Reviews

It was exactly what I expected essentially. First of all, after reading the book, yes, a lot happens in the third installment, but it does not need to be split up into two movies. They could cut out a lot of the slow parts in the book and easily condense it into one movie. However, since this is clearly just a money making technique, they reserve Part 1 simply for killing time and setting up the action that will come in Part 2. This movie consisted solely of Katniss running around depressed and confused in District 13, struggling with her inner conflict of whether or not to accept her role as the Mockingjay, all the while worrying about the safety of her lover Peeta, a romance that after dragging the movies out over 2 years, is pretty dead and lacks chemistry in my opinion. I think that Jennifer Lawrence is an excellent actress, but it is often very difficult to show Katniss's emotional side in the movies due to the fact that the audience is not nearly as "inside her head" as the first person perspective delivers in the books. Honestly, she just comes off as a mopey hard a**, and gets less and less likable and emotion evoking with each movie.

Like I said, it was good, kept me entertained, but I would probably wait, save the money, and just rent it if you want to see it. Just like Harry Potter 7: Part 1, it's really nothing special and just sets the scene for Part 2. If you've been following this series strictly through the movies, it'll probably do more for you than if you've read the books and already know what's coming.

If you've read the book Beastly, you're probably pretty psyched about the new movie adaptation that just came out. For those of you who haven't read it, it's basically a modern version of Beauty and the Beast about a selfish teenage boy named Kyle who cares only about his looks, and after blowing off his date to the dance, a witch named Kendra, gets transformed by Kendra into a hideous beast and is forced to live isolated from the world, with only his humorous blind teacher and loving housekeeper for company. The catch to the spell is that Kyle can have his looks back if he can get a girl to fall in love with him and "see him for who he truly is" within a year. Kyle thinks this task impossible, but then fate steps in and leads him to Lindy, a somewhat awkward, but very intelligent girl. Well, this movie is one of many that did not stay true to the book very well, but was still enjoyable for anyone who didn't mind the tweaks or hadn't read the book at all. They didn't butcher it in a bad way, is what I'm trying to say.First of all, many of the names were changed and I don't understand why. It's not as if they needed to change the names; it seems like it may have been something the director(s) just did for fun. Another small concern I had was Vanessa Hudgens, and it's not about her acting. She was way too gorgeous! Whoever did her hair, makeup, and wardrobe, you hit the nail on the head with the beauty factor. I think this is the prettiest I've seen her look, to be honest. And unfortunately, that's just didn't fit with how I pictured Lindy. Vanessa's still gorgeous and I'm definitely not fuming with anger about it, but in an interview, Hudgens said, "Lindy's kind of the girl that no one notices." Umm, not with the way you were looking in that movie! I found it very unrealistic that someone that gorgeous would have the life and social skills of someone like Lindy. I think the directors were trying to stay true to the original Disney's Beauty and the Beast, being that Belle was known for her looks, but odd and independent personality. They may have also done this to emphasize even more how ugly Kyle was! Kyle also was not a furry beast like the Disney movie as it describes in the book. That I can completely understand. That would just be way too much makeup work and too much of their time. What killed me the most about this movie was the ending. It was very rushed and was so abrupt. After reading the book, I had much higher expectations.

Overall, this is a typical chick-flick that is enjoyable and pretty entertaining for those who haven't read the book, but may be a bit angering to those who have because of all the changes that were made. Therefore, if you're not dying to see it or are getting this vibe that you might hate it, just wait until the DVD comes out and rent it. It's a better book than a movie, but still great for just watching for pleasure or with friends. Read the book before or after you watch it and see what you think!