The Hunger Games Mockingjay - Part 2

Director: Francis Lawrence
Writers: Peter Craig, Danny Strong
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Strengths: Action Sequences, Acting
Weakness: Story, Unnecessarily lengthy
Runtime: 137 minutes
Rating: 3/5

Plot: As the war of Panem escalates to the destruction of other districts by the Capitol, Katniss Everdeen must bring together an army against President Snow, while all she holds dear hangs in the balance.

Review: As Part 2 begins, its heroine seems to have lost her voice. At the end of Mockingjay - Part 1, having already survived two separate rounds of forced gladiatorial combat, reluctant rebel Katniss Everdeen was nearly killed by her Games partner Peeta Mellark, who had been brainwashed to see Katniss as an enemy by Dictator President Snow. Katniss' silence is troubling, given how she's become the public face of the rebellion against Snow, responsible for stirring up the oppressed citizens of Panem with her impassioned, impromptu speeches. But Part 2 quickly moves on to the more symbolic ways she's being silenced, as rebel organizer Alma Coin and public relations mastermind Plutarch Heavensbee repeatedly attempt to confine and constrain her, to control the message they're sending to the rebels.

Pulling a franchise into more films than necessary really shows with this film unfortunately. Films that have to span more than 2 sequels has to bring in something new, or unique than its predecessors and I am sorry to say but Part 2 hasn't been able to achieve it. In my opinion, they shouldn't have stretched Mockingjay into two parts and had rather tied it all up in one film. That would have saved the story and made for a more fitting ending. Performances were all top-notch, but it's easy to see that Jennifer Lawrence has grown out of this role long ago as she is a more accomplished and serious actor. 

In short, this is a successful finale to The Hunger Games franchise, but an unsuccessful film. I doubt even hard-core fans of the series would enjoy it as much as they did the previous entries. Watch it only if you have seen the previous films and need that closure. 

Reviewed by Intisab Shahriyar