The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

Even though I left the cinema disappointed because I still think that the film didn't have suitable progression and only aimed for effect in certain scenes - this did succeed quite positively in the underground scene, in its most dramatic part - so I think that the social-critical themes are well emphasized here and it's possible to think about the film. In the end, the romance ends a bit foolishly and without the necessary impact, but that can be endured. (11/19/2015)

A worthy ending. It doesn't make it into the cinematic benchmarks due to its relative emotional flatness, incompleteness and fairytale-ness (ironically, Lord of the Rings is exactly the opposite), but the filmmaking is top-notch and Katniss Everdeen is the driving force behind the whole project, even if the long glances are often unnecessary and the impassioned dialogue isn't exactly heartfelt. Even though I hadn’t read the book, I guessed the finale a good halfway through the film, but it plays to a clearly written plot from the start, where nothing is meant to be a coincidence and everything is clearly working towards a goal. It's not about the element of surprise, it's about liking this fictional world and the characters in it, and childishly rooting for the rebels against the tyrant. Visually, of course, it's appropriately fluffy and it pretty much feels like a war movie with the backdrop of a destroyed Yugoslavia, but whatever. There's not much going on anyway, and the two great scenes (the oil, the sound of drops in the canal) are great to enjoy in the cinema. (11/28/2015)

The last installment of the series is slightly better than the previous journey into the world of Panem simply because it is less talkative and manages to show action and throw in some attractions in the form of mutant attacks or clever traps for the rebel team throughout its long duration. Unfortunately, it is also the most convincing evidence of how poorly the world is designed and how (un)functional it actually is. Nothing really makes sense in the film. In the third installment, the ruling regime is in control and capable of delivering devastating blows to the rebels, so we quickly reach the "battle for Berlin" phase, the final agony, where regime supporters collapse one after another, without it being clear how this miraculous turnaround happened. Pro-regime forces lose energy and the remaining resources on nonsensically over-engineered traps intended for television cameras at a time when it no longer makes even the slightest sense. With a switched-off brain and a fondness for Jennifer Lawrence, however, Mockingjay can be tolerated. Overall impression: 40%. (05/19/2022)

The final part of the book trilogy and the film tetralogy wasn’t all that different from the previous installment, so I got a huge dose of grandiose speechifying, and I wasn’t spared the inevitable clichés, melodrama, and the cat of course. What surprised me was the ending, though. I was expecting a postapocalyptic-fairytale finale, but the conclusion to the story was downright biblical. A man and a woman..... A pair of teenagers lie down in bed, tell each other they love each other, and wake up the next day as parents of two children, one of whom is obviously of Chinese descent. Mary with her immaculate conception can't match that. But back to the film. Once again, the filmmakers used tried and tested techniques to create a pompous CGI spectacle and a story whose logic is so flimsy that entire city blocks slip through its cracks. At the same time, they were unable to build up an atmosphere that would have any kind of effect on me, which is why I found the whole thing oddly lifeless to the point of boring. I didn't care what happened to any of the characters, and when some of the characters met their tragic fate, I didn't really feel anything. The film simply felt empty and unimpressive. I was just two hours of nothing. And to think how hard Donald Sutherland was trying... / Lesson learned: Are you fighting for great ideals? Prepare to be disappointed. (09/11/2022)

I think my expectations from the ending of Hunger Games were too great and so I can’t give it full marks, although I didn’t leave the movie theater disappointed. I minded a bit that the movie lacked momentum, but it eventually comes. The second half had me on the edge of my seat and I enjoyed every minute of it. The only disappointment was that the ending of the movie doesn’t end with the wow I had expected. It was all quite predictable. All apart from the cute happy ending, which was to my taste and I didn’t expect it at all. Despite my review being slightly negative, I enjoyed the movie a lot and it was worth my while. And during the final credits you get such a pleasantly nostalgic feeling when you realize that this exceptional series is over. And it certainly was an exceptional series. After a long break, I came back to the series and went through it again nicely one episode after another and I have to say that it was completely different. The last episode really came from the heart and after I some thought, I raise my rating to full set of stars. The final episode deserves it. (11/28/2015)