Parents' Guide to

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Finale is a faithful, fitting end to Girl on Fire's journey.

Movie PG-13 2015 137 minutes
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 12+

Based on 12 parent reviews

abbacus
abbacus Adult
January 16, 2016
age 13+

Good end to an amazing franchise.

This was a really good movie...almost great, but not quite. It was a solid conclusion with spectacular acting, good action sequences (although in my opinion we could have used more of them), and super important messages fed to us by an amazing heroine. As with all previous Hunger Games movies, this final installment has remained one hundred percent true to it's source material...perhaps the greatest thing about these specific film adaptations. My one compliant about Mockingjay part 2 (and it is a rather big one) is that it is simply overly long and SO drawn out. There was no reason for this smallish/average sized book to be two movies. (Other than to make a lot of money that is.) I really do feel that it hurt these two final installments more than helped them. It's funny because I really didn't have this problem with part 1 but for some reason I noticed it very predominately in part 2. There are some incredibly exciting scenes in the movie, but in between them is an excessive amount of mostly useless dialogue, plotting, and political tactics. A conversation that could get the point across in a few exchanges will go on for minutes - so much feels like time filler. I know I'm sounding really negative now but be assured that I have been, and still am a big fan of these books and movies from the very beginning. I think it is simply time to let this amazing story and all it's enduring characters go to rest. I give this satisfying conclusion a slightly generous 4 out of 5 stars.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
James Hedrick
James Hedrick Adult
July 4, 2020
age 16+

The Epic Conclussion

There isn't really much to say about this one as anyone who has reached this point has likely seen the others. This is a fitting conclusion and a strong exit for the actors and for the series. The ending is honestly quite satisfying, unless you like Gale (spoiler alert) which I didn't. If you enjoyed the previous installments by all mean watch and enjoy this one as well. If not, watch the previous installments and then come back to this one when you're all caught up. Still recommending for sixteen and up.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
See all 12 parent reviews

What's the Story?

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 2 picks up shortly after a Capitol-brainwashed Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) violently attacks Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence). Convinced that Peeta will never return to normal (he continues to show violent tendencies), a bruised Katniss asks President Coin (Julianne Moore) to deploy her for the good of the rebellion. After being shot by a Capitol loyalist in District 2, Katniss decides that her number-one mission must be to kill President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and put an end to the cycle of violence. So she and Gale (Liam Hemsworth) join a special ops team that includes Finnick (Sam Claflin), propaganda director Cressida (Natalie Dormer), and a fragile Peeta, who's still recovering. The team enters the Capitol, which Snow has filled with horrors straight out of the Hunger Games Arena. Every few steps, the team contends with new atrocities meant to kill them. All the while, Katniss must deal with uncomfortable truths about both enemies and allies, as well as figure out whether she has a future with either Gale or Peeta.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (12):
Kids say (106):

Thanks to director Francis Lawrence and, above all, star Jennifer Lawrence, this final film is a fitting tribute to Suzanne Collins' unforgettable heroine. It even improves on some of the book's weaker elements; Lawrence the director knows how to use Lawrence the actor's vulnerability to explore what a messy thing indeed it is to be a hero -- to be the Chosen One, to know you're somehow more useful as a martyr to the cause than as a very real, confused, emotional girl. The Katniss of Mockingjay isn't as singularly focused as the one in the Arena. This Katniss is sure of very little other than that Snow must go, and Lawrence beautifully captures the excruciating pain of Katniss' journey, of her loneliness and heartbreak and fierce devotion to those she loves.

Very few book series have received such a faithful, fabulously performed, and visually appealing set of cinematic adaptations. That's not to say that the film is perfect: It fast-forwards a few dramatic elements that some book fans will no doubt miss, like the blossoming friendship between Katniss and Johanna (Jena Malone) that gets compressed into a couple of conversations, or the strength of Katniss' platonic feelings for fellow Hunger Games victor Finnick, whose marriage to Annie (Stef Dawson) is similarly glossed over in one quick scene. But otherwise, the director and screenwriter keep the pace brisk, even as it seems like one long, deadly obstacle course to Katniss' inevitable showdown with Snow. At one point, Katniss asks someone why he's helping her, and he replies that she's earned a long and peaceful life. After four films of Lawrence playing Katniss, who wouldn't agree?

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Mockingjay's political themes. Why does Katniss continue to question President Coin? Why does President Snow say that Coin will just be the new version of him? Does the movie offer any hopeful messages about politics or just cynicism?

  • How does the violence in this installment compare to the previous ones? What's the impact of media violence on kids? Gale tells Katniss that war isn't personal, but she replies that it is. What do they each mean?

  • How do the characters in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 demonstrate courage, perseverance, and self-control? Why are these important character strengths?

  • How important is romance to Katniss' story? To some fans, the love story is central, while to others it's unimportant. How did you feel about it?

  • Those who are familiar with the books: What did you think of the changes the director and screenwriter made? Overall, how did this installment stack up against the others?

Movie Details

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