistic. Mostly used for rebel attacks, the effects were minimal, but necessary. At some parts, when Katniss was shooting some propaganda, the effects were sloppy, but for the most part nothing seemed too farfetched.

One of the most brilliant parts of the movie that was carried over from the previous motive was the idea of the pearl. It is never mentioned aloud how important the pearl is to Katniss, but viewers can just tell because she seems to always have it only her and is constantly worrying over it. It’s her connection to Peeta and something solid she can hold on to. It really represents the kind of hope and raw heartbreak that she had to go through. She is so lost and has nothing left but to cling to this one useless piece of rock.

Liam Hemsworth plays Gale, who has a bigger role in this movie than the previous ones. Now out of the games and into the war, Gale presents himself more to the viewers. Viewers can really start to get a feel for who his character is. Hemsworth does a good job of making Gale seem stern but also vulnerable. He lost his home, his best friend almost died twice in the games, and he’s angry. Hemsworth was able to present himself in this manner throughout the movie.

“Mockingjay” has captivated audiences everywhere and since it is broken up into two parts, the ending will no doubt shock viewers, and leave them waiting for the finale.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars