1157. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015)

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth

Director: Francis Lawrence

Running Time: 137 mins

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is an American film and the final instalment in the Hunger Games franchise. Following the outbreak of all-out war between the Rebels and the Capitol, Katniss and a team of highly skilled soldiers embark on one final treacherous mission to bring down the tyrannous regime of President Snow.

Over the last four years, this franchise has evolved substantially from a more typical teen dystopian action movie in The Hunger Games, to a dark and intriguing political thriller in Catching Fire and Mockingjay – Part 1, before ending in this chapter as a full-blown war movie, complete with some of the most astonishing action and tension in recent years, ending the series on a brilliantly high note.

There are few other movie series around nowadays that have the incredible intelligence of this one, and that makes it uniquely thrilling, and as it reaches its climax, it’s a euphoric and exhilarating film to watch.

The film throws you right in with the drama and action that many felt the previous edition was missing. It’s all fantastically directed by Francis Lawrence, who has really taken this series in his stride, and it makes for so much excitement. The action isn’t just cool and fun to look at, though, it manages to still fill you with fear for these main characters; there’s so much suspense, and genuinely tangible danger, that it’s impossible to predict what’s about to happen next.

It’s a film that’s absolutely jam-packed with thrilling action from start to finish, but it still retains the brains that separate it from the other ‘Young Adult’ franchises. The political situation here is more dire than ever, but it presents the events of this film as if it’s true history. The screenplay (and the book it’s based on) is so fantastically written, with such brilliant attention to detail that makes it a war film that is completely and utterly convincing every step of the way, and the story remains totally unpredictable right up to the thrilling finale, and although the final ending is a little long-winded (similar to Return Of The King), it’s still an astonishing watch.

Overall, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is an astonishing finale to this series, not just because of its thrilling action, but its ability to tell an intelligent, convincing, tense and very dramatic story that you just don’t get to see on a regular basis, so that’s why it gets a 9.0 from me.