First Reviews Are In for THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART I!

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART I hits theaters on November 21st. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci, Jeffrey Wright, Natalie Dormer, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Willow Shields.

The worldwide phenomenon of THE HUNGER GAMES continues to set the world on fire with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, which finds Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in District 13 after she literally shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin (Julianne Moore) and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and a nation moved by her courage.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 is directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Danny Strong and Peter Craig and produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel on which the film is based is the third in a trilogy written by Suzanne Collins that has over 65 million copies in print in the U.S. alone.

The Huffington Post has gathered together some of the first reviews of the highly anticipated film. Check them out below:

Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter: "Like an overgrown and bloated trailer for a film yet to come, Francis Lawrence's 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1' spreads perhaps 45 minutes of dramatic material across two far-too-leisurely hours"

Brian Viner, The Daily Mail: "'Harry Potter' started it, and now it's bedevilling 'The Hunger Games' too. But the trend for dividing in two the last film of a series (see also 'The Twilight Saga') has less to do with story-tellers indulging our appetite for delayed gratification and more to do with executives enriching themselves."

Sophie Monks Kaufman, Little White Lies: "A film with the full title of 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1' may sound too self-consciously like a franchise building block to be best in series so far. And yet it is. [...] Francis Lawrence, his actors and crew have given us a blockbuster that uses all its wit and wile to fly on the wings of what makes us human." -

Kevin Harley, Total Film: "Katniss arms up ... against anyone expecting diminishing returns from a four-part trilogy. With measure and muscle, Lawrences Jennifer and Francis nail the job of selling the long, twisting road towards revolution."

Justin Chang, Variety: "Unsubtly resonant, at times quite rousing and somewhat unsatisfying by design, this penultimate series entry is a tale of mass uprising and media manipulation that itself evinces no hint of a rebellious streak or subversive spirit: Suzanne Collins' novels may have warned against the dangers of giving the masses exactly what they want to see, but at this point, the forces behind this hugely commercial property are not about to risk doing anything but."

Mark Adams, ScreenDaily: "It may disappoint young fans who relished the sheer fantasy verve that drove the first parts, but as a thoughtful and at times moving preamble to a tough climax, 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1' delivers."

Scott Mendelson, Forbes: "This is basically the third time that we've seen the whole 'split the final book into two movies' gimmick, and this is frankly THE FIRST TIME I believe said choice has done the material an artistic disservice. [...] The acting is solid and there are interesting moments and beats throughout, but the film sadly feels like the first part of a two-part television series finale, with all of the proverbial 'good stuff' held in reserve for the theoretical final showdown."

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: "'Mockingjay - Part 1' is still very much a 'Hunger Games' movie, yes, but it calls to mind smart political comedies like 'Wag the Dog' and 'Tanner '88' as well."

Robbie Collin, The Daily Mail: "'Mockingjay - Part 1' is all queue, no roller-coaster. The third of four films in the successful and admirable 'Hunger Games' series is any number of good things: intense, stylish, topical, well-acted. But the one thing it could never be called is satisfying."

Source: The Huffington Post

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