Mockingjay ignites enthusiasm from crowds

New sequel proves best for this year but not for triology

Megan Breneman, Entertainment Editor

The Hunger Games was one of the biggest blockbusters to hit the screens in 2012 and its sequels have honored it by doing the same. Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 1 proved to be the most successful premiere of the year yet failed to bring as much money in as its counterpart films had.

After being rescued from the confinement of the stadium in Catching Fire, Katniss finds herself in the hands of District 13. She soon learns what’s been happening and agrees to become the Rebellions “Mockingjay”. She travels and fights, providing hope for the rebels. The movie ends with big surprises and a lot of flying emotions.

Bringing in $123,000,000 opening night, it reached this year’s peak in premieres. However, in 2012 the Hunger Games premiere succeeded in bringing in $153 million and in 2013 the Hunger Games: Catching Fire premiere trumped that with $159 million. Most people seem to think that this one didn’t bypass its fellow films because of the low promotion it received. 98.7 radio station speaker, Cristian, mentioned she barely ever saw commercials promoting the film.

Viewers are also curious as to how they are going to fill in the absence of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character Plutarch Heavensbee in Mockingjay part 2, for unfortunately the actor passed away back in February. His character appears throughout the whole book, however and people are wondering how they will include, replace, or get rid of his character in the next movie.

Courtney Condie, Junior, said, “I actually don’t know. I tried to read an article about it but it didn’t really have much to say about it, so I think it’s just going to be a surprise for the second part.”

Although they may have problems with the Plutarch Heavensbee character in the next film, in Mockingjay they succeeded in having a more life-like feeling with the more complicated settings such as  the Capitol and District 13.

“I feel like once they actually got to the Capitol, they actually made it look more advanced technologically.”, said Condie.

Audiences seemed to think that the movie kept in tact with the book and that the actors who were cast fit their roles nicely. Jennifer Lawrence who plays the main character, Katniss Everdeen, has become well known and loved because of her role in this movie and has appeared in a few other popular films such as X-men: First Class and X-men: Days of Future Past.

Junior, Marwa Aljereh, said, “Yeah, I thought it stuck to the book really well. I think they did really good, I liked them.”

Overall the movie has gained the approval of many fans and has become quite a hit in theaters. The film seems to be worth the ten dollars it takes to see it on the big screen.

Condie said, “I really liked it. Personally I liked it better than Catching Fire and The Hunger Games.”