On March 23rd, 2012, the first Hunger Games movie hit theatres and immediately the universe was mesmerized by the girl on fire. Four years later, the final installment to The Hunger Games series, Mockingjay- Part Two, was released, and the world witnessed the epic conclusion to a story that started with a girl simply wanting to save her sister and ended in a fiery rebellion. Raking in over $122 million opening weekend, the movie brought everything to the table, and held nothing back. Action, romance, and revolution characterize the film, but that’s not all. The all-star cast featuring Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, and Jennifer Lawrence gave their best performances of the series and left audiences stunned at their talent and compelling commitment to the story.
Another huge reason the movie is so good is it remains true to the book. In fact, director Francis Lawrence made it a point to not reinvent as much as possible. However, there are a few minor characters missing and a couple rewrites in part two, mainly because of the unfortunate death of Philip Seymour Hoffman. As a whole though the movie keeps the truth of Suzanne Collins’ novel in tact.
As far as filming the final movie goes, it was definitely bitter sweet for the cast. When asked what it was like to leave Katniss behind, Jennifer Lawrence said, “I feel the impact of being part of such a huge movie that has meant so much for so many people. This character is overwhelmingly supportive of women, obviously, and this iconic, I don’t feel a personal impact, I think if you ever become aware of that it takes away from that a little bit, it’s the movie, and the characters … it’s kind of like your avatar self.”
So here’s to a great four years of movie magic Hunger Games fans and as we move on from this amazing series, “May the odds be ever in your favor.”