Mockingjay Part 2: The Conclusion of the series

                So today is the day The Hunger Games movies come to an end; Mockingjay Pt. 2 is officially out.  I went with a group of friends to go see the ‘advanced’ showing AKA what used to be known as midnight showings before they decided to put them at 7 or 8pm instead.  I have some thoughts on that change but that’s for another time, today I want to share my thoughts and feels of the concluding movie.  My review for Mockingjay Pt. 1 can be found here.

Rating:  5 Explosive Arrows!!!

                I am just in love with this conclusion.  Mockingjay was my least favorite of the books, and not just because of some deaths, but because it felt disjointed and rushed.  Some aspects were rushed wham bam next, and other aspects seemed to take forever considering the pacing of the other parts.  The movie did a great job in splitting into two movies and giving us more time to delve into some aspects.  I also give huge props for finishing up the movie without Philip Seymour Hoffman, I was unable to tell/notice while watching any scenes where he was digitally altered/added if it happened it was seamless and changing how some lines were delivered was just perfect. 

                Part 2 picks up just where we left off, Peeta and the others were rescued but upon seeing Katniss he goes into a blind rage and attacks her.  He does serious damage chocking her.  We find out he’s been hi-jacked, programed with tracker-jacker venom inducing fear and made to associate Katniss with fear and pain.  Horrible right.  Anywho we pick up with her throat still bruised but the brace coming off and her voice being rough from damage.  Still at war and trying to not lose momentum in the rebellion is key.  They need to move on the capitol but they still have other things to accomplish first.  And Snow isn’t going to make it easy for them.  Though when you’re not sure you completely trust Coin either it’s a hard place to be. 

                 I loved the visuals of the movie.  From the warn town areas to the capitols outlandish attire and fashion ideals and everything in between.  Peeta looks wrecked.  He looked like hell and given what he had been through it makes sense and looked real.  Then let us talk about the ‘games’ AKA traps.  They are insane.  That tar flood and the mutts!  Great stuff.  Really the mutts were beyond disgusting and creepy looking and sure to give small children nightmares and that tar, yikes not just water but tar.  The journey through it all was spectacular and the contrast from dark to light was on point back and forth seeing things from both sides, which again is something the movies were able to excel at and we didn’t get in the books. 

                Seeing how things went down from Snows POV was perfect.  It shows more depth to the character who wasn’t just evil for the purpose of being evil, he did have some qualities about him that make him seem human.  Do you like him?  NO!  But having him seem human was great.  Another aspect I enjoyed better for the movie was that they really worked on playing up some of the political/power play aspects and more of Coin and the not trusting her part.  The depth was nice and it made the ending resonate that much more.  We also got to see more of the ones we already love and learn a bit more about them like the propo-team, Cressida, Pollux, and Castor.  Favorites like Johanna and her spastic behavior and random outbursts add to the comic relief we find normally in Effie and Haymitch.  We also got to see more of Finnick and Annie!  Oh the wedding was just so sweet, made even more powerful given what you know he was put through not just in the games but as a victor sold out for the night.  I could name all the characters I really could because they did a great job and it was good to see familiar faces, like Commander Paylor, Boggs, Beetee, Plutarch L and new ones like Tigress.  All stunning performances. 

                 The cast did a stellar job and the story moved along and blended well, so well that even as I expected (and dreaded most) all the known deaths I still found myself shocked when they happened.  No amount of planning could prepare me for seeing it on the screen.  One particular death in the book I thought was moved through too quickly just there, bye, moved on; was given more depth and feeling which I loved.  Counter to that though I did find another death that was I believe several chapters and mental anguished for long gaps was over in an instant.  I am glad the long drawn out breakdown was played out differently but I wish they could have extended the emotion just a bit given how pivotal it was.  That was my only real complaint of the movie. 

                That’s all I really have to say.  It was amazing at keeping you on your toes.  Though I will say at certain parts I was the only one in my group who didn’t jump, just saying!  Though I did hold back tears better than I thought I would I still got teary at some parts I’ll tell you which in the comments if you ask.  I think this was a perfect wrap up to the series that is solid and true to the books.  I can’t wait to see it again and own it so I can watch it whenever I want and marathon the whole collection, because you know that needs to happen when it’s out!

                 Until next time…May the odds be ever in your favor.

Mockingjay Part 1!

The fire is catching.  If we burn, you burn with us.

                Total fangirl here.  That I think might be my favorite line in the movie and book.  Jennifer Lawrence did an amazing job with the delivery of that line.

                Yes I went and saw this movie this weekend.  Friday evening to be exact with an amazing group of people.  We had our white roses, our Effie themed glasses, and our Mockingjay pins.  We were ready.  I was up until 6am that morning re-reading Mockingjay, okay I couldn’t sleep so I decided to read instead of tossing and turning but towards the end I’m sure not putting the book down hindered the prospect of sleep.  I was ready.  I have been waiting for and wanting this since last year.  I had already talked with all my book people debating where it would end.  Where they would split the book?

               

                I was so close!  It was just where I thought but they added a bit more after, which I get.  You have to give those who didn’t read the book something to hold onto until next year.  Speaking of the split.  I know it has been a big issue with everyone splitting the last book to make more movies, dragging out the ending.  Sure you could look at it like that.  Or you could look at it as giving the movies ample time to tell the story without it being rushed.  With Mockingjay I was relieved they were splitting it.  The last book in the trilogy was my least favorite.  The end just felt, rushed.  It had some slow parts and then it had a lot of action that happened so fast you couldn’t appreciate what was happening or the deaths that were occurring.  For me it was a way to make the last book fuller, to flush out the things that had been rushed and as movies sometimes change things from their book counter parts, I would be okay with them making a few changes.

       

               One of those changes, which isn’t a spoiler, is Effie.  She wasn’t really in the final book, she wasn’t in District 13.  Having her in the movie, having her in such a different world and out of her flamboyant element was beautiful.  You get to see who she is as a person and not be disguised by all the hair, clothes, shoes, etc.  And seeing the usually colorful Effie in a new light was like seeing the series in a new light.  This book is much darker than the first two.  Sure they were never light and fluffy, but overall they are darker and more depressing.  And still in the most random moments there is the much needed levity to bring you up out of the whole.  Haymitch was good at that.  He was the Haymitch we all love, crazy, drunk, and a tell it like it is attitude.  Even sober he has that same qualities about him.

                 I can’t say enough about this movie.  I LOVED it.  It was everything I hoped it would be and more.  The acting by all parties was spot on and I had goose bumps through many scenes, despite the theatre being a tad bit toasty inside.  When Jennifer Lawrence started to sing the hanging tree song from the books, and how it played in was beautiful.  I’ve since listened to that song several more times. 

The relationships between the characters have changed, the whole story has changed.  They are now in a war.  Katniss is not just trying to survive but she is now the supposed face of the war.  Everyone is different; the games have destroyed Finnick, Katniss, and the other tributes. 

Basically this movie was WOW.  I give it a 5 Explosive Arrows.  This movie was so much better than I could have hoped.  It took the best parts of the book and it filled in the gaps with things we didn’t see from Katniss’s perspective in the Capitol and other Districts.  It gave be chill bumps and made my heart race.  I’ve been talking about it non-stop much to the cringe of my co-workers but I can’t wait to see it again.  Please share your thoughts below.  Were you excited they split the book into two movies?  Where you satisfied with where they decided to split it?  What did you think of the movie as a whole?  Tell me everything so that we can discuss.