This week the third instalment of the Hunger Games movie trilogy hit cinemas across the UK. Being a huge, and I mean HUGE, Hunger Games fan I had to be there on opening night…
SPOILER ALERT:
There are not too many spoilers in here, only people who have not read the book may find a few below, but really – as with any film adaptation – go and read the books first!!!
Mockingjay picks up where Catching Fire finished; Katniss waking up in District 13 to realise that although she had put an end to the games, during her rescue Peeta had been kidnapped by the Capitol. The movie covers the journey to retrieve Peeta, the uprising in District 13 and the realisation that there is still a huge fight ahead to reclaim the Capitol and bring about the downfall of the President.
One noticeable difference between the book and the film is the early appearance of Effie Trinket, who finds herself in District 13 without her usual flamboyant costumes and wigs. However, in the novel, Effie is not mentioned until the final few chapters. There’s no count she’s is a brilliant character, and with her being so prominent so early in the film, it really adds humour to what is otherwise a dark and emotional tale.
Another big variation to the book is Peeta’s rescue – in the book this is done in secret, using a recorded tape of Katniss to distract President Snow. However, we are shown the rebellion watching the rescue live via a constant video stream, whilst Katniss goes head to head with Snow to distract him.
I was worried about how the production team would fit the largely uneventful first half of a book into a two hour film, yet when watching it I did not for one second think ‘Get on with it’! The film is very fast paced, with a lot of dramatic music and emotional climaxes – such as when Katniss and the film crew return to District 12 and she discovers the white roses sent from a certain someone after a certain incident…
A few members of the unCOVered team saw the film and complained that they thought it was obviously just bridging the gap, and that rather than the split being a necessity to break up a complex book (as seen with Harry Potter) it seemed a ploy by the film makers to make more money! I’d argue that if you hadn’t read the books (fools!) you might not understand the twists and turns of the next movie if you hadn’t seen this one.
Put simply, if you love the Hunger Games, go and see it. If you’re only half-hearted about the series (I repeat, fools!) then you might get away with missing this one out, but also may have a few questions concerning the climax of the final film…
