WARNING! Spoilers if you haven't read the book or seen the movie yet!
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2" is the much anticipated finale in the Hunger Games series. There was a lot of hype ahead of the release of the film. Having read the books and seen all the movies, I was especially looking forward to this movie.
A big pet peeve of mine is when movies are changed from the book. I'm still bitter over the changes made in the 6th "Harry Potter" movie. Luckily, "Mockingjay" didn't have any major changes, but I'll admit it's been a while since I last read "Mockingjay," so my memory may be a bit foggy.
The movie picks up right where "Part 1" ended. Peeta still hates Katniss and thinks she's the root of all evil. President Coin is still using Katniss as her own personal puppet in order to film videos to unite all of the Districts against the Capitol. In this movie, District 2 is the last District under Capitol control. Of course, Katniss is able to inspire the rebels to unite in District 2, along with the help of the force of the rebel army, and ultimately, the Districts are united in the cause against the Capitol. Katniss only really has one thing on her mind throughout the film: killing President Snow. She sneaks away from District 13 and lies to her fellow rebel soldiers in order to enact a plan to do just this.
The majority of the movie has a drab, dark undertone, which makes sense because they're a nation at war. One of my favorite parts shows a glimmer of the hope and happiness that still exists in war--Finnick and Annie's wedding. All of District 13 comes together to celebrate the happy couple. It's a breath of fresh air in a time of turmoil.
The whole time I was watching the movie, I was wondering if it was going to stay true to the book, especially in regard to the deaths. Finnick's death was heartbreaking to watch, while the lizard muttations dragged him back down to the sewer as he tried to escape, his voice calling up to Katniss for her help to end his misery. Throughout the movie, I held onto a small piece of hope that Prim wouldn't die. I knew it wouldn't be as good of a movie if she'd survived, but I was really dreading watching that unfold on screen. Much to my surprise, Prim's death didn't affect me as I expected it to. The scene itself was a bit confusing, with a lot of action going on. I could sense people in the theater were confused as to what actually happened: Had she died? Who had actually killed her? These questions are answered when Katniss later interacts with President Snow.
I must admit, I had a bit of a fan-girl moment when Katniss kills President Coin instead of Snow. This scene was one of my favorites from the book, and I loved seeing it play out live. I especially loved Snow's reaction to it.
Jennifer Lawrence's acting never fails to disappoint me. She beautifully portrays Katniss and her many emotions. Her crying fit after Prim's death is extremely moving and feels so real. Josh Hutcherson had the difficult task of playing a broken Peeta in this film. He was fantastic at having fits of rage against Katniss. You could really feel his remorse, too, when he slowly begins to realize that Katniss is not actually the enemy. It's difficult to watch them re-build their trust and love for one another. And, poor Gale has to watch it all happen right in front of him while he pines away for Katniss. Deep down, he knows no matter what, Katniss' heart belongs to Peeta. With the conclusion of the series, Katniss and Peeta finally come together as one. Their love for each other is solidified when Peeta asks, "You love me. Real or not real?" And Katniss responds, "Real."
I was disappointed that characters like Effie and Caesar were not in the movie very much. Caesar was in one scene only, and Effie was in very few. I always enjoy these two entertaining characters, and I wish we could have seen more of them. I also was disappointed with the way Katniss said goodbye to Gale. It came across as too harsh for me. They had a really special relationship, and I hate to think that it ended with them on bad terms. The movie had action, but it seemed to be much less than the other movies.
Overall, I enjoyed the movie and would definitely recommend it to anyone who has seen the other three, but it wasn't my favorite out of the series. If I had to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, I would give it a 7.
