A little over a week ago, I saw the very last Hunger Games movie. I feel that the end of the franchise is the end of a specific part of my life in a way as you wait patiently each year for a new release in the series. I saw the first film with one of my university flatmates back in 2012 and my life is so different now, I feel like I have changed so much since then! (Cheesy I know) I wasn't as massive into The Hunger Games as I was into Harry Potter and Twilight but as a film franchise, it was pretty damn good.
I made a pretty big mistake in not reading the last Hunger Games book. I was annoyed at myself for not reading it when I saw Mockingjay Part 1 and a whole year has passed and I still haven't read it! Saying that apart from knowing some of the plot points, I quite enjoyed being totally surprised by the story rather than being annoyed that my favourite part of the book didn't make the cut.
Overall, I personally thought the film was good not great. I don't want to say too much to keep ithis post relatively spoiler free but I will say that I loved the build up to finding Snow as I honestly thought that was both exciting and compelling. However more so towards the end, I was seriously disappointed. I loved the scene with Katniss and Gale sneaking into the crowds to try and enter Snow's mansion with the refugees. All of a sudden though, Katniss was a woman down and the film cut to Snow surrendering and many of the characters just chilling out in his mansion? I swear I missed something important but apparently not! I was really, really excited for a big dramatic showdown between Katniss and Snow but they just had a casual chat in his greenhouse? Maybe I just don't get it but the end segment of the film was seriously underwhelming for me.
On a more positive note, Jennifer Lawrence's performance was fantastic. I love female action heroes though, there is something so empowering about it! I really liked Natalie Dormer who made a second appearance as Cressida, there's something so edgy about her character.
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the movie but as the final part of a franchise, I would of liked more closure for the characters we have rooted for in the games for the last 4 years. I feel a good few of the them with Effie, Caesar, Gale in particular really deserved a better ending than they received.
What are your thoughts on the final installment of The Hunger Games franchise?
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