The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 Review Round-Up

Though it won’t be out for another 10 Days, the penultimate installment of the Hunger Games series is tracking well amongst critics.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1 has an average critic score of 86%, according to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Of the 14 reviews thus far, an impressive 12 have ranked “Fresh” on Tomatoes’ site. In other words, a lot of people like this movie. This puts the first part of the franchise’s final chapter on par with its predecessors. The Hunger Games has an 84% Fresh rating, and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire scored 89% Fresh.

But numbers never tell the full story. Check out a sampling of what critics across the board have thought of the Jennifer Lawrence film thus far.

“The series’ two-part finale gets under way in solid, absorbing if not exactly inspired fashion.” —Justin Chang, Variety

“The special effects are limp and the script a little creaky, although somehow it still manages to thrill.”—Henry Barnes, The Guardian

“The Hunger Games films are strikingly brilliant critiques of the military-entertainment complex.”—Kevin Faraci, Badass Digest

“[Mockingjay—Part 1] Finds its success in meaningful themes, character-driven story, and smart execution, and ultimately creates some impressive depth for the phenomenon franchise.”—Eric Eisenberg, CinemaBlend.com

“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.”—Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter

You can check out all of the reviews here:

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1 is directed by Francis Lawrence and stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutchinson, and Liam Hemsworth. It opens in theaters on November 21st, 2014.