I’m preparing for the movie release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.  I can’t wait for November 21st, the release date.  I will be one of the many to see it that first day.  Because I’m a huge fan of the book series, the movies have been on my must-must-must-see list.  They are incredible!  I was absolutely blown away by the first movie, Hunger Games, and how true to the book it was.  The movie, Hunger Games, truly portrayed what I had visually imagined when reading the Suzanne Collins books.  That isn’t always true with books-turned-into-movies and can be frustrating.  Not with this story!
How am I preparing for the next movie release, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1?  I just re-watched Hunger Games and The Hunger Games:  Catching Fire, having my own movie marathon.  Wow, amazing.  I could watch these over and over.  Then I re-read Suzanne Collins book, Mockingjay.
Let me catch you up, if it’s been awhile since you’ve seen the movies or read the books.  In Hunger Games, we are introduced to the three main characters Katniss, Peeta, and Gale.  The story takes place sometime in the future in a world divided into “districts”.  Our three main characters live in District 12, a poor mining community. The central  government, in order to discourage dissension in any district, holds a Hunger Games where two representatives of each district must battle it out to the death, with only one winner surviving.  Katniss’ younger sister Prim is chosen, but because Katniss knows that Prim would never survive, she volunteers to take Prim’s place in the Games.  The other representative of District 12 chosen for the Games is Peeta, the son of a baker.
Now, spoiler alerts if you haven’t seen or read the stories.
In The Hunger Games: Â Catching Fire, we catch up with our characters after Katniss and Peeta have won the Hunger Games. Â What? Â You say there was only supposed to be one winner/survivor? Â Katniss and Peeta, at the end of the Hunger Games, threaten to eat poison berries and both die if they are not allowed to both survive the Games and the head of the central government, Snow, has no choice but to let them live. Â But he is not happy about it. Â He wants Katniss out of the picture. Â But for the sake of public opinion it has to be done in the right way and he is convinced to change the rules of the Games and make the next one a contest between former winners – putting Katniss and Peeta back into the arena. Â The emotional toll of the first Games was heavy, this second one is incredibly worse. Â Teamed up with other former winners, Katniss and Peeta manage to destroy the arena. Â But, while Katniss escapes, Peeta is captured by the government.
The third book in the series, Mockingjay has so much content that the story will be portrayed in two movies.  Part 1 in the book is subtitled, “The Ashes” and picks up after Katniss is rescued from the arena and taken to District 13.  Part II, is subtitled “The Assault”.  I just finished re-reading it and wow.  Wow.  There is so much action and emotional turmoil.  Wow.  I can’t wait for the next movie, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1!
Enjoy the trailer:
Starring:
- Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen
- Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mallerk
- Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne
- Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy
- Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket
- Julianne Moore as President Alma Coin
- Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee
Directed by Francis Lawrence
Screenplay by Danny Strong and Peter Craig
Produced by Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik
To connect with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 click on the following links:
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 Website
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 Trailer