Movie Review: Mockingjay Part 2

So you may or may not know, that The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one of my favourite book series of all time. It is also the first dystopian series I read.

I also am a big fan of the film adaptations and feel they have been done well. Usually I'm so hesitant about book to movie adaptations because I think all book lovers have felt the pain of having their favourite book turned into an awful movie.

In terms of Mockingjay Part 2, I left the cinema thinking of just how well the movie portrayed the book and stayed so true to the book. I absolutely loved the movie and I think if I had to rank the film series from least favourite to favourite, it would read;

1. The Hunger Games
2. Mockingjay Part 1
3. Catching Fire
4. Mockingjay Part 2

So lets talk a little about what I felt about the movie. 

First off, let me apologise if this review reads as being a little disjointed. I just have too many feels about this movie to organise my thoughts! 

Okay so one of the scenes I really enjoyed because it was so action packed was when the "star squad" aka squad 451 went to the Capital. The scene when they were in that courtyard and the pods went off....oh my god so intense. I loved how they portrayed the pods in the movie.

  I also loved the relationship between Finnick and Peeta in this film, the constant checking he was fine and talking to him and reassuring him. Honestly Finnick is the best kind of person. I also was somewhat sad the film did not fully show the friendship that grows between Johanna and Katniss.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date: August 2010

Blurb: 

My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plains--except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.

The amount of character development in this novel is unreal. In Mockingjay, we see Katniss' character go from the young teen we met in The Hunger Games, to a fully mature young woman, who we have grown to respect and love. 

The character of Katniss is so near and dear to my heart that I feel I almost know her. I think Katniss is the perfect example of a female heroin, that young girls can aspire to be like. Katniss is brave, loyal, a good friend and believes that family comes first. She is also a very protective person, which is one of my favourite qualities of hers. She also has a gentle and soft side which I love to see shining through.


If you have read any of my Hunger Games book reviews before, you know that I am Team Peeta all the way. For me, I feel that Gale is more of a friend or brother towards Katniss and Peeta has gone through so much emotion and horror with her that of course she is right with him. I loved Peeta's character development in this novel, going from the weak, timid "boy with the bread" to a warrior and brave man. I will always think of him as one of my favourite male characters.



I know that a lot of people had a problem with the plot, mainly the ending of the novel. Many people thought that the games would be featuring in this and that their family would be sent into it or something, many were disappointed by this. 

But, I really liked the plot  of this novel, maybe even the most of the trilogy! I thought it was excellently written, It was fast paced, it was gripping and so much more. I stayed up SO late finishing this book . When I would go somewhere, I would have this book with me!

 I was reading it all the time and even re-reading and highlighting (on Kindle) my favourite quotes and scenes. The plot of this book was amazing with new characters and plot twists galore! I loved the ending (although obviously I am sad the series is over) and how Suzanne wrapped up the series.


Suzanne Collins writing style in this book is phenomenal! It is just amazing. She has written the best possible conclusion to one of the best book series I have ever read!

 The characters she has created will stay with me for years. Her books have inspired countless amounts of people to get into reading. Her world building is so realistic that you can visualise Panem, District 12, The Arena, The Market etc,. 

Her Dialogue is great, witty, sarcastic and really helps with the character building. She has created such an awesome love triangle that has captured the hearts of many readers throughout the series with question- Who will she choose? The childhood friend or the one she's been through the games with?

Suzanne Collins, you have out done yourself with this novel. I absolutely loved it.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Publication Date:  September 2009

Blurb: 

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol-- a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.
Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

I was so eager to pick up Catching Fire that I started reading it asap. Although it did take me a week to read, I did enjoy the novel. Once again Suzanne Collins has shown her talent as a writer as the reader is sucked back into the plot immediately. 

I liked the development of the characters in this book. Katniss  becoming more mature as a result of being in the games. She is very protective of her Family. Her mother sort of wakes up from the depression she was in to look after Prim. I liked Katniss's relationship with the new games contestants, Peeta, Haymitch and Gale.


Peeta's character grew in this book, for me. I thought the change was nice, from the weak boy he was before to a protector of Katniss who could look after himself. I love Peeta, he is so sweet and caring.


I felt bad for Haymitch as he drank himself into a depression. His addiction controls his life.
Finnick - I don't need to say much because he is just awesome, one of my new favourite characters I think,

I hated president snow, he was so intimidating and frightening. 
Another character I dislike this far into the series is Katniss's mom, she did not do a good job of looking after her children as she fell into a  depression after her husband died.


So, I did like this book, but in the beginning I felt it dragged a little. There wasn't much happening plot-wise. I felt really bored and kept putting it down, which is why it took me a week to read this book!
But after the first 150 pages or so, It started to pick up and I started to concentrate on the novel more. Although I found it somewhat slow in the beginning, I found that when the pacing of the novel did pick up her arena building and character building was pretty good . Definitely a read-worthy four star book !

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic Press 

Publication Date: January 2008

Blurb: 

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.


Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

The moment Katniss volunteered to take her sister's place in the games,I realised that she would prove to be a strong female protagonist that i could respect. I really enjoyed Katniss' character as she was a realistic character who handled situations throughout the book maturely and reacted to situations in both a sensible and realistic way. I loved when she let her sweet and caring side shine through her cold and hardened exterior. This can be seen in her relationships with Rue and Peeta.

Peeta Mellark, the boy with the bread! I loved Peeta's character. He is a very moral, open-book, honest and selfless person. In the beginning of the book, i thought "Oh, this well fed baker-boy is not going to last two seconds in the arena!"....Woah, was I wrong! Peeta's cake decorating skills help him to camouflage and blend in to his surroundings in the arena to near invisibility, proving to be his greatest skill. 

I think the moment that made me love Peeta and Katniss's relationship was the night before the games when they are on the rooftop and Peeta says he doesn't think he has a chance in the games & that he wants to show the capitol that he is "more than just a piece in their games."

Haymitch! Although when I first met Haymitch, I thought him to be a drunken idiot , I see him now as a drunken genius! I liked his character a lot, and similar to  Katniss, he also has a soft side under his tough exterior.

Effie was a really fun spontaneous character! I don't know what to think of Gale this far  into the series  but i hope his side of the story is seen in the next book!

The plot of this book was so unique, and I can honestly say I had never read anything like this book before! I had never read a dystopia novel before and can I say what a first! This book had the most gripping plot, chock-a-block with twist and turns , and each chapter more entertaining than the last. This plot made it seem like a movie with so much action and violence, the dialogue was pretty awesome too ! This plot will stay with me and made this book an instant favourite!



Can i just say that I was blown away by the powerful writing of this book. The writing style was something i truly loved about this book and made it an addictive read. Each chapter left you starving for the next. Suzanne Collins really gets into the mindset of each character and makes them so real and vivid. 

Another thing that made this book epic beyond words, was the fact that in the future, the Hunger Games could become a reality if the world doesn't start to work together peacefully. I think that shocked me!
Overall, an immensely powerful and thought provoking, action packed, sprinkled with romance, perfect read that you would be crazy not to pick up!