505. The Hunger Games, Mockingjay Part 2: movie review

THE HUNGER GAMES - MOCKINGJAY, PART 2
Cert 12A
137 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, threat

What a relief! The final episode of this dystopian saga is the best since the first.
The second part of The Hunger Games’s denouement, which was cut in half to sate those greedy for box office takings, hits as hard as a Katniss Everdeen punch in the gut.
And it restores the idol of teenage girls worldwide to her previous pedestal.
Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss with the same controlled aggression which was the hallmark of the original Hunger Games.
She is the unwilling hero of the revolution against the dictator President Snow (Donald Sutherland) who had led forces from the Capitol in suppressing the working classes who live in the districts.
This finale sees her lead an assault by a small band of rebels on Snow’s final stronghold.
In their way are ingenious  obstacles designed by the “game-makers”.
Meanwhile, she faces the challenge of bringing Peter (Josh Hutcherson) on side after he has been brainwashed by Snow.
Mockingjay Part 2 is bursting with quality action scenes but is also a film about loyalty and betrayal.
The only criticism I would have is that the film is ten  minutes longer than it needs to be and what appears to be a devastating finale is diluted.
But, overall, it is well worth the admission price.
Oh, and it also made me pine for Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Director Francis Lawrence: "When we knew we had to go deep into the Capitol we wanted to try to find as many real, immersive environments as possible. So we went on a search for architecture around the world that was aesthetically what we needed. We wanted that cross between brutalism and classicism.”

Reasons to watch: A quality finale to a rollercoaster franchise
Reasons to avoid: Still not as good as the first installment

Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 8/10