The Harry Potter series brought a lot of things to the world of entertainment. The most important thing is that it got a whole generation of kids to get excited about reading. It all but created what we think of as the modern Young Adult novel genre and it set a template for fantasy novels which many, many books would follow. (It's amazing how many children have learned that they have a larger destiny!) Of course, the Harry Potter movies also created a trend of novels from this genre being brought to the screen. Unfortunately, the final Harry Potter book was divided into two films when it became a movie. Was it a long book? Yes. But, this also felt like a cash grab. The Twilight series followed suit, and now the finale of The Hunger Games has also joined this group. Is this a good way to start off finishing off the series?

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 opens following the events of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), who had been fighting in The Hunger Games, created a sensation by sabotaging the Games and revealing to the world that not all was as it seemed. Following this, Katniss is rescued by a faction lead by Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore). However, Katniss' partner, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) is captured by The Capitol. As the story begins, Katniss is adjusting to life in District 13, living in an underground bunker. Fortunately, her mother (Paula Malcomson) and sister (Willow Shields) are here, as well as her old friend, Gale (Liam Hemsworth). Coin and Heavensbee urge Katniss to go out amongst the ruined Districts, which have been bombed by The Capitol, in order to make a series of propaganda videos. However, Katniss is shocked to see Peeta in a series of videos from The Capitol. Katniss urges Coin to have Peeta rescued, while she decides to embrace her role as The Mockingjay, the symbol of the rebellion.

The worst part of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 is that it thinks that it's ending on a shocking note, but it doesn't. The ending is meant to play as a teaser for the final film, so it's not to feel complete, but it's especially anti-climactic. Only those who are truly devoted to the series will watch this and say, "Oh no! I can't wait a year to find out what happens!" Most everyone else will think, "OK. Everything will probably be all right." Director Francis Lawrence has given the movie a good look, and there's no doubt that a lot of work goes into creating the world of The Hunger Games, but there is simply no tension here. This is a shame, as the movie sports a fantastic cast, and given all of the other roles and red carpets appearances where we've seen Jennifer Lawrence, it's nice to see her as the dowdy Katniss. Perhaps the final film will pull out all of the stops and be the big adventure which we non-fans have been looking for.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 features a dystopian society which I believe, but a bag of cat which I don't on Blu-ray Disc courtesy of Lionsgate. The film has been letterboxed at 2.35:1 and the Disc contains a 1080p HD transfer. The image is very sharp and clear, showing on overt grain and no defects from the source material. Unlike the other The Hunger Games films, this one doesn't boast many bright colors, but the tones here look natural and the image is never overly dark or bright. The level of detail is very good and the picture has great depth. The Disc boasts a Dolby Atmos 7.1 audio track which provides clear dialogue and sound effects. This is a very muscular track which delivers abundant stereo and surround effects. These effects are nicely detailed and there are many moments where we can pick out individual sounds from the front and rear channels. In addition, the subwoofer effects are bold and provides very strong bass action.