Watched on Blu-Ray

Even the best cash cow has to come to an end. The decision to split the third and final volume of Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" book series into two films was controversial from the start. There was talk of pure money-making. And "Mockingjay Part 2" does little to remedy this negative impression. In fact, it differs relatively clearly from its predecessor, which was released a year earlier: While Part 1 was a relatively quiet affair that was criticized primarily because nothing actually happens, the conclusion consists largely of a string of action sequences.

And they didn't even turn out to be particularly exciting. While the first two films, "Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire", were characterized by the perfidious idea of pitting normal people against each other in a fight to the death, this time the opponents are faceless soldiers or monsters that go down in a constant barrage. This not only makes it harder to sympathize, there is also a lack of variety within the fights, the series can only be distinguished from the B-movie competition because of the big names.

Meanwhile, the illustrious cast doesn't get much to do. Liam Hemsworth takes on a somewhat more important role than before as love interest and elite soldier Gale Hawthorne, the rest was mostly demoted, even Panem veterans like Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks or Stanley Tucci have to be content with small guest appearances. Julianne Moore, as the power-conscious rebel leader, is allowed to push ahead with the dissolution of the good/evil boundaries already begun in "Mockingjay Part 1". Only this is announced with such a penetratingly flashing fence post that the supposed twists have long since ceased to be twists.

The explanations of war propaganda and the associated media criticism are interesting, but too thin to fill 137 minutes with. The satirical elements that made the start of the surprise success so appealing have long since been abandoned, replaced by a penchant for pathos. And the dazzling Panem is also hardly recognizable, the self-indulgent decadent upper class with their sweeping costumes and crazy hairstyles now live in gray concrete blocks. Even Katniss has become rather colorless by the end, is neither the shrewd fighter from "Hunger Games" nor the traumatized victor from "Catching Fire". Actually, she is nothing really anymore, drives the plot forward, is the symbolic figure both inside and outside the film, just like "Mockingjay Part 2" but in the end only functional and a bit boring.