The finale to the extremely popular dystopian young adult series, The Hunger Games, came out on November 16. Directed by Francis Lawrence and based on the Suzanne Collins novel, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 was very well done. Unlike the first two Hunger Games films, Mockingjay does not contain any actual Hunger Games, but it does portray the full-out war between the Districts and the Capital. In the first three films, we saw Katniss Everdeen, an impoverished girl living in a dystopian society, grow from a young hunter into a symbol of the rebellion in the war against the Capital. In this film, with the war having started, she has become a soldier with a single-minded pursuit: to kill President Snow, the cause of the nation’s suffering. Though many are willing to help her, there are a lot of obstacles in her way, including the leader of the rebellion, President Coin, who would rather Katniss not fight as a soldier. Katniss must also worry about the boy who has fought by her side all along, Peeta, who was recently rescued after being tortured by the Capital, and isn’t the same. She also has a family to take care of, including her innocent little sister Prim. However, nothing can stop Katniss from ending the war and bringing peace to Panem.
The performances in this film were great, especially those done by leads Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, who played Katniss and Peeta. This film definitely defied my expectations. I hate when movies based on single books are unnecessarily split into multiple parts, so I still believe that Mockingjay could have been a great single film. It kind of bugs me that it was split into what was a very boring first part in my opinion and a great second part. Unlike Part 1, Part 2 has a beginning, middle, and end. Though it’s only based on half a book, it uses its extra time to develop characters and focus on detail. If you are a fan of The Hunger Games, prepare to cry during this emotional and heart-pounding finale. It’ll be hard to say goodbye to the characters you’ve come to know and love. Though no characters die in the arena this time around, it’s still devastating to see the effect of the war on innocent people, and watch some characters die in brutal ways. It was well directed, well acted, and was a fantastic conclusion to the worldwide phenomenon The Hunger Games has become. If you’ve read all the books and/or seen all the movies, this is a must-see. The last movie in a beloved series can always be hard to watch, and Mockingjay Part 2 is no exception, but it has a satisfactory ending that will leave audiences everywhere on the edge of their seats.