I’ll watch anything with Jennifer Lawence in it, but Mockingjay, Part Two tested my limits. Yes, the action scenes are exciting (like in Spectre) but in between those action scenes there’s a lot of emoting and “heart-felt” conversations. The third book in the Hunger Games series was my least favorite. And this movie is my least favorite of the series. Too many boring scenes slow the movie to a crawl at times. GRADE: C+
Our paper commented that part 1 had little action and was a bridge to part 2. I’ll probably catch this on netflix. Looking forward to star wars, but sadly all of our theaters are in shopping centers, so will have to be after the holiday rush
Maggie, I thought both parts of MOCKINGJAY were slow. I have my ticket for STAR WARS on December 18. My review will be up this blog the next day!
I’m not surprised. As you pointed out, the books petered out at the end and clearly the movies did too. But their greed led them to copy Harry Potter and The Hobbit and divide it into two movies for an extra payday.
Jeff, the AMC theater that showed MOCKINGJAY, PART TWO was nearly full at 10 A.M. I think this movie will make money but I never have to see it again.
I am glad she will not be wasting her considerable talent on this any longer.
Patti, it was eerie seeing and hearing Philip Seymour Hoffman in MOCKINGJAY, PART TWO.
Barbara saw the first half, and thought it just so-so. She hasn’t decided on this one, but it’s probably a “no” with several other better movies to see.
Rick, I wanted “closure” on THE HUNGER GAMES movies so I saw MOCKINGJAY, PART TWO. Jennifer Lawrence looks great on the screen!
I’m not a big Hunger Games fan – but this I found interesting:
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/20/jennifer-lawrence-israeli-hunger-games-mockingjay-2-posters
She’s too sexy for some parts of Jerusalem …
I wonder what would happen to those pictures you post – dirty old citizen! (Sorry, but I had to write this …)
Wolf, you’ll have to check out my blog on Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26) for an interesting photo! I have a friend who refuses to read THE HUNGER GAMES or watch the movies because she thinks the concept of children killing each other is repugnant.
I’m a dirty old citizen myself – so I’m always happy to see those pictures you post!
Though my wife doesn’t get jealous – she knows I love only her (and my science fiction books …)!
Wolf, in Cole Porter’s musical KISS ME, KATE, a character sings “I Was Always True to You…In My Fashion.” Classic!
i think the next movie i see in the theater may be victor frankenstein. It would be star wars, except for the parking situation at the shopping malls so close to Christmas
Another cultural milestone I’ve avoided.
SPOILERS!!!!
I actually thought it was fine. Would probably rate it a B-. I didn’t mind that the last two were more slight on the action. Where I feel the films were already at a disadvantage is that they are trying to appeal to adults with them, and yet they are based on books written for a younger audience, so the relationships are understandably less nuanced than what we expect from adult films, books, etc. In particular I felt the movies did a really poor job of making me, a viewer who hasn’t read the books, care about the male love interests. In the end I didn’t care one way or the other which guy she ended up with, because I thought the actors portraying the characters were weak, and the characters themselves struggled to even be one-dimensional.
I’ve enjoyed the films, but feel my viewing suffered to some degree because I didn’t have the extra material of the books to allow me to bring more depth to the story than what was actually presented on screen.
I also was taken aback when the weird creatures appeared below ground. I had forgotten about the dog creatures in one of the other films and to me the films had been grounded in a more reality-based fantasy and so I didn’t quite understand where these fantasy/horror creatures came from. My fellow viewers reminded me of the other film and explained that there was a lot of genetic experimentation in the books. I didn’t feel like the movies established that well enough.
But overall they were entertaining. My wife is a fan of the books so I enjoyed experiencing these with her. And I thought Jennifer Lawrence did a great job with the role. The first film is actually my least favorite, but this one runs a close second. Film two is still the best in my opinion.
Carl, excellent review! Like you, I thought the second Hunger Games movie, CATCHING FIRE, was the best of the series. The HUNGER GAMES books continue to be popular.
Having now seen all the films, I wish I had read the books first, but I cannot imagine ever getting to them now given all that I want to read.
Carl, I binged on THE HUNGER GAMES series: three books in three days. The first book is the best.