Review: Mockingjay Part 2 is a satisfying series conclusion

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Bernhard Hanakam// The final Hunger Games saga goes out with a bang.

The Mockingjay is the symbol of hope for Panem. But who can Katniss trust? Who is the real target? These are a few of the questions one could say Katniss Everdeen mentally contemplated throughout her journey.

The Hunger Games are over but under the wartime conditions, Finnick Odair, one of Katniss’ fellow Hunger Games victors and friends states, “Welcome to the 76th Hunger Games”. This statement, it turns out, had some truth to it.

The movie starts with Katniss waking up for her traumatizing encounter with Peeta. Peeta has been brainwashed by the capital and President Snow, and mentally trained to loath Katniss with a murderous conviction. In spite of it all, Katniss feels like she still knows Peeta, but for what seems like half of the movie, she avoids making a set decision about the fate of their relationship.

For those who have been fans since the beginning, viewers were either very really satisfied with the final film installment to their beloved series or completely appalled. As a fan who sadly did not read the books, I quite enjoyed it.  If you haven’t seen or read it already, expect lots of action.

Katniss must kill Snow. The whole film centers around that very aspect, but it is not to be overshadowed by the complex love triangle that continues from the prequels. Will Katniss fall for Peeta or go back to her long-time friend Gale? This is one major question answered in the movie.

Being a fan of action flicks, I walked away from Mockingjay very satisfied. It marked an end to another great series. There were no tears like there were for Twilight, but I mentally gave all the movies a “job well done.” The Hunger Games, a series which takes place in a dystopian world, sparked a revolution when it first game out. It was definitely the anti-Twilight. Leading character Jenenifer Lawrence wasn’t to play some weak, dewy-eyed girl completely captivated and in love with a boy. She instead played a girl, thrown into a dangerous mess to save her sister, who along the way happened to find love. Through all of this turmoil, Katniss always stayed strong.

It is an end to a revolution; a revolution that has shown the film industry and its viewers that leading characters can be strong and dominant females, and can thrive in the box-office.  The Hunger Games and films like them will continue to flourish.  The Games just gave us our first taste of their lasting imprint of the movie industry.

Long live the Mockingjay.