Will Panem stay Snowed Under?

photo courtesy of Flicker user BagoGames

“We all have one enemy. He corrupts everyone and everything. He turns the best of us against each other. Tonight turn your weapons to the capitol. Turn your weapons… to Snow,” Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) said, as she attempts to unite the districts against the evil leader of their country.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part Two was officially released into theatres this past weekend on Nov. 20, 2015. After a year of awaiting the arrival of the second part of Mockingjay, director Francis Lawrence once again astonished us with his directing skills behind the perfect conclusion to this adventure series. In this film, Hunger Games victor Katniss Everdeen is the face of a rebellion against the power-thirsty leader of Panem, President Snow (Donald Sutherland). With help from Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), Gale Hawthorn (Liam Hemsworth), and others, Katniss must put everything on the line in order to save the country and her loved ones.

In Part One, Katniss discovers that while her former lover, Peeta, was imprisoned in the capitol he was brainwashed into hating her. This makes her task of overthrowing Snow in Part Two extremely challenging, seeing as Peeta journeys with her and the rest of the “start squad” (the group of well-known figures who do not actually fight but are just filmed for propaganda purposes). Throughout the movie, Peeta struggles with his urge to kill Katniss, and almost does. Katniss faces many physical challenges that include protecting herself from Peeta and avoiding the uncountable amount of booby traps set by the peace keepers, the army of the capitol. Besides these external challenges, once Peeta begins to understand that he has been brainwashed, Katniss also faces an internal love battle of choosing between Peeta and Gale, both who have made sacrifices to protect and care for her.

While the movie was slightly hard to follow for those who never read the “Hunger Games” series, the combination of action and romance was perfect for keeping the audience engaged and on the edge of their seats. There was also a particular scene in which a mutant jumps out to attack the “star teams’” group leader, which caused many audience members to jump in their seats. The only critique I have of the movie is the lack of battle scenes at the capitol during the time Katniss is knocked out.

All in all the movie is great for adventure loving teens and adults. It was action packed while still having dramatic moments that touched your heart or made you cry. The film also ends with a great plot twist that might surprise those who haven’t read the book. It’s definitely worth watching and I myself would love to see it again.