The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

Reluctant symbol of the revolution, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) leads a small group of freedom fighters into Panem to try and assassinate the wicked President Snow (Donald Sutherland).

When they split Mockingjay into 2 parts, presumably for no other reason than financial gain, there was always the concern that the story would be far too drawn out (as with The Hobbit). And despite several decent action scenes (including booby-trap pods, a tidal wave of tar, and a mutt attack) that's precisely what has happened: at a whopping 137 minutes, this last film in the series feels like the proverbial dead horse has been well and truly flogged.

I watched purely for the sake of completion, but at no point did I feel involved in the story or engaged with the characters. I just sat there waiting for the whole thing to end so I could move on to something else. A shame, because if they had taken the good bits from both Mockingjay movies and combined them into one (slightly longer) film, it might have been the best of the series and a fitting finalé for Katniss and co.

I just saw the movie last night and I've gotta say it was an epic end. Really emotional and has a strong theme. I was reading through some reviews and saw people who say it was rushed and I don't know what they were talking about. How is a story divided in two 2 hour parts in any way rushed? If anything it was dragged out. One thing I found a bit off though was how most deaths were completely bloodless, which wasn't the case in the books at all. It did keep true to the book for the most part which is always good when making adaptations. The beginning started pretty much where the last film ended. The ending was satisfying and bittersweet and did not disappoint. Probably both the darkest and the most epic of all Hunger Games films. Overall it's a great movie and epic end to the franchise. I recommend it for all Hunger Games fans.

The first half of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 feels stretched out, like the majority of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (ugh).

However, the story is actually pretty great. The final half of this film is possibly the best stretch in the franchise, as events come to conclusions that I don't think many people expected after that first book. It's mature, logical and thoughtful. Though like Harry Potter, I could have done without the epilogue.

It was neat to see the warped technology being used in the battlegrounds this time. We get glimpses of it throughout the first two films, but here it's used to great effect in some of the most tense scenes of the series. The lighting in the underground section especially was great.

I also have to give the film some slack. They clearly had to work around Philip Seymour Hoffman's tragic passing, the film would have been better with him in it. Though I think they did an admirable job, Plutarch is a great character and his presence is mostly felt.

I do have to commend Donald Sutherland and Jennifer Lawrence, they both give great performances that elevate their characters.

I still hate the stupid love triangle though.

So The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 is a film that I think I'll remember mostly for its ending. I don't know if I'll rewatch the franchise anytime soon, but I can appreciate the interesting route the story went. I understand a lot of people are upset about it, but it made a lot of sense thematically.

It's almost enough to make me want to reread the series, if only it wasn't all first person point of view from Katniss.

What began as a funny 'Battle Royal' for teens comes to a conclusion as one of the best blockbusters in recent memory. It's almost unbelievable how the tone progressively changed from the colorful brutality of the first film to the grayscale palate of a very real world portrayed in Mockingjay - Part 2.

The conclusion to 'The Hunger Games' saga is slow, dark and heavy. Starts gloomy and goes downhill from there. It feels anti-climatic and manages to achieve levels of tension only grasped by the previous films. All at the same time.

The fascinating thing about the film is how unexpected and unforgiven it is. The struggles feel real as do the consequences, and hopelessness permeates all of it.

The film has its shortcomings. It starts slows, drags a little on some scenes and contains some lazy writing, but other than that it's almost perfectly executed. Jennifer Lawrence is flawless as Katniss and majestically leads the devastating journey towards its conclusion.

Part 2 is bold and devastating. It may not be the conclusion some fans wanted, it sure wasn't what they're expected, but it's a way better conclusion than one could hope for.

A thank you note to Francis Lawrence for the eerie sewer tunnel scene, which plays as the love child of "Alien" and "The Descent" - very unusual in tone and something no one is expecting to watch in a blockbuster​ of this size.

A commando unit is sent into the Capitol, now under siege, partially evacuated, overrun by refugees and entirely empty of glory and every bit splendor having faded to shades of grey. Their mission is to put an end to the tyranny. To assassinate President Snow(Sutherland, deliciously evil).

There are entirely too many characters, and darlings that have been left alive, in the least critically trimmed of the four films - this feels strangely disconnected from the others. The production values, talent and scope on display fail to distract from that. As a final chapter, it's fair. Almost every single farewell feels flat and rushed. Essentially, no one has anything to do, not to mention that the new ones, thankfully largely undeveloped anyway, are utterly superfluous. Everyone in the love triangle do find themselves in extreme emotional situations, and certainly the still unstable and potentially homicidal Peeta makes for an immensely interesting element. But it is only with these three, and these two parts could and should have remained one three-hour picture.

The themes are explored rather well, and this fits in an impressive amount of solidly done fiercely political, anti-war messages that are surprisingly relevant, considering it's all there in the book, which came out in 2010. It is clear that this wants to motivate for real-life campaigning to affect foreign policy, and one can only hope it does just that. Satire, clever writing and excitement yet again come through and elevate what might otherwise be "good... for YA" to a truly compelling piece that truly has something to say.

There is a lot of brutal, disturbing violent content in this, pushing the PG-13 rating about as far as it can be. I recommend this to any fan of the series. 8/10