Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 Review

A couple of days before New Years, I was lucky enough to be treated to a trip to the cinema by my sister. Before you all begin to think she is overly lovely, the real reason she did this is because she’s 25 and didn’t want to be sat on her own in a cinema watching The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt 2.

Mockingjay Part 2 continues from where the last film ends, leaving Katniss and her little rebellion crew to try and overrun President Snow and the Capitol. Now, those who know me will know that I have never been particularly fond of the hunger games series for numerous reasons, but I must admit, this instalment did pleasantly surprise me. 

 

A key element that did shock me was the darker style of this film. Compared to the prior instalments, this movie was a lot more intense and even harrowing at parts. It’s still a certificate 12a, but I wouldn’t advice taking an easily scared child to see this in the cinema.

There is some amazing action scenes as well as shot compositions, and it’s also safe to say that the acting has drastically improved. A majority of the script was decently written, but with that said, Katniss still says “Peeta” far too much, and still can’t pronounce it properly.

As for the pacing of the film, it started off good but was seeming lost towards the end. Not only did the end of the rebellion seem both rushed and sudden, the film also seemed to never end. There seemed to be about fifty different places where the film could’ve ended, and to be honest, I felt like the way it did end was weak. I also felt like some of the more intense parts of the film ended up being a let-down because of the poor pacing. I just don’t understand how the film, which was already split into two parts, can still be rushed.

My final criticism is the lack of focus on the emotional damage. I don’t know if this is covered within the books as I am yet to read them, but I still feel like this could have been interesting. Even if it wasn’t a large amount of focus, it just seemed to me that after everything the characters were made to endure, they still all seem mentally fine. Similarly, deaths within this film weren’t fully focused on in the midst of the action, but this was something I liked. Instead, the characters seemed to feel the emotion within the quieter times, which I thought was realistic; however, there still was a limit to emotions.

Overall, although this wasn’t the greatest movie ever made, that’s for certain, but it was definitely an improvement on the previous Hunger Games instalments. Yes, it had his flaws, but what franchise doesn’t, and from what I’ve heard, the fandom were not disappointed at all. As for me, I’d give it 3/5 eggs.