Hooray for Hollywood-Leah Noble

Recently I saw the films Divergent and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, both action movies whose plots revolve around teenagers our age. Most of you are probably familiar with these movies which are both based off of top selling novels. These films have very similar plots having to do with not conforming to an oppressive government structure and, specifically in Divergent, learning to accept who you are, even if that means rebellion, a distinct feature of Mockingjay. These productions probably have more similarities than differences, especially when considering the plots. Tris (Divergent) and Katniss (Mockingjay) both have to recognize their role in causing changes in order to better the lives of the people of their nation, uniting factions (Divergent) and districts (Mockingjay).

The filming of these movies also was very similar, but did contain some slight differences. Both contain little exposition, which causes some confusion, especially in Mockingjay. The action scenes of both films are comparable, but the special effects in Mockingjay were much more intense and extraordinary. Whether it is the characters themselves or the people who played them or even the writing, in my opinion, the cast of Mockingjay, especially Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss), put much more emotion and feeling into their characters than in Divergent.

Overall, I enjoyed both movies thoroughly, but liked Mockingjay more. I may be somewhat partial, having followed The Hunger Games story from the beginning, including reading all the books, but I thought there was more action and more moments that had me on the edge of my seat. I always know a good action movie is one that makes me jump from something unexpected happening, and Mockingjay did just that.