When The Hunger Games was first released almost four years ago, I had no idea it was going to be the successful franchise it is now. I was fourteen when I watched the first film and began reading the books and each film just got better and better. This is definitely the case with Mockingjay Part 2, the thrilling and emotional conclusion of the franchise. I would also say that this is the film that, I think, is the most faithful to the original book of the same name. There were so many parts in the film that I remembered reading about when I first read the book three years ago. Whilst I was <more> reading the books, I didn't know how the cast and crew were going to make a film adaptation in a creative and successful way. Nevertheless, they managed to do it. Jennifer Lawrence returns, for one last time, as Katniss Everdeen, the main protagonist. In Mockingjay Part 1, Katniss is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is finding it difficult to cope without Peeta Mellark, her former tribute and love interest from District 12, as she doesn't know if he's dead or alive. She meets the President of District 13, Alma Coin, who is unsure that she is the right person to be the face of the revolution due to her struggles. However, Katniss proves her wrong and films short films, known as 'propagandas', to distract the Capitol and to persuade the people of Panem to join her fight against President Snow. However, things don't all go to plan because, when Peeta is rescued, he has been hijacked and tries to kill Katniss. This is because he's been hijacked which means that the Capitol has corrupted his memories of her to make her appear violent or a threat to him. Now, Mockingjay: Part 2 picks straight up where Mockingjay: Part 1 left, with Katniss recovering from her injury. Despite her struggles, she is still willing to be part of the fight against the Capitol but President Coin refuses and sends her to District 2 to film a propaganda, much to her annoyance. She is desperate to kill President Snow for everything he has done and goes on a rogue mission to join her fellow soldiers to take over the Capitol. President Coin is not happy with this and sends Peeta, who still has negative views on Katniss and continues to have violent acts of rage towards her. However, he is slowly recovering from his disordered views of Katniss and he begins a game called 'Real Or Not Real' to help him know the truth. This was one of my favourite parts in the book as I thought it was a clever way to help Peeta understand his disordered image. Director Francis Lawrence has stated that this is the most violent out of all The Hunger Games and he's not wrong. When, fellow tribute, Finnick mockingly states, 'Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 76th Hunger Games', it truly is like that. The Capitol itself is like an arena with thousands of deadly traps and bombs, known as Pods, lying on every corner. Katniss and her team of soldiers, one of which includes friend Gale Hawthorne, must avoid all of these traps in order to make it to the President's mansion. I had read the books so I knew what was going to happen but I was still shocked at how brutal certain people's deaths were. One specific death scene had me in tears when I first watched it as the character was one of the most likable in the series and the character died in such a violent way. There was also another death scene which had me in tears but wasn't as violent as it was so sudden. These deaths may come as a shock to people who haven't read the books. There are several new characters played by some of the best actors. Despite being only on screen for a short time, they still manage to pull it off. In fact, every actor in this film was amazing, especially Jennifer Lawrence. She is perfect as Katniss and really understands her character well. Throughout the films, I think she's definitely matured and grown into the role. I've also got to mention Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. In The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, Peeta had a charming and sweet personality but in this film, he's lost that charm due to the Capitol torturing him. He goes from being violent one minute to being really emotional. Josh really managed to make me feel sympathy for Peeta. I think this is a great conclusion to one of the biggest film franchises and I would definitely say that it's the best of the four films as there's plenty of violence, suspense and emotional moments. With brilliant acting, intense scenes, amazing special effects and great directing, this is one of the best book- to-film adaptations I've ever watched. <less> |