Mockingjay Takes over Arrowhead

Mockingjay, the third movie adapted from The Hunger Games book trilogy, came out on November 21st, 2014.

According to BoxOfficeMojo, the movie received a domestic total of $228,316,339 as of December 1, 2014. Many Arrowhead students saw the new movie the weekend it came out to theaters such as Delfield Hillside. “It came out on a Friday, but I couldn’t wait until then,” says junior Abbey Weisrock. “There was a showing on Thursday night that I had to go to. I read the book and really liked it, so I wanted to see how the movie was too.” The movie is set in a dystopian society, 75 years after a revolution takes place and a new government is set up.

The plot highlights the journey of Katniss Everdeen after she is taken out of the 75th annual Hunger Games, a competition where two citizens from each of the 12 districts are chosen each year to fight to the death. The Hunger Games are meant to display the power the Capital, or government, has on the citizens in hopes of preventing another uprising. The movie starts with a scene where Katniss is waking up in a hospital in District 13, a district that was previously obliviated by the Capital.She is then asked by the revolutionaries to be their symbol, their “mockingjay.” “The mockingjay was really symbolic throughout the whole series,” says Weisrock.

“In the first and second movies, she had a Mockingjay pin, but in the third she literally becomes her Mockingjay.” The Mockingjay is also symbolic of her ally in the first movie, Rue. Katniss and Rue used Mockingjays to communicate with each other while they are on a mission to defeat the other competitors. In the second movie, when Katniss and Peeta go on their Victors Tour around to all the districts, Katniss tells Rue’s family that Rue was her “Mockingjay.” “The story was very symbolic and intriguing,” says junior Greta Truttschel. Despite the high box office ratings, not everyone liked the movie.

“I thought the acting was a little fake at parts,” says junior Logan Morrison. “Jennifer Lawrence had some very awkward parts with her lines and body language.” Even with the negative reviews, Mockingjay was still a success at Arrowhead. In a poll done on 10th hour junior study hall, out of the 38 people who have seen the movie, 30 people said they liked it, and would recommend it to a friend. “I can’t wait for the second part of Mockingjay to come out,” says Truttschel. “I hope they wrap up the series well.”