The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015)
Certified: 12A
Duration: 137 minutes
Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Natalie Dormer
KRS Releasing Ltd

The Hunger Games movies have turned out to be one of the best adaptations of a young adult series of books and it is also one of the best science fiction franchises of recent times.

Mockingjay – Part 2 brings proceedings to a close with all the right ingredients falling into place and spectacle being one of the main ingredients. The film amps up the stakes from last year’s Part 1.

Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is a symbol of revolution but she is not content with being just this. Known as the Mockingjay, she does not want to be simply a puppet in the hands of President Coin (Julianne Moore) of District 13. Thus, she decides to take matters into her own hands and leads a group of rebels to face off President Snow (Donald Sutherland). The rebels include the likes of Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Boggs (Mahershala Ali) and Finnck (Sam Claflin). The Capitol’s once shiny streets are now a veritable rubble-filled war zone. However, Snow prepares what could be considered the equivalent of this year’s modern Hunger Games.

Jennifer Lawrence has become one of the top actresses of her generation. Watching her development of Katniss from the first movie to this conclusion’s towering performance is a joy. She brings to the film a whole new spectrum and this is why the audience seems to embrace her so wholeheartedly.

There is a sense of idealism and naivety which is nevertheless tinged with harsh realities

Then there is Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. He is now very violent and yet we know that at the core, he is still the Peeta from the first movie. Woody Harrelson is once again impeccable while Sutherland has made his President Snow a cold-blooded and definitely unforgiving character, a character the audience will love to hate.

Director Francis Lawrence laces the traps with thrills and visual treats as he strings us along with Katniss into all the dangerous situations. War is not forgiving and the Hunger Games is a dystopian future that is a bitter sweet testament to that.

Mockingjay – Part 2 resonates through Katniss’s speeches as her words deliver a ray of light in the dark future these characters are facing.

There is a sense of idealism and naivety which is nevertheless tinged with harsh realities that make this franchise, and particularly this ending, more than just a showcase for special effects.