This small, incomplete review holds no real spoilers. Jennifer Lawrence turned up the acting switch a notch. Might be her best performance till date overshadowing 'winter's bone' while showing her great talent and potential of her becoming a movie superstar (if she isn't already bc of her internet popularity and looks.) This part was more balanced as the last movie, and sets the emotional trigger on sharp for the finale next year. Again a compliment to Elizabeth Banks who captures the role of Effie amazingly well. Even though she originally wasn't supposed to be on screen until the finale, the creators and writer Suzanne Collins decided to let her replace Plutarch's assistent so she could be in this movie, which was a wise decision imho to use a familiar face in stead of a unknown side character. I was a bit disappointed about the lack of influence of Natalie Dormer, but we might have to wait for the last movie for that to happen. Sidenote: It is harder to find a movie without Julianne Moore nowadays, than one with her lol. There is a lot of conversation, the biggest part due to this being the politics part in the story. This is a big part of stories base after all, and is important in its message. I really was surprised they used the 'Hanging tree' song in the movie, I kinda suspected they would skip it, and it was a great surprise and a good decision the didn't. It has a lot of importance for Katniss, since it depicts the struggle of the districts against the capitol, and her relationship with her family (mainly her dad) and later with Peeta. Lawrence is definitely not a singer though, she doesn't have the voice for it hehe. Good thing they have computers nowadays. Depending on how part 2 will turn out, I think they made a good choice in splitting the movie in two, even though it is probably done just for the cash and not for storytelling.

I like it, but still love the books more!

A very different film from the first two, not least because there are no actual games, rather the film picks up straight after the last entry to deal with the consequences of that finale. And in truth, whilst this may be down to the source material, it is a welcome decision as another games would have been repetitive and they have fulfilled their purpose both in the context of the story and the themes they explored. Unfortunately this film has two key flaws - the decision to split the film into two was clearly financial and it shows too, despite the best efforts of the filmmakers. And in focusing more on the least interesting aspect of the plot so far - that of the dull love triangle that our heroine up to now has pushed to one side - they diminish the strong character they have worked so hard to establish as Katniss pines over her lost boyfriend instead of focusing on the far more important aspect of winning a revolution. But despite these flaws, the film is still a worthwhile entry. Jennifer Lawrence has been fantastic as Katniss and she continues to show her worth to this series, lending Katniss a vulnerability beneath her strength and determination that make her so watchable. Put simply these films would not work as well without her. Despite the decision to split the story into two, the filmmakers have also hit upon an interesting theme to explore, bringing to the fore the role of the media in manipulating the public. It was always present in the films, but here it is far more prevalent. Terrorist or freedom fighter ? It is certainly an interesting vein to develop though in truth there is a lot of padding to ensure a further entry and the film never escapes from the feeling that a single entry to complete the story would have resulted in a much stronger film.

What a waste of money. Literally nothing happens in this movie.

I think what I love most about this movie (apart from the scenes of genuine spirit that give me goosebumps every time, especially the hospital and the dam scenes) is the fact that even after Katniss has left the Capitol behind, the real pain and suffering she and others experience is still being recorded, and dressed up, and used to further someone's agenda - even if it is for a good cause and not about deceiving people or frightening them, it still feels a little wrong. What a brilliant move to have the marketing for this movie use the same font as the propos. While the first two movies already had some realistic moral ambiguity (e.g. the question of how much you're willing to compromise your integrity in order to survive), this movie finally makes clear the fact that while the Capitol definitely isn't good, the fight against it is not (perhaps can not be) as heroic and pure as one might hope.