The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2

So, that's it. Here we are. Another young adult book franchise has come and gone. Harry Potter left me near tears (having grown up on it has a lot to do with it), Twilight left me infuriated, and I don't give a shit about Divergent, but there's this one franchise that manages to stay in the middle ground for me, and that's the Hunger Games.

Earlier in the year, I talked about my feelings on this franchise, but I might as well repeat them...this franchise is very hit and miss with me. I read the first two books and I liked them a lot...I never could get into the Mockingjay book (but most of the spoilers were spoiled so there was no reason to). Then the movies came out. The first one was decent, I think it was around a 4 for me...it could have used a little extra oomph but it's enjoyable. Catching Fire was amazing...it's by far my favorite out of all four, even to this day. The last one was okay, but boring...and this one...it's better than okay, I can give it that.

This one is the one that wraps up the whole series, pretty much. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence...most of you know that already) is leading the rebellion as the titular Mockingjay character, alongside President Coin (Julianne Moore), Plutarch Heavensby (the late and great Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and a cast of other great actors and actresses. The film picks up where the last ended, after the successful retrieval of Peeta and Johanna from President Snow's clutches, and now with them trying to get Peeta back on their side, they also have to deal with tracking down and striking upon Snow and his tyrannical reign over the country of Panem.

So, where to start? The good things first. Jennifer Lawrence is still one of my favorite modern actresses if not my definite favorite (it's a toss-up between her and Rosamund Pike). She still manages to convey such feelings into this starring role and it never gets tiring and Josh Hutchinson as Peeta manages to be a perfect pairing for her..fantastic chemistry between the two of them. The rest of the cast ranges everywhere from decent to well-done, the two that stuck out the most for me are Jeffrey Wright (Felix!) and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. They never fail to impress me no matter the occasion. The first and second act all had me entertained, it really shows some of the better aspects of the director's work in action and drama. The score is also nicely done, evoking the best bits of the previous film...I especially loved the reprise of The Hanging Tree from the last film.

Now for the bad. For me, somewhere after the second act, the movie just falls apart. Things slow down, and all the tension built up just falls flat. Yes, there still some fantastic scenes near the end, but something about the whole tone of the third act just feels like a drag. Many times I found myself saying, "Oh, here'd be a good place to stop...oh...okay...no? Alright..." and it never stopped happening. The film just feels like it should have been a bit shorter or it should have left more things out. I don't really think this movie should have been split in two but I guess the big-wigs at Lionsgate disagreed.

Honestly, Mockingjay pt. 2 starts with a bang that slowly becomes a whimper, and ends up at a solemn hum. I could sit here and wish for some sort of more...fulfilling ending, but it's too little too late. Maybe a second viewing would help, but I'm not going to fret until it goes On Demand. Until then, it's getting a decent 3.5 out of 5 stars. 

It's still no Deathly Hallows, though.