Movie Review: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

I was afraid that I’d be over this story by now, but my heart raced from the very first second!! AHHH! I am a huge fan of the books and love, LOVE the movies and this one is sooo good!! All the details from the book are there! That’s the best reason to split the final book into two parts :p.

The story of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) continues after she escaped the second Hunger Games and found herself in the middle of the revolution led by President Coin (Julianne Moore) of District 13, the district everyone thought was destroyed 75 years ago. Struggling to stay sane and hoping to find Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) again Katniss becomes the revolution symbol and their Mockingjay. And it’s not that simple; President Snow (Donald Sutherland) is ruthless and with every attack they hit him with, he prepare his counter attack. 

What I love about this story is how Suzanne Collins showed the psychological effects of going through the Hunger Games. How it changed and damaged them. And all the actors, ALL of them did an amazing job to show it!! Jennifer, Josh and OMG, Sam Claflin who is an amazing choice to play the role of Finnick Odair showed their suffering in their voices, their eyes and their movements. In the book other than Peeta, Finnick was my favorite character, so I’m super happy with Sam!

The rest of the cast are just as brilliant if not even more! Julianne more gave me goosepumps and it was great, yet sad to see Philip Seymour Hoffman who is no longer with us. And I was so giddy to see Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) and Effie (Elizabeth Banks) again <3!! And ooh and choosing Natalie Dormer to play the hard core director, Cressida is brilliant!!

  

To talk about the visual effects and the setting; they truly brought it to life in the movie! I mean the underground district 13 showed us what the book told us it would look like. The details of how everyone wears the same cloths, the minimum use of materials mix with the high tech weaponry. Oh and lets not forget the Posters they did for the movie! Best posters ever! 

To those who haven’t read the book, the movie was a bit too slow for them, because there was no more Hunger Games, but the story is now beyond the games and focus on something much greater. I cried so much! Especially in the end *weep*.

For me there will be nothing like The Hunger Games, just like there will never be another Harry Potter. Suzanne had created a deep and emotional story that will live in my heart forever. And I can’t wait for Part 2 to be released next year!

To read my reviews on the previous movies, click on the movie title: The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

For more information and the trailer of Mockingjay, please click here. And when you watch it, which you better do, don’t forget to mention us and may the odds be ever in your favors ;).

Till again!

Kemz

Movie Review: X-Men Days of Future Past

The original X-Men finally return in this amazing new movie, which is set in the future with the need to go and correct what happened in the past and that starts the Days of Future Past. Because of one act done by Raven/Mystiqu (Jennifer Lawrence) in 1973, Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is sent back by both Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen). With the help of Ketty Pryde (Ellen Page) Wolverine wakes up in the past and start his journey to change history and it is AMAAAZIING!! LOVED IT! 

I can’t express how excited I was to see everyone and how all the kids from the first movie grew and their powers evolved. This made me enjoy the movie even more as I feel like the X-Men returned to their roots and their original story. As a fan of the X-Men and someone who watched all the parts, I could see how this movie linked all the rest together. All the secrets and gapes we figured out as we moved along the whole series came together. It made it even more special. You can watch it on its own, but there are these scenes here and there and lines that are like inside jokes, you have to see the previous movies to get them. So I advice, if you haven’t, watch the ones before and then watch this one ;) (Here’s the order: X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class and last but not least, X-Men: Days of Future Past)

I’m a huge fan of time travel and how everything effects everything and what I loved about this movie is how simple yet effective it has been. The move between the past and future is smooth and understandable. I’m glad they made it work!

The action scenes are just brilliant! You can tell the amount of work and DETAILS behind it. Some movies focus on the force and power rather than the details. You should see the scenes with Quicksilver (Evan Peters), loved it! It’s really remarkable to see all those powers and how they work. It’s entertaining on its own.

And of course those powers would not be as awesome without the people behind them. The cast in this movie is AMAZING!! I mean you have the cast from the first X-Men movies and from First Class! I mean come on!! How mind blowing is that!! Even Peter Dinklage who is a genius actor joined the club! What more would you want??

Another thing, X-Men has always been about finding your path, the right path and how you always have hope for those who lost it. The depth of that idea and the suffering that they all endured gave the movie an alive soul that would easily float from the screen and into your heart without knowing it. Finding our path on daily bases is a struggle on its own, just imagine if the whole world was against you. The movie delivered that image perfectly, and I’m happy that they didn’t force it on it.

And don’t forget reader, Peaceful Thoughts ;)

For more info, click here and for the review on X-Men First Class, please click here!

Till the next one!

Kemz 

(Twitter & Instagram: @KemzMovies)

Movie Review: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire

When I reviewed the first film, I hadn’t read the book, but after I saw it, I went through the trilogy within a week! This is by far is one of my top favorite trilogies! To go and live it again in the Cinema is amazing! This is why I love it when they turn books into successful films! It doesn’t always work, but this one, it’s just perfect!

So the story continues for Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), the Girl on Fire and Baker Boy, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) after they won the 74th Hunger Games. They start with the Victor’s Tour and somehow end up on the bad side of President Snow (Donald Sutherland). He is mad and he is furious, so naturally for the 75^th Hunger Games, he brings all the old Victors back into the arena, just to show them all who’s in control. A wise move or not? Well, that’s something for you to find while you watch.

I dunno about the rest of the trilogy fans, but I am ecstatic and happy, because all of my favorites parts in the book played before me in the screen! I just hate it when they sometimes have to cut good scenes to fit the whole plot in the 2 hours film.

The movie was so awesome and it just so exciting! My favorite part to watch was when Katniss dress turned into the mockingjay! That was so beautiful and the Arena!! Oh man! They really make it real!! To live through the Hunger Games all over again is so thrilling. It’s better for us of course, cus it’s not real, but I didn’t notice the time, the whole film just flew by! It’s that good, you’re so in it, that when it stops, you remember you’re at the movies.

I loved loved Jennifer portray of Katniss. If you haven’t read the book, this is who Katniss is, she’s strong but vulnerable. She is confused of whom to love between Peeta and Gale (Liam Hemsworth). So if you see Jennifer’s face, that’s Katniss. You really really have to read the books! On the other hand, Josh who played Peeta, was a bit stiff. Peeta for me is one of my favorite characters I have ever read in a book. His true character is so strong and powerful and his love for Katniss is so beautiful, fierce and magical. That wasn’t clear enough in the film. They have to fix it for the third film! My other favorite character in the book is the handsome charming, Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) the victor from district 4. I love him and I’m happy that Sam wasn’t disappointing in his role. He nailed it!

There is not a lot to say about this film. It’s just so inspiring. I loved the books. I’ll say it over and over again. It’s not just about the love story or the excitement of all the twists and turns of the plot. It’s on how Suzanne Collins, the writer of the trilogy depicted on the subject of survivor guilt and post trauma syndromes. It’s so gripping to just read on and see how Katniss’ character developed. The hurt and pain of going through two hunger games and a revolution is explored throughout the books. It's so emotionally hooking. 

Never mind me, just a bookworm and an aspiring writer yapping on character’s development. Anyway, the movie is amazing! It’s soooo soooo good, so go watch it. If you saw the first one, you’ll love this too and if you didn’t, buy it, rent it or borrow it, then head to Cinema to watch this one.

Till the next one!

Kemz
Twitter & Instagram: @kemzmovies