I have one thing to say. I freak'n liked this movie. Saw it on it's first weekend release.
It's far from perfect, but this movie will immerse you and make you enjoy it from start to finish. I have to agree, there are some scenes, that I wish could be better. It's fun to watch previous characters reprise their roles. And also to see the book characters come to life.
People who haven't seen the first movie, seem to enjoy it. Everyone in the movie theater liked it and not a single one commented on hating it, after watching the movie. In fact, most are looking forward to the next installment of the movie. Which I heard will be another 2 part movie, a single book divided into two.
How was the story?
Story was pretty good. The pacing is good. There was a bit of a dragging part for me. But the story was awesome all in all.
How was the visuals?
Visual is also good. Has the same feeling to it as the first movie. You won't get distracted much by the visuals and it enhances this universe and make you believe it is all real. In my opinion, this is much better than the first, but then again animal CGI has a long way to go before it could fool us completely. But all in all a good balance of CGI visuals and real elements.
How is it overall?
Overall I rate this movie a 4 out of 5 stars. It's better than the first movie and a full story on it's own. Comparable to the Starwars: Empire Strikes Back movie. Recommend as a must watch for me, even if you are not a Hunger Games fan.
