The lights of the theater dimmed as dozens of Suzanne Collins and ‘Hunger Games’ trilogy fans anxiously anticipated the beginning of the first part of the third and final installment of the ‘Hunger Games’ movie saga. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

The movie opens with Jennifer Lawrence, who plays feisty heroine Katniss Everdeen, waking up in District 13 from the traumatizing experience that took place in Katniss’s second Hunger Games in ‘Catching Fire,’ the second installment of the ‘Hunger Games’ trilogy. District 13, a section previously believed to be bombed and obliterated by the oppressive government of the futuristic America called Panem, is an underground militaristic region consisting of people who have been plotting to overthrow the government for decades. In the movie, Katniss works with the leaders of this district and becomes the symbol for the rebellion against the government the president of all of Panem, President Snow, played by Donald Sutherland. The movie places its focus more on the propaganda Katniss and the other rebels and District 13’s president, Alma Coin (Julianne Moore), create to influence other districts to join their fight.

The other cast members of ‘Mockingjay’ include Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Sam Claflin, Stanley Tucci, etc. With such an impressive lineup of actors, you would think ‘Mockingjay’ would be just as strong as the other two ‘Hunger Games’ movies, but the only real star of the show is Lawrence. Despite the occasional overly-dramatic scream or entire-body jactitation, Lawrence delivered on the emotion and ferocity she brought to the previous two movies. She drove the movie almost single-handedly, tugging at the heartstrings of every individual in the theater.

One of the most disappointing aspects of the movie was the lack of action. There were the occasional bursts, however, Katniss, the expert marksman and archer, only shot one arrow in the 123 minutes of the movie. This thoroughly disappointed me, as I was expecting more than the characters shooting propaganda videos for the majority of the film. This is partly due to the fact that the first part of the book is extremely slow, so there wasn’t much for the cast to work with.

The third book was obviously the weakest out of the three, which was reflected in the movie. The previous two were packed with thrilling action and power, which were both things that were lost in ‘Mockingjay.’ Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge ‘Hunger Games’ fan, but I was expecting so much more. Right when the action was beginning to pick up speed, shouts and hollers reverberating around the theater protested its abrupt ending.

However, the flame hasn’t burned out yet; there is still hope for next year. The second part of ‘Mockingjay’ is scheduled for release on November 15, 2015, and I am expecting much more action as Katniss and the rest of the cast continue to attempt to overthrow their oppressive government. Let’s hope the cast and crew can rekindle this flame.