“Mockingjay: Part One” truly captures the essence of the first part of the third book of the “Hunger Games” trilogy. The book is the story of the war between the Capital and the districts, now that the rebellion is out in the open. Jennifer Lawrence shows the raw and true emotion of Katniss Everdeen. She shows that Katniss is struggling with her posttraumatic stress disorder. She encompasses the Mockingjay that was portrayed in the book and plays the role in the movie fantastically.

I enjoy that the movie shows the political side of the war, rather than just the fighting. While the movie still has action, it shows more of the political side on how to prove to the districts that the Capital is corrupt and that it doesn’t care about the districts. The Capital attacks the districts with brutal force.

Some of my favorite parts of the movie are the simple actions that the characters do. You see Katniss rubbing the pearl that Peeta gave her in “Catching Fire,” the second movie in the series. Finnick has a rope that he fidgets with and ties over and over again. While filming a propaganda shot, known as a propo, Gale Hawthorne tells the story of District 12 after Katniss shoots the arrow into the force field during the Quarter Quell. Katniss puts her hand on his shoulder as a comforting gesture.

Another highlight is the song called “The Hanging Tree” that James Newton Howard recorded for the movie. Jennifer Lawrence is featured in the song, and she sings it in the movie while in District 12. The song itself is very powerful and fits great in the movie. The song, as of Dec. 6, is number twelve on the Billboard Top 100.

The movie does end on quite the cliffhanger, leaving you wanting more. I was very satisfied with the movie and how it stayed fairly true to the book, leaving out only minor things. The movie came out Nov. 21 and is still in theaters. I give “Mockingjay: Part One” four out of five Cardinal heads. I highly recommend this movie.