The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015) User Reviews

Do not understand of the 10/10 brigade with respect to this film

[stephen-ellwood · 6/10 · 14 April 2016]

-- this review may contain spoilers --

How can a reviewer say "not the best in the series" and then give it 10 stars? 10 stars is perfection, not as good as perfection is not 10 stars... In my opinion it was far from perfect though not terrible.

I have loved the Hunger Games franchise but this film let me down. For much of the film it reminded me of Frodo's (boring) journey to destroy the ring except that Frodo actually does get there in the End. Katniss sets off to kill the president and spends most of the film trying to get there but then doesn't, in fact she is beaten by the resistance, who managed to get through all of those traps that she could not and still get there quicker. She then wakes up to find the war is over. The twist at the end is so well signposted that it doesn't take much inferring leaving the happy ever after.

Special effects and infinite arrow archery skills ultimately don't make up for the lack of story and obvious plot holes. I cannot fault any of the actors, they did the best they could with a bad script.

Too realistic...but it had to be!!

[techno_lime28 · 8/10 · 20 November 2015]

I always saw The Hunger Games' movies as a thrilling representation of the corruption and tyranny that's invading this world, and as a young Egyptian who lived through two recent revolutions, we know a great deal about the consequences of civil war, and how dirty the fight can be over political power. This movie hits right home with this theme in a way that democratic and luxurious societies won't understand or enjoy.

Mockingjay pt2 delivers a suspenseful and emotional ride as Katniss and the other rebels set out on a mission to kill the ruthless president Snow. The film plays heavy on its politics, showing the ugly side of revolutions. It would have been easy to make a pure good vs. pure evil scenario, but the movie shows a lot of gray areas and stresses on the fact the no one is incorruptible, which is far more enjoyable in terms of storytelling.

The film also does justice to its characters in their final journey, and has great performances by its two leads. J.Lawrence excels in portraying a determined Katniss fighting to subdue her tortured emotions for the sake of a bigger cause, she perfectly balances the strength of making sacrifices and becoming merciless in war without losing her humanity. Hutcherson gives his best acting shot as a confused Peeta fighting battles both on the ground and within his mind, and his monologues arrive with several meaningful moments that remind us of what 'The Hunger Games' were all about. However, its D.Sutherland's and J.Moore's sickening performances as two similar nemeses, that elevated this young-adult film to a whole new level.

But the film is anything but flawless, it has several problems which we can blame on the editing team, the slow pace of the film focuses too much on Katniss and her group that makes you forget about the outside war, and when the time came when the size of the rebellion showed itself, you don't get enough of it, which in my opinion is the biggest issue with the film. However, this was never meant to be a full scale war film, it was always, presented from one person's point of view, which is understandable. Another issue I found was in how the movie had several deaths of main characters but doesn't spend enough time to pay tribute to them, not as much as they did with Rue in the first film.

Nevertheless, instead of lingering on the imperfections, I applaud Mockingjay Part 2 for the bigger message its trying to convey, for creating a satisfying resolution to one of the strongest and most enduring heroines in cinema, and for respecting its audience and not sugarcoating anything. People are complaining about this final chapter being too grim, my parents thought it was too realistic, too similar to what's happening in our country and so many others, but to me...that was necessary. I can only wish that movies like this will in some way contribute in making a wiser next generation of political leaders, which is what the film offers ultimately as consolation; a last sense of hope for the future.

The dystopian world of Panem loses color and gains a lot of life in the process.

[Diogo_Costa · 8/10 · 20 November 2015]

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.

Epic end to Hunger Games

[saulvitner · 6/10 · 20 November 2015]

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.

Not terrible, but a shadow of the first film

[chrisgordon · 6/10 · 9 June 2019]

The franchise started with such promise but seemed to lessen with each film. In this one, the journey towards President Snow was laboured and repetitive. Character development was paint by numbers to non existent. Films 3 and 4 might have been more impactful if retained in one film. But we get the ending... that's something.

Katniss, Thank you Forever!

[CineAutoctono · 7/10 · 13 November 2015]

Maybe even it takes a week of its release but want to leave my last words to Katniss and company.

Although still not be released will be very convinced that this last part will be fantastic and memorable, where the first gave yourself as a volunteer to protect your sister , to deliver everything in the Hunger Games to survive, when you showed courage for the things Snow that has made against you , because you supported your friends , do feel the incredible book adaptation Collins has become an unforgettable adventure.

I want to congratulate Jennifer Lawrence by this magnificent role of Katniss , where I play an actress of world class and one of the heavyweights of Hollywood , which never ceases to amaze with its distinctive and unbeatable talent, I also congratulate Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth , Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks, and even Phiip Seymour Hoffman who is in heaven , and at least congratulate Donald Sutherland for the role of villain hated by fans of the saga, and i commend especially the director Francis Lawrence and his team for what he has shown us in this amazing story .

Katniss, Thank you Forever!

Certainly has Many Great Moments, but an Overall Disappointing Finale,

[lesleyharris30 · 7/10 · 28 November 2015]

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2 is a good movie with a well developed storyline and a terrific cast. It's a reasonably pleasing finale to the four part series, all of the character archs are wrapped up quite nicely, and there's some good twists throughout, even one that had me jumping off my seat. The chemistry between all the main cast members is still evident and it's sad to think this is the last film where we'll see them portraying these characters. Admittedly, I expected better, the first part of Mockingjay is very slow paced, but I could forgive it because I was expecting this part to be an action packed, intense adventure, and it's a little underwhelming in the end, the story dosen't move around as quickly as it should, lingering on certain plot points for far too long, and our interest in Katniss's relationship between Gale and Peeta begins to ware thin. The best scenes in this movie are certainly Lawrence's confrontations with President Snow, played miraculously by Donald Sutherland, he's great in the other movies as well, but here he really gets to shine as the sinister, evil character he really is. My biggest problem is that they decided to break Mockingjay in to two parts in the first place, it may have worked out well for Harry Potter but that's because it felt like they genuinely wanted two movies to wrap up the story properly, here, however, it just feels like they did two movies to make more money, and because of that, instead of getting one outstanding finale to the series, we get two that are both disappointing sequels to their predecessors. It may be a bit underwhelming as a finale to the series, certainly not as good as Hunger Games or Catching Fire, but The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2 is still worth the watch because of its impressive special effects and terrific performances, and if you're a fan of the previous movies then I don't have to tell you to go see it, any fans of action should get a kick out of it.

Katniss must lead an army against President Snow as the destruction of other districts increases.

Best Performance: Jennifer Lawrence

Amazing ending to The Hunger Games.

[mistoppi · 8/10 · 18 November 2015]

I love The Hunger Games trilogy mostly because it is so dark and brutal, and even if Katniss does what she has to do, she still suffers from everything that has happened. In a badly written version of the novels Katniss would behave like nothing ever bothered her, which would make her just seem violent and rash. When we know everything has gotten to her, we know what she is sensitive, we know that everything has actually touched her.

The most horrifying thing is when you realise how young Katniss actually is. The original point of the novel series was how kids were forced to fight in the arena, and how a kid actually became the most important person to the resistance. Think about when you were 17, would you have been able to unite people against your oppressors? That's a really horrifying thought - and that was the point Collins was trying to make. Jennifer Lawrence is excellent as Katniss. She portrays her social clumsiness well, but also her emotional weaknesses and her bravery. She's a great actress, but there should've been someone else playing her, someone younger (and Native), because then it would look as terrifying at it was meant to.

Not all the events from the novel were included in the Mockingjay part 1 or 2. It's understandable especially when it comes to the part 2. For example, Katniss, Finnick, Johanna and Peeta being trained for the war? It would take too much time to show everything, considering how long the film already was.

Some people are complaining about how they should've made the Mockingjay into a one film. I disagree. It is one film, but in two parts. And it works this way, because the second part starts so well - it starts exactly where it should start considering what happened in the end of Part 1. It works as two parts, and there was no need to wrap the story up any more. It was very dense already - things happen quickly but there is still time for important dialogue.

The music in these films is almost unreal because of how beautiful it is - and it still is astonishing in the last one.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 2 is dark and brutal, but it has hope, some amazing hope that after all that darkness makes everything better. It's an amazing finale for the best young adult science fiction stories I have read or seen.

I feel weird that it's all over now. Suzanne Collins has created amazing characters who were portrayed so well over the years - or left out, as the case may be. Thanks for the ride, it has been amazing.

A decent ending to a great series.

[heyitsshenan · 7/10 · 20 November 2015]

Well this is it. This was the movie I wanted an entire year to see Part 2 for. Let me tell you, it didn't disappoint, not really, at least.

The entirety of Part 2 does follow the book very well. So, if you've read the book, you shouldn't be disappointed with that at least. But, even though it was full of action for a 2 and a half hour movie (that's right, 2 and a half hours) there were parts of the movie where you just went, 'Alright, let's just get this train rolling please' and when it does get going, it goes and goes.

The last 45 minutes of the movie are extremely rushed. EXTREMELY RUSHED. There is no time for grieving, there is no time to ponder what just happened, there's no time for anything. It just jumps from one thing straight to the next.

Let's pull away from that for a second. There are a couple try hard one liner funny moments they decided to put in. I did chuckle at one of them but the other ones were just not needed. They were not needed at all, it's not meant to be a comedy, I don't know why the writers put them in.

You do get to see Philip Seymour one last time (from his death last year), which is a nice thing, especially if you're one of his fans.

I do wish Effie was in it more. She was my favorite character in the entire movie.

So here's the summary: .It's a very long movie, but it keeps you interested throughout. .The ending is very, VERY rushed. Don't expect time to go over and ponder anything that happens. .Hopefully, the characters you like are along the lines of Katniss and Peta. Cuz the others aren't in it much, sorry. .It follows the plot of the book to a T. If you're a reader, you'll enjoy it.

All in all, a decent conclusion to a great series. I just wish it was a bit better.

Ends with a whimper rather than a bang.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 2 December 2016]

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.

The temperature shifts many times, not always appropriately

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 8/10 · 19 November 2015]

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

"The fire will burn forever." - 7/10

[Zeta-One · 7/10 · 21 November 2015]

Personally, I actually enjoy the Hunger Games series. The first three films were amazing, or at least satisfying, and with that in mind, I had huge expectations for the finale. Due to the split of the Mockingjay into two films, I believed that this one would be packed with pure ingenuity, and a lot of action, and that all the talking and introductions would have already gone to the previous film.

Unfortunately, this was not the case. As much as I hate to say it, I was disappointed with Part 2 of the Mockingjay, for a couple of reasons.

The first of those reasons is just, plain, excess talking. Continuous talking to drag the film along. There is no depth to what the characters are talking about, and it's just plain tedious and boring. As far as the film goes, it's just action, then talking, then action, then talking. Rinse, and repeat. Although some parts might have been fairly memorable, or even slightly necessary, most of the talk is inessential.

Another issue with the film is the slow pacing it had. The talking contributed with the pacing, and it took roughly 45 minutes in the movie to actually be able to see any action scenes at all. To drag on the film, an unnecessary story about the use of propaganda was made, leaving viewers highly uninterested and wondering about when the Part 2 would pick itself up, and enter into the story of war. As though that wasn't enough, drama enters the film drastically, allowing many of the scenes to be filled with emotional outbreaks, making the film more depressing than it should be. These emotional outbreaks, and the overall pacing of the action scenes did more harm than it did good, as it ends up losing the audience's attention through the unintentional scattering of the scenes between drama and action.

The final thing that griped me was how the ending was stretched further than it should be. For fans of the franchise that have read the books, the ending was definitely performed well, and brought the text up to the screen. However, it was made to be highly predictable, and as a result of that, it lost its effectiveness and impact to the story. The epilogue, which was approximately another 23 minutes added to the film, was extremely dull, and stretched the film more than what it could have been. Although I understand the need of showing the viewers the relationship between Peeta and Katniss after the events on Panem, it could have been made shorter, and slightly more entertaining.

Overall, the film, although not the best in the franchise, was exhilarating and fun to watch. The actors/actresses truly gave it their all, and that itself gave an extra bonus to the film. This film is definitely a mandatory viewing for all citizens of Panem, and for the fans of the Hunger Games.

"Nothing can prepare you for the end."

Yes,they managed to do it.Worse than part 1.

[panayiotisblack · 4/10 · 9 March 2016]

OK,it's not that part 1 was good,you actually knew it would suck,but the 2nd really grinds my gears.

You have in your hands a civil war,the final battle into the heart of the capital,and you spent 2 hours of your life watching your main character taking a walk in a war zone.

And with all that time strolling,you have no character development,for none of them,just a few moments that the movie is like "Ok,from now on,that's how things are".

I watched this for closure,i wish i hadn't.

I didn't expected it to be a great movie,just a good action one,and it failed.Miserably. For goodness sake,London has fallen had more character development than a book based quadralogy,LOTR had less walking..good riddance to the series.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

[abouhelier-r · 7/10 · 20 November 2015]

As the war of Panem escalates to the destruction of other districts by the capitol, Katniss Everdeen, the reluctant leader of the rebellion, must bring together an army against President Snow, with all she holds dear hangs in the balance.

So here we are, we made it to the end of The Hunger Games movies and I most definitely not enjoyed all of them. For all fans, this is the moment they've been waiting for. The films, first of which was released in 2012 have ranked in more than $2 billion worldwide at the box office and made a global star of their leading lady: Jennifer Lawrence, perfect mix of fury and resignation. In fact, The Hunger Games movies - on their own, separated from the books - have been a true phenomenon, let's be honest. It's almost weird that the four of them came out so quickly to each other. This sudden burst of popular culture that is now over.

If you haven't seen Mockingjay - Part 1 there's nothing to catch you up on the events of the first half of this movie, or for that matter, the first two movies. By now you either know what is going on, or you came to this film with a friend and you don't care anyway, so moving on. Part 1, as I wrote back then was all setup and no payoff. It was truly disappointing. Though, I really should know when a film has a "Part 1" tagged onto it, I'm not going to get a complete story out of what I came to see. Still, here viewers finally get their payoff. It's by far the most polarising instalment of the saga. They took all that time to build compelling characters in Part 1 just to allow some subtle character's moments. Indeed I liked some of the direction they took with the characters, especially Peeta, he's genuinely messed up and his character development made him as deep as he's ever been. Before he was just one of the guys in the love triangle. Plus, this time it was a similar feeling as earlier this year with Furious 7. Even though an actor we liked was no longer with us, we'd still get to see him one last time: to say goodbye. In this case it is the last time we'll see Philip Seymour Hoffman. And even though I thought I had myself mentally prepared, it's still pretty shocking. Looking at Hoffman on screen, I couldn't help but whisper to myself "Man, this guy will be missed..."

While being "sort-of" heroic, Katniss Everdeen is frightened all the time. She spends the whole story being forced into situations she doesn't want to be in. nearly always she acted out of naive sense of what was right, starting with her decision to take younger sister Prim's place in The Hunger Games. However here, like little Frodo Baggins, crushed by his heavy burden over the course of three films, she's not quite the same person - for the first time - she was when her adventure began. Jennifer Lawrence skillful performance holds the centre, letting everything the dialogue doesn't say play across her face. Katniss seems to understand the symbolic weight she's been asked to carry. If only it didn't have to hang so heavy... At the end of the day Katniss can only rely on one person: herself. If I'm being completely honest Katniss Everdeen, by herself, is not really an interesting person to me. We all love her and we are all rooting for her; but Katniss as a person is just boring.

In comparison to Part 1, Part 2 feels almost like non-stop action. In fact, Part 1 was a very unnecessary movie. I really don't think this final chapter needed to be split in two film, as it was very slow paced and sometimes we can find little shades of that left over in Part 2. Yes, there are parts of this film that are deathly snail paced slow, and for some parts it's working as some sequences are meant to be very serious and poignant. Nonetheless, the production values are still above grade. The series has veered far from the realm of traditional YA entertainment; for all intents and purposes, Part 2 is a war movie. This is a overly dark and sad film, there's barely a ray of hope coming through the cloud throughout the entire runtime. Halfway through we even get an elaborate underground sequence that almost feel like something out of a zombie movie but certainly not The Hunger Games. Or maybe something more out of the director's prior film, I Am Legend. At this point, you might even start to wonder how a YA audience will handle scenes scary enough to make you long for the relative mutant-free safety of The Martian (Matt Damon may be 50 million miles from home, but at least he's alone). The gradual building of suspense during the actual siege of the Capitol and all the traps were grand, they are everything you would imagine game makers of the actual Hunger Games would make but in a city. Finally, director Lawrence does allow enough room for audiences to process what is unfolding before them, working at a classical pace for the saga. You get excited for a second and then it goes back to this crushingly slow pace which doesn't raise high stakes. At least, the script is clearly more concern with the mass-media manipulation of combat footage than what is actually happening in the trenches.

Overall most of The Hunger Games fans will find enjoyment in this last chapter of their beloved franchise as it is actually an enjoyable movie with some exciting action; but as the final instalment, it doesn't really justify everything you walked through to this moment.

Mockinjay part 2

[rix_1000 · 7/10 · 23 November 2015]

The final chapter of the Hunger Games was an enjoyable one. Flawed yes, but entertaining and gripping. Definitely an upgrade from part 1, which was lackluster. The one thing that makes Hunger Games so great, is the hunger games. The fight for survival. That's what was missing from the previous one. We do not get one as straight forward here, but it is done in its own way which works perfect for the movie. The action- scene in the sewers is dead right terrifying, but bad*ss.

The one thing that especially appealed to me was the broken down relationship between Peeta and Katniss. To see Peeta struggle as hard as he did and their dynamic together, helping each other was very rewarding to watch. I must say, this won me over to Team-Peeta.

The story-telling was quite inconsistent compared to the first two movies, which in my opinion were superior. The movie was very long, which I did not mind, but it was not as fluid as it could have been. I loved the themes this one addressed in the sense of overthrowing a leader and replacing (him) with a new one and the struggles it poses. Mankind is destructive.

The acting all-in-all was continuously solid all round. But PS Hoffman stands out. As he should. It was a worthy performance and a lovely tribute to send him off was present if you catch it.

Different from other Young Adult Genres but still the Weakest Entry of the Franchise

[captainmike-michael · 7/10 · 21 November 2015]

Unlike fantasy stories like LOTR, Hobbits and Harry Potter, second part which claims to be the epic conclusion to the Hunger Games series starts right immediately at the scene it stops at Part I, which is a little bit brutal when the title displayed. The entire film is expected to be rushing and full of actions between the rebels and the Capitol but it still ends up at a slow pacing and lacks of glorious actions, most likely due to the attempt to stick to the original story in the novel. The plot focuses a lot on Katniss, Gale and Peeta which allow them to perform well while the attention on the political acts and propaganda-making have wiped most of the screen time, leading the weaker character developments of the supporting cast, less emotional impacts and poor progression of romance. Musics by James Newton Howard is beautiful as he utilises the same theme from Part I and manage to lift up some impressive moments of the draggy ending while the visuals are spectacularly shot especially during the climax. In short, Mockingjay is the weakest entry among the series due to the greedy mistake to split but the effort in its political twist has brought this finale a lot more outstanding compared to other young adult genre which waste a lot of time solely on romance.

How to make this better? Deviate from the book!

[jmowreader1 · 7/10 · 20 November 2015]

This movie has one major problem: it's based on a book millions can recite verbatim, and those folks would get extremely upset - and dive straight to the Internet to express their disgust - if the movie weren't as close to the book as it's possible to get. So...that's what they made.

The end result is a movie with far too little of Katniss shooting Peacekeepers and way too much strategizing, deep existential conversation, and attempts to convince Peeta not to eat Katniss' face, that took all of its predecessor and half this one to actually start moving. Unfortunately for the book, those of us who haven't read the trilogy would much rather have had shot-up Peacekeepers.

The movie isn't a total loss. The fight scenes are fun. It's just that there are so few of them! If they could have made a movie "inspired" by the book with about half the talking and twice the battle scenes Suzanne Collins put in her book, it would have been a more entertaining show.

Me and my son Muhammad enjoyed this excellent film.

[muslimbellydancer · 10/10 · 25 November 2015]

I am a Muslim belly dancer and I love watching movies in free time. This is my first comment on IMDb. The Hunger Games:Mocking Jay Part 2 is an interesting sequel to part 1. It is the story of a strong woman rebel Katnis Everdeen fighting against a dictator president. The film is entertaining with action.When you see this movie you will feel with rebels who have been oppressed and you will come to the feeling that evil doers and dictators will sooner or later get destroyed as a result of their wickedness.

This movie has been achieving international success in every country of the world. It is a film for people who love justice and democracy.Me and my dear son Muhammad enjoyed this excellent movie and we definitely advise you to see because it is a perfect epic movie.

All good things must come to an end

[bartonj2410 · 7/10 · 21 November 2015]

For the finale of one of the most popular movie franchises of the last decade, the build up to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, the final part of The Hunger Games franchise, has been relatively subdued.

Sandwiched between Spectre and Star Wars: The Force Awakens may have something to do with this but I didn't feel any excitement when going in to watch the final movie of a franchise that I have thoroughly enjoyed from the start.

Unsurprisingly, the film picks up exactly where the last film left proceedings; Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) receiving treatment after an attempt at taking her life was made by Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), who is now tied up in restraints and being kept a close eye on.

Katniss wants to bring an end to the reign of President Snow (Donald Sutherland) over Panem once and for all and to do this, she must lead the rebellion into the dangerous terrain of the Capitol, where Snow makes sure plenty of surprises lie in wait.

Mockingjay - Part 2 was always going to be the most action-packed of the four films, with all out war set to hit the Capitol, and the film certainly does a fine job when it comes to the action. It takes no time for the film to get going and when it does, you will be on the edge of your seat.

Francis Lawrence, who has directed all but the first film of the franchise, handles the action well and delivers a few sequences to get the adrenalin pumping, most notably a scene that finds Katniss and other members of the rebellion fighting a herd of monstrous creations underground. It's a moment that some younger viewers may find quite frightening as it feels like something straight out of a horror movie.

I was really enjoying the film up until a really significant moment involving someone close to Katniss and this is where I thought the film shot itself in the foot. There had been a build up to this happening now for three prior films and in the end, I can't help but feel that the end just felt rushed and badly underwritten. It can't be easy writing a finish to such an epic story and with the book to go by, there isn't too much room for change. That being said, I was left utterly underwhelmed by the final half hour of this film.

As always with The Hunger Games films, there isn't one performance that lets the film down. Jennifer Lawrence once again shines as Katniss, a role of major significance in her career and one that will go down as one of the strongest female characters in the history of film.

Lawrence is given ample support from the likes of; Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Natalie Dormer, Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, Donald Sutherland and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.

So, with The Hunger Games franchise now at an end, we have lost the best franchise to be based on a series of young adult novels that have taken the world by storm. Sadly, they will keep on coming but my worry will be that none of them will be anywhere near the standard of The Hunger Games franchise.

Key events taking place off screen make for an awfully boring, bloated story

[dierregi · 1/10 · 19 November 2017]

I watched the first two installments of HG during a long flight. They were OK as light entertainment even for somebody like me, outside the target audience. Obviously I did not read the novel (nor have I any interest in reading it) but I just wanted to see how the story ends.

Both Mockingjay parts were on TV lately. Predictably, they provided the awful ending of yet another trilogy, (stretched into four movies, for monetary reasons). This movie was particularly bad for the awful script that skipped all the dramatic key moments in favor of padding with fight, explosions and CGI.

Katniss is in a resistance team known as the Star Squad, composed of Gale, Peeta and other disposable members. She secretly plans to kill evil president Snow, thus dragging her team into the most dangerous zone of the Capitol and getting almost everybody killed.

Three quarters of this very long movie are just Kat and team fighting and slowly advancing in the city. Some team members die, more fighting and more casualties etc... Finally, Kat gets close enough to Snow's palace and her plan is just walking in with other refugees, wearing no disguise whatsoever - brilliant!

However, the palace gets bombed and Kat knocked out, just after having caught a glimpse of her sister. When Kat wakes up the was is over and the sister is dead. So the two most important events of the movie take place off screen, while the time on screen is filled by silly fighting....

After a minute of conversation with Snow, held captive before his execution, Kat is convinced that president Coin is corrupted and must be eliminated, which she does. She moves back to her District with Peeta, they have children and live happily ever after - because Gale knew that the bombing was planned by Coin, so he was also evil, or something to that effect. Even the "triangle" part of the plot was disposed off with a line of dialogue and 20 second on screen...

A fitting finale to The Hunger Games franchise.

[Anurag-Shetty · 10/10 · 28 November 2015]

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 concludes the adventures of Katniss Everdeen(Jennifer Lawrence). After the events of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1(2014), Katniss, Peeta Mellark(Josh Hutcherson), Gale Hawthorne(Liam Hemsworth), Finnick Odair(Sam Claflin), Boggs(Mahershala Ali), Cressida(Natalie Dormer) & the rest of the Rebels will have to take down President Snow(Donald Sutherland) & the evil Capitol, once & for all. As the war of Panem spirals out of control, & the Capitol attacks any district that opposes them, Katniss' life & the lives of her allies & loved ones are at risk.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 is a fantastic film. It is a satisfying & emotional end to The Hunger Games series. All the action set pieces are top notch. The special effects are superb. The underground set piece is one of the highlights of the film. Don't worry though. This film is not just a mishmash of action scenes. There are plenty of heart touching moments too. This movie takes all the best aspects from The Hunger Games(2012), The Hunger Games: Catching Fire(2013) & The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1(2014), to become my favorite film in the franchise. There are so many twists & turns in the film that will keep you guessing right till the end(if you haven't read the books, of course). The suspense factor is a welcome addition, that didn't feature in the previous three films. A minor flaw would be the 3D. Although it works in a few scenes, overall the 3D is unnecessary. Just watch the movie in 2D, if you have an option. Director Francis Lawrence has given fans a perfect end to The Hunger Games movies. Jennifer Lawrence is outstanding as Katniss Everdeen. Josh Hutcherson is spectacular as Peeta Mellark. Liam Hemsworth is brilliant as Gale Hawthorne. Woody Harrelson is awesome as Haymitch Abernathy. Donald Sutherland is menacing as President Snow. Philip Seymour Hoffman is good as Plutarch Heavensbee. Julianne Moore is great as President Alma Coin. Willow Shields is impressive as Primrose Everdeen. Sam Claflin is superb as Finnick Odair. Mahershala Ali, Jeffrey Wright & Jena Malone are effective as Boggs, Beetee & Johanna Mason respectively. Stanley Tucci & Elizabeth Banks are super as Caesar Flickerman & Effie Trinket respectively. Natalie Dormer & Elden Hensen are awesome as Cressida & Pollux respectively. The supporting cast are great as well. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 is a must watch.

Jlaw has amazing acting skills

[gchahalgchahal · 7/10 · 25 November 2015]

this movie was great and I'm terribly sad to see the series ended because jlaw was an amazing actor... however their were some parts mainly the first 30minutes of the movie i was falling asleep. there was no real action to focus on. But the one thing I was happy about the series was that it correlated with books I definitely recommend everyone to watch the movie and judge for themselves. There were scenes that really made you sad and tugged on your heartstrings. But hey if you read the books you knew that certain thing was unavoidable Anyways, movies were amazing books were amazing. and i truly wish there were more books after this but there aren't. I think president snow is amazing even though he is clearly cruel. one thing i got to say for you if you are to watch the movies... May the odds be ever in your favor

Well padded

[Prismark10 · 3/10 · 9 March 2016]

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 is a film without any artistic integrity. It was purely made to grab as much cash from its audience as possible. You can sense this in the film which does not have much of a plot, scenes that are purely filler and the story just crawls because the book that it is based on has been split into two which means more padding than a model wearing a Wonderbra.

Panem is in chaos Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) plans to assassinate President Snow (Donald Sutherland.) Snow meanwhile wishes to spring a trap to finish off the rebels. Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) is volatile as he turns his anger towards Katniss. Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) the leader of the rebels who plans to usurp Snow as President has her own agenda. You could say she and Snow are two sides of the same coin.

Some of the action is humdrum and poorly lit and Katniss's use of the bow and arrow is almost laughable in this film. Given the first film in this franchise was a decent film, it has been disappointing to see the decline in quality to the sequels.

I wish it could achieve more

[elkieng · 7/10 · 20 November 2015]

I do believe a good movie has a formula - it starts with the background, then building up the tension, then make you hold your breath until the climax - with a bit of humour, emotion stirring in between. And even better, it gives you a philosophical message that make you think about the meaning of life, and perhaps gives you hope on humanity in between. You leave the cinema feeling hyper, and when you back home you want to look for more information about this movie, check out what other think, to see if there are people in resonance with you.

I have to say Mockingjay Pt2 failed this for me. It was a surprise as usually when you cut a movie/book into two parts, the first part usually is slow and dull (as still building up the background), and Pt2 you have this big finale and take you to the climax at the end (like Harry Potter 7). But MJ Pt1 did fulfill the "good movie" factors, and it even had a few very moved moments that made me almost in tears.

But Pt 2 … I didn't feel "wow it is good and they know what they are doing" until perhaps after 45mins. Then you have 45 mins of really intense and good action scenes, as well as scary part that made me feel I regret to watch it by myself while I had no arm to grab on (despite I know what would be coming as I read the book). Although to be fair - in the other hand - it did follow the book, that the climax arrived on the 2/3 of the book/movie, then it quiet down afterward. There was a twist at the end, but since I was aware of the twist, it didn't work for me.

I do think if they can put pt1 and pt2 in one movie, it will be much better. As some reviews said, Pt2 is a good finale as the whole series, but failed as a movie by itself. In the book there are so much opportunity to make a big impact scene, but it didn't manage to do that, and even it did reach the impact at a certain scene, but it jumped to something else straight afterward, losing the momentum.

And Katiness is not the most likable character ever. Although in the other hand I think it makes her very real - she does not born as a typical hero and think "great power comes with great responsibility", be a leader, save people and always do the morally right thing. She is hurt, angry, broken, has PTSD, helpless, self-centered. But - if you imagine yourself grow up and live in her situation, it makes her very real.

I didn't like the series until movie 2. Movie 1 has the potential but was poorly directed, and the shaky cam/direction of how the camera pan made it even worse. But movie 2 was excellent, definitely the best of the series and one of my fav movies ever. That scene when she appeared as a Mockingjay on the stage still make me hold my breath, and watching Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance just made me feel it is sad that we lost a talented actor.

But I do strongly recommend the book/movie to teenager. It is a good story with a message that hopefully can leads to a lots of deep thinking, and political awareness.

Still a watchable movie, but I wish it could achieve more.

Side note: Finally managed to watch a movie in the Vmax cinema, and so glad with my choice - the sound effect of the movie itself was excellent and Vmax cinema really brought out the best of it.

Good Conclusion to a Decent Series

[ryanmark-57919 · 7/10 · 21 November 2015]

It's finally over! This is a series of films that I enjoyed but I never loved as much as many other people did. I remember watching the first film and enjoying it well enough but I was surprised when it became this big phenomenon. I have a similar feeling to the last movie in the series that I did to the first one. I liked it but I'm not going to write home about it or anything like that. Besides, this film, like its predecessors, has some flaws that keep them from being among the best movies ever made. Francis Lawrence has once again returned with this film so if you liked the others you'll probably enjoy this one. Let's talk about the conclusion to the story.

Wow, Katniss Everdeen's (Jennifer Lawrence) life really sucks right now. One of her former flames, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), has been brainwashed to kill her and the rebels are about to make their final march on the capital. Katniss is still being used mostly for war propaganda but decides that she will end the war herself by personally infiltrating the Capital of Panem and assassinate President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Easier said than done thanks to the Capital's defenses. However, she soon finds out that war is rarely as black and white as her propaganda movies make it appear.

The acting has always been decent in these films and everyone has definitely improved on their characters since the first movie. It's interesting to see how these characters have grown throughout the series. Jennifer Lawrence returns as the brave and surprisingly good public speaker, Katniss Everdeen. What can I say? Lawrence is great and she does a fantastic job once again. Her character has come a long way but she's still able to judge people pretty well and find the best course of action. Hutcherson's Peeta has changed a bit in this movie since he was brainwashed during the events of the last one. Hutcherson does a pretty good job showing us the much more damaged and self-loathing character that he's become. Liam Hemsworth also returns as Katniss's other love interest, Gale. Gale is still trying to do the right thing by Katniss and her family but he does seem a bit more bloodthirsty this time around. I guess having your friends die in a firestorm will do that to a guy. I would be remiss not to mention the talents of Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, and Donald Sutherland in this movie. Harrelson's Haymitch is still the voice of reason in many situations but we don't really see his character a whole lot this time around. Moore's Alma Coin is fleshed out much more in this film, which was nice, but a little telegraphed also. I mean, who didn't see that coming? Finally, Donald Sutherland as the ridiculously evil President Snow. This is one of those villains that I love to hate. Sutherland himself is grade A talent and he's easily one of the best parts about the entire series and he certainly doesn't disappoint this time around.

I actually liked a lot about this movie even though I didn't think it was as good as the first two. The traps in the capital give us action that's similar to the first two movies but the change in location and circumstance makes it feel very different. The scenes in the sewers are especially tense and some of the best action scenes in the entire series. There's also a lot going on with these characters with family members and friends dying as well as this incredibly awkward love triangle going on. They've adapted the books very closely which is nice to a degree but it doesn't work quite as well in film. There are some things we should really be shown rather than told but most of the drama is still well done. It just drags a bit during some parts of the movie. It's also interesting that we literally didn't see a single scene of the larger war taking place inside the Capital. It makes sense that we follow the Mockingjay's journey to its end but it would have been nice to know how certain characters ended up right outside the gates to Snow's mansion. The actual journey doesn't really have any purpose in the end since the rebel army got to the gates just as fast as she did. However, I suppose the journey was a bit of a metaphorical one as well, something she had to take to learn more about the opposing sides, her friends, and herself.

I enjoyed this film and the entire series as a whole but it still never struck me as groundbreaking as many people considered it. Obviously, we have this series and the Twilight films to thank for all the young adult adaptations we get nowadays but I still don't see why people go crazy over The Hunger Games. They're good movies though and I enjoyed seeing the journey through to its end. If you liked the others then I would recommend giving this one a shot.