Earning a rough estimate of $225 million within the first week, “Mockingjay Part 1” released on Nov. 21. Based on the book of the same name by Suzanne Collins, the movie kicks off the finale to the trilogy “The Hunger Games.”

Although I’m a fan of the books, I have to admit that I am really annoyed with this movie, mostly because it was split into two parts. Like other movies that have been split into two parts such as “Breaking Dawn” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the first part of this movie was moving really slowly. Not to worry though, things did eventually start to speed up toward the end.

The movie picks up where “Catching Fire” left off. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is trying to come to terms with her new reality where she’s forced to deal with the unknown whereabouts of her ally Johanna Mason (Jena Malone) and her love interest Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). In addition, Katniss is no longer fighting solely for her own survival. Instead, she’s now fighting for the survival of the rebellion.

However, Katniss isn’t the only one who is struggling. Old characters such as Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) and Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) are also forced to adjust to the strict rules of District 13.

If you’re a fan of the series, viewers should know that “Mockingjay Part 1” does not completely follow the guidelines of the book. Like most Hollywood adaptations, this film definitely leaves fans hanging. The positive thing about ending the movie where it does is that it makes for a great starting point for the second part.

The main thing that annoys me about this film is the fact that it’s split into two parts. I honestly don’t see why a two-part movie is necessary. The only reason why there is a two-part movie is because the movie industry wants to make as much money as possible. There was no real need to do this.

Despite the fact that it is split up, there are some great moments. It does a good job of setting up for the grand finale that fans of the trilogy have been expecting, but it never actually satisfied my expectations of the movie.

If you’re considering seeing this movie expect to be left hanging, but keep in mind that the first part of the film really builds up to the second part of the movie. My best advice to readers would be to suffer through this movie so you can really understand the second part because “Mockingjay Part 2” will be much better.