This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on November 20, 2015.

Director: Francis Lawrence

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson

Running time: 2 hours 17 minutes

Release date: Now showing

Mockingjay 2 starts exactly where Part 1 left off — there are no flashbacks to refresh your memory, nor are there any voiceovers; the filmmakers seem to have decided that only either die-hard fans or people who can clearly remember the events of the previous movie would be interested in watching this film. The scenes change rapidly, sequence after sequence of Katniss Everdeen’s (Jennifer Lawrence) fight against the evil Capitol, led by President Snow (Donald Sutherland), so those who can only vaguely remember past events will most definitely be lost. 

Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) is still reeling from the after-effects of being tortured, his brain weaponised to kill Katniss. There are moments when he’s there, others where he’s clearly miles and miles away, trying to pry away the terrible memories that flood his mind. Katniss, on the other hand, can’t decide whether she hates Peeta now, or whether she feels sorry for him. He still tries to kill or hurt her at every turn, although his condition steadily improves throughout the course of the movie with the help of his friends.

A sorely missed Philip Seymour Hoffman makes his final movie appearance here as gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee. Hoffman died last January, having completed most of his scenes in Mockingjay 2. One particularly heavy scene near the end of the movie in particular stands out — it is one of the scenes that Hoffman had not managed to complete before his death, one which would have carried much more emotional weight had he been in it. Instead, the filmmakers worked around his absence by having Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) read a letter to Katniss from Heavensbee.

Mockingjay 2 feels like an immensely long movie, just like Part 1 did, and here is why: the filmmakers decided to split one book into two movies — this book, which Hunger Games fans have been known to rate the weakest of the trilogy. It is not a long novel, nor is it particularly compelling. 

A good chunk of the events in the book happen primarily in Katniss’ head, as she grapples to cope with severe post-traumatic stress disorder. As a result, almost every scene that is depicted in the book makes it onto the big screen, and scenes that work in print don’t necessarily translate well into moving pictures. What could have been an action-packed, fast-paced movie finale instead becomes a long, dragged out affair with more fight scenes than we’d care for. Lengthening a 400-odd page book into two two-hour movies is just about pushing it — Part 1 even included scenes that did not exist in the novel.

Mockingjay 2 suffers from the same symptoms as the three Hobbit movies: not enough source material to sustain a good pace to keep the viewer interested and invested in the characters. The cast, however, makes a valiant effort in giving their characters depth, although the screenwriters could have focused more on character development instead of the lengthy action sequences that dominate the movie. 

The film is a good effort in wrapping up this stellar trilogy written by Suzanne Collins. It has to be noted that in young adult fiction, there are rarely female protagonists whose lives do not revolve solely around a man, and Katniss Everdeen could be one of the most important inspirations for young girls the world over, a reminder that a girl need not be a damsel in distress waiting for a knight in shining armour to save her — she can determine her own fate, stand up for herself, and fight for what is right. That in itself, makes the entire Hunger Games franchise, a more than a worthwhile watch.