Los juegos del hambre: Sinsajo - Parte 2

This film managed something quite unusual for me: it moved me to tears. While some scenes might feel a bit slow at first, it's all worth it to create the steady build up to the conclusion. Jennifer Lawrence is flawless as Katniss, as are all the other actors. The tone throughout the film can be bleak and unsettling, but it also reflects what some on our planet have to endure, something many of us find hard to imagine. This film is unforgiving, but you won't regret a single moment of it.

What began as a funny 'Battle Royal' for teens comes to a conclusion as one of the best blockbusters in recent memory. It's almost unbelievable how the tone progressively changed from the colorful brutality of the first film to the grayscale palate of a very real world portrayed in Mockingjay - Part 2.

The conclusion to 'The Hunger Games' saga is slow, dark and heavy. Starts gloomy and goes downhill from there. It feels anti-climatic and manages to achieve levels of tension only grasped by the previous films. All at the same time.

The fascinating thing about the film is how unexpected and unforgiven it is. The struggles feel real as do the consequences, and hopelessness permeates all of it.

The film has its shortcomings. It starts slows, drags a little on some scenes and contains some lazy writing, but other than that it's almost perfectly executed. Jennifer Lawrence is flawless as Katniss and majestically leads the devastating journey towards its conclusion.

Part 2 is bold and devastating. It may not be the conclusion some fans wanted, it sure wasn't what they're expected, but it's a way better conclusion than one could hope for.

A thank you note to Francis Lawrence for the eerie sewer tunnel scene, which plays as the love child of "Alien" and "The Descent" - very unusual in tone and something no one is expecting to watch in a blockbuster​ of this size.

I always saw The Hunger Games' movies as a thrilling representation of the corruption and tyranny that's invading this world, and as a young Egyptian who lived through two recent revolutions, we know a great deal about the consequences of civil war, and how dirty the fight can be over political power. This movie hits right home with this theme in a way that democratic and luxurious societies won't understand or enjoy.

Mockingjay pt2 delivers a suspenseful and emotional ride as Katniss and the other rebels set out on a mission to kill the ruthless president Snow. The film plays heavy on its politics, showing the ugly side of revolutions. It would have been easy to make a pure good vs. pure evil scenario, but the movie shows a lot of gray areas and stresses on the fact the no one is incorruptible, which is far more enjoyable in terms of storytelling.

The film also does justice to its characters in their final journey, and has great performances by its two leads. J.Lawrence excels in portraying a determined Katniss fighting to subdue her tortured emotions for the sake of a bigger cause, she perfectly balances the strength of making sacrifices and becoming merciless in war without losing her humanity. Hutcherson gives his best acting shot as a confused Peeta fighting battles both on the ground and within his mind, and his monologues arrive with several meaningful moments that remind us of what 'The Hunger Games' were all about. However, its D.Sutherland's and J.Moore's sickening performances as two similar nemeses, that elevated this young-adult film to a whole new level.

But the film is anything but flawless, it has several problems which we can blame on the editing team, the slow pace of the film focuses too much on Katniss and her group that makes you forget about the outside war, and when the time came when the size of the rebellion showed itself, you don't get enough of it, which in my opinion is the biggest issue with the film. However, this was never meant to be a full scale war film, it was always, presented from one person's point of view, which is understandable. Another issue I found was in how the movie had several deaths of main characters but doesn't spend enough time to pay tribute to them, not as much as they did with Rue in the first film.

Nevertheless, instead of lingering on the imperfections, I applaud Mockingjay Part 2 for the bigger message its trying to convey, for creating a satisfying resolution to one of the strongest and most enduring heroines in cinema, and for respecting its audience and not sugarcoating anything. People are complaining about this final chapter being too grim, my parents thought it was too realistic, too similar to what's happening in our country and so many others, but to me...that was necessary. I can only wish that movies like this will in some way contribute in making a wiser next generation of political leaders, which is what the film offers ultimately as consolation; a last sense of hope for the future.

The first half of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 feels stretched out, like the majority of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (ugh).

However, the story is actually pretty great. The final half of this film is possibly the best stretch in the franchise, as events come to conclusions that I don't think many people expected after that first book. It's mature, logical and thoughtful. Though like Harry Potter, I could have done without the epilogue.

It was neat to see the warped technology being used in the battlegrounds this time. We get glimpses of it throughout the first two films, but here it's used to great effect in some of the most tense scenes of the series. The lighting in the underground section especially was great.

I also have to give the film some slack. They clearly had to work around Philip Seymour Hoffman's tragic passing, the film would have been better with him in it. Though I think they did an admirable job, Plutarch is a great character and his presence is mostly felt.

I do have to commend Donald Sutherland and Jennifer Lawrence, they both give great performances that elevate their characters.

I still hate the stupid love triangle though.

So The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 is a film that I think I'll remember mostly for its ending. I don't know if I'll rewatch the franchise anytime soon, but I can appreciate the interesting route the story went. I understand a lot of people are upset about it, but it made a lot of sense thematically.

It's almost enough to make me want to reread the series, if only it wasn't all first person point of view from Katniss.

A commando unit is sent into the Capitol, now under siege, partially evacuated, overrun by refugees and entirely empty of glory and every bit splendor having faded to shades of grey. Their mission is to put an end to the tyranny. To assassinate President Snow(Sutherland, deliciously evil).

There are entirely too many characters, and darlings that have been left alive, in the least critically trimmed of the four films - this feels strangely disconnected from the others. The production values, talent and scope on display fail to distract from that. As a final chapter, it's fair. Almost every single farewell feels flat and rushed. Essentially, no one has anything to do, not to mention that the new ones, thankfully largely undeveloped anyway, are utterly superfluous. Everyone in the love triangle do find themselves in extreme emotional situations, and certainly the still unstable and potentially homicidal Peeta makes for an immensely interesting element. But it is only with these three, and these two parts could and should have remained one three-hour picture.

The themes are explored rather well, and this fits in an impressive amount of solidly done fiercely political, anti-war messages that are surprisingly relevant, considering it's all there in the book, which came out in 2010. It is clear that this wants to motivate for real-life campaigning to affect foreign policy, and one can only hope it does just that. Satire, clever writing and excitement yet again come through and elevate what might otherwise be "good... for YA" to a truly compelling piece that truly has something to say.

There is a lot of brutal, disturbing violent content in this, pushing the PG-13 rating about as far as it can be. I recommend this to any fan of the series. 8/10