Ogilvie: Being thankful for an 8pm start time, we slid into the theater at 6:45. After flashing our neon wristbands (numbers 69 and 70), we were able to pass nearly half the line, and smiled back at our friends that had numbers in the 220’s. We waited for at max 15 minutes in line, and then had a good hour to relax in our prime seats waiting for the next greatest thing since the quarter quell.

Stewart: On the other hand, we rolled into Movies 12 at 11:30 for the Mockingjay showing at midnight. Okay, it was actually 12:01. We flashed our non-neon wristbands (a mediocre white in fact) numbering at 99, 121, and 122 at the snappy workers hanging onto the last thread of order. “Fire was catching” and we were ready to finally watch the 3rd installment of the Hunger Games series.

Ogilvie: Francis Lawrence has composed a masterpiece with a balance of cinematography and storyline. Though some people may be frustrated with the (fairly annoying, I must admit) trend of splitting movie finales into two parts, I felt like Mockingjay: Part One was full and dark. The violence wasn’t just random shooting but rather intense scenes of drama, suspense and graphic deaths. I really appreciated the time, soundtrack, and setting that went into the scenes in like District 10 and 8.

Stewart: Despite the recurring darkness in the film, at some point Suzanne Collins and Francis Lawrence decided to “let there be funny,” and so the perfectly timed humor in Mockingjay was born. The witty jokes that periodically took place to break up long streaks of seriousness were a relief from the constant building up of the impending war. Not only were the jokes perfectly timed, but they were actually funny. Nothing too cheesy, and they all had something to do with a dark scene beforehand. The bit of humor in the movie was the cherry on top of a perfectly constructed cake.

Ogilvie: After years of screaming fangirls posting on tumblr “Team Peeta or Gale?”, Mockingjay is the real MVP by toning down the love triangle. Yes, there was one scene where Katniss tried to put the moves on Gale and he shot it down, but overall, the overarching theme of the movie was overthrowing the capital, not falling in love. It was well composed, and Katniss’s commitment to Peeta did drive the movie, but didn’t overpower it.

Stewart: A very noticeable shift from the previous installments of The Hunger Games was in the costuming and use of symbols. Did anyone else notice Peeta’s piercing tie in his interviews with Caesar Flickerman? The white tie he donned was shaped into a point that stuck into his neck everytime he spoke. Perhaps a symbol for the tortuous ways of the Capitol. Another obvious change was in Effie’s flamboyant style. “Forced” into a life of jumpsuits, Effie suddenly became a major figure in the plot.   

Ogilvie: I was able to get lost in the movie and even jumped at a dramatic scene that I knew was coming. Overall, I’m thrilled I got to go to a ‘midnight’ premiere with one of my best friends and share in the joy of having one of my favorite book series come to life.

Stewart: I also jumped at scenes I knew were coming, laughed at jokes I’d already heard, and was even surprised by a few things I had forgotten; all while attending the actual midnight premiere. Mockingjay surpassed my expectations enough that I even went to see it again two days later.