THE HUNGER GAMES : MOCKINGJAY PART 2 – The Review

Katniss returns to face her oppressors in the final installment of THE HUNGER GAMES franchise, but does it pack the same punch as the first three? You know it does!

Panem is in the midst of war, and Katniss is preparing to take President Snow (Donald Sutherland) out. On a mission as ‘the face’ of the war, she and her team of friends, Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Finnick (Sam Claflin) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) continue try to liberate the citizens throughout the districts. Although they are out of the games, they face greater dangers than they ever have. This time, the entire nation depends on it.

The tone of this film is much different from the previous films. It’s serious, sure, but there are a couple of new surprises. Director Francis Lawrence leaned more on CGI for some of the dangerous beings in this film, and I found that there were a bunch of jump scares. I don’t recall any of the other films making me jerk out of my chair. It makes sense for this film to be a bit darker in tone, seeing as how the entire country is at war, and part of the film is shot inside underground pipes, but the changes definitely stick out.

The cast is incredible, as usual, in these films. Lawrence, however, is even more dynamic in her final portrayal of Katniss than I thought possible. It’s incredible to see her character grow, and Lawrence does a fantastic job of showing her evolution, both internally and externally.

It takes a bit for the film to perk up, and move into the battle scenes. If you’re expecting all out war, you’re going to have to wait a bit. Keep in mind that this film is over two hours. They can’t just dive into the meat and potatoes! Have some appetizers first.

If you’ve read the books, you are already familiar as to how the story ends. This is the same for the film. Although I enjoyed the ending, I didn’t find it satisfying… and that’s ok. I sort of like the way they slowly tied things up. Not to spoil anything (which means, if you don’t want to risk learning new information, stop reading), but there isn’t a giant triumph of victory. It just, kind of, happens. Afterwards, she slowly goes back to her old life. I enjoy that. What do we expect? A huge victory, and then a picture perfect life of spoils? This ending is a true Katniss ending. It’s humble, and it gives the audience more to grasp onto.

Let’s face it… You’re going to go see this film, and you should! You’ll be happy you did, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

OVERALL RATING: 4.75 out of 5 stars