I Saw Mockingjay Part 2

I have been trying to write out my reaction to Mockingjay Part 2 since seeing it with friends from work Thursday night (yes, we have now moved up midnight showings so films actual release the day before). It's always a bit sad when a movie franchise comes to an end, especially when there are so many good memories associated with it.

Catching Fire is my favorite of the film series (it was darn near perfect), but The Hunger Games is my favorite from the novel series. The problem with Mockingjay Part 2 is that it's a Part 2 of a book that was the weakest of the series. The book is not demonstrably longer than the others (it's actually one page shorter than Catching Fire). The filmmakers and studio honchos were able to make one movie out of each of the previous books, but now all of a sudden the last book needs to be two movies?!

So deciding to split a book into two movies reeks of being done for purely financial purposes - make as much money as possible. Because of this lame choice, we got Mockingjay Part 1, a film which didn't have anything at stake and ended up being a placeholder film. Which then made Mockingjay Part 2 a last grab.

I can't entirely fault the movie for not being great, as the book itself wasn't the best. The first half, before Peeta comes back, is really quite dull. The last half of the book, after he's returned, is clumsily put together. It then rushes to a conclusion that, while satisfying, happens far too fast.

The film did, though, have some moments that were genuinely great. The attacks by the mutts was intense, and even though I knew Finnick would die I was still shocked when it happened. Hijacked-Peeta was sad and scary all at the same time, and I wanted him to just snap out of it.

Katniss' goodbye to Gale was a bit odd. I missed seeing all of the characters I had come to love from the previous installments - Beetee, Johanna, even Finnick is short-changed. Again, though, that's really a problem with the source material.

I have always been a Peeta fan, and I was glad that he and Katniss got their happy ending. They certainly deserve it after the things they had to go through - two Hunger Games, torture by the Capitol, everyone they love dying. To me it was satisfying conclusion to characters and a world I have become attached to.