The Hunger Games movie franchise ended with a bang as Mockingjay Part Two was released in theaters on November twentieth and has grossed $198.5 million.  Suzanne Collins introduced her first book, The Hunger Games, in 2008 and grew an instant fanbase.  Two more books were released after the publication as followed by four movies, expanding the fanbase internationally.

Mockingjay Part Two brought closure to the fans of both the movie and the book series.  The film covered everything that needed to be resolved in the movies, as well as staying very true to the books.  The adaptation included small details from the book that only the readers would really appreciate, such as the small detail of Katniss noticing the girl in the yellow raincoat.  But, as someone who has read the books many times, I was still anticipated every turn.  The director, Francis Lawrence, managed to please readers by staying true to the book, but also build suspense and surprise throughout the movie.  

Francis Lawrence kept theatrical aspects that included scenes that were suspenseful, sad, sincere and happy.   He managed to capture the terror, love and strength throughout the movie, and also the bittersweet ending.  

The heroine of the series, Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, continues on with her rebellious nature and strong character.  Even in the depths of war and fear, she continues on for her cause against a corrupt government.  She shows the pain and terror one must endure throughout war and times of suffering, but also shows strength as she gets through the dark times.  

The movie takes on a very dark setting as death plagues the Districts.  The rebellion is in full force in Mockingjay Part Two, and it realistically conveys wartime.  They do not glamourize it or make it something it is not, but it was not gorry to appease the young fans.  One major critique of the movie was that it was boring and it had the characters just sitting around waiting for something to happen.  But, that’s exactly what the book was and the characters had to wait around for their opponents to make the next move.  

Mockingjay portrayed each of the characters as Suzanne Collins originally wanted them to be.  Although some of the character deaths were changed slightly, it did not affect the outcome of the story.  However, some of the main characters, Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark [Josh Hutcherson], Gale Hawthorne [Liam Hemsworth], Finnick Odair [Sam Claflin] and President Snow [Donald Sutherland] remained the same as they were in the book, and there were no surprises in the movie regarding them that did not take place in the book.  

Overall, the movie was a wonderful adaptation and was pleasing to me as a reader of the books, but also as an audience member.  I remained surprised throughout the movie and noticed the care that the people that worked on the movie used to make it as true to the book as possible.  It was a strong ending to an amazing franchise as the saga is laid to rest.