Film Review: "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" (2015).

"Nothing can prepare you for the end". This tagline sums up the inevitable conclusion to the story of Katniss Everdeen with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2. This epic science fiction war film directed by Francis Lawrence, written by Peter Craig and Danny Strong, and adapted from the novel Mockingjay, the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy, written by Suzanne Collins. It is the fourth and final installment in The Hunger Games film series. 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, while all she holds dear hangs in the balance.

On July 10, 2012, Lionsgate announced that the film adaptation of Mockingjay would be split into two parts; Mockingjay – Part 1, released on November 21, 2014, and Mockingjay – Part 2, dated November 20, 2015. This and other facts are already in our minds when watching and following these two parts. However, the most important fact that one must remember is that Philip Seymour Hoffman, who plays Plutarch Heavensbee, died on February 2, 2014. At the time of his death, he had completed filming his scenes for Part 1, and had a week left of shooting for Part 2; Lionsgate thereafter released a statement affirming that since the majority of Hoffman's scenes had been completed, the release date for Part 2 would not be affected. It was initially announced that Hoffman would be digitally recreated for a major scene involving his character that was yet to be shot. Another  note to add is that there is no dedication or remembrance to Hoffman at the end of the film.

The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Philip Seymour Hoffman (in his final film role), and Donald Sutherland. The cast gave it their all for their last outing in the franchise, especially to Lawrence, Hutcherson, and Sutherland. However, I can not help but feel that the characters that I have come to know and appreciate have suffered from either being underused or, quite simply, having no phenomenally gratifying payoff by the end of their journeys.

Thrilling, powerfully acted, and visually dazzling, Mockingjay - Part 2 brings the franchise to a satisfying conclusion. The film transmutes the book into a genuine spectacle. The finale conjures up just enough intensity and solemnity to serve as an appropriate finale. Although, this isn't a film. It's HALF a film, and it's going to feel somewhat emotionless and not as powerful. The film's intensely slow and restrained showdown does not equal to The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter in terms of a dramatic and memorable battle between good and evil. However, the film was a pretty solid and ambitious adaptation of a very complex book. While the film offers long-promised answers, it also dares to pose some eternal questions, and it'll stay with you after the final chapter has closed.

Simon says The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 receives:

Also, see my review for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1.