REVIEW: ‘Mockingjay Part 2’ gives a fitting end to ‘The Hunger Games’ saga

“The Hunger Games” is often considered one of the best books to film adaptations out there. The final film proved why this is the case.

“Mockingjay Part 2,” while not the best of the series for me that was “Catching Fire,” was definitely a fitting and exciting end to “The Hunger Games” saga. Part 1 in my opinion was fairly lackluster, but Hollywood insists upon splitting the final book of young adult series’ into two films. Part 2 made up for all the slow moving faults of its predecessor.

They managed to stick faithfully to the book, while expanding upon scenes not featured in the books. Jennifer Lawrence continues to excel at mastering the character of Katniss Everdeen. Josh Hutcherson plays the damaged side of Peeta perfectly, stealing the whole movie with his performance. Elizabeth Banks could have been used more, but I felt the same way about the final book in terms of her character Effie. In general, the cast excels at portraying the political strife and heartbreaking war in a subtle and beautiful manner.

Francis Lawrence yet again directed the film in a tone that fit the situation at hand. Every shot was just the right amount of dark and war ridden. That is until the end in which Lawrence beautifully shot a positive and simple ending. The final scene of Katniss and Peeta is gorgeous, conveying hope and a finally happy future for the couple.

It’s sad to know the series is over, but good to know they ended with the same heartbreaking, beautiful and simple nuances that Suzanne Collins used to end the book series.