The one where @MsRandomFamGal & I went to the movies! #Mockingjay2 #awesome

Bestie T and I went to see Mockingjay 2 last night!   We've been waiting an entire year for this one to arrive - since the moment we sat through the credits of part 1 to see if there was a sneak peek of part 2. :)

Naturally I have some thoughts , I will warn you ahead of time that my thoughts are all over the place on this one and I'm too lazy to try to organize them better. lol.

This is a spoiler alert here and now! If you have not read the books, do not read further b/c I will give away major plot points. 


Let's start by saying how in the hell did they film Plutarch's parts when Philip Seymour Hoffman is no longer with us?   His parts are reduced quite a bit but it bugged me throughout the movie.  I did google it afterward and it's just as I figured - they filmed part 1 & 2 back to back.  So most of Philip's scenes were completed prior to his death.  I am very happy that the director elected not to use CGI to put him back into the movie in other areas, but on the other hand -- PEOPLE! They were filmed BACK TO BACK, which means they just sat on the 2nd movie for an entire year to torture us!  Sorry, that bugged me and I had to get it out! lol!

Now back to the movie :

It starts out with us getting a look at Katniss' freshly bruised neck - immediately reminding us how part one ended with Peeta trying to kill her.  Personally, I was thrown back into the whole quandry - who does she end up with?  Gale or Peeta?  I could NOT remember for the life of me.  For this entire series, I've lofted back and forth on who I think Katniss should end up with.  I always had really good reasons for each team but ultimately, the reason she says goodbye to one in the end is right. Katniss could do nothing else.
 

I feel like I was distracted for much of this movie and probably need to see it again for a true review. In the beginning, seeing Philip Seymour Hoffman (why do I have to write all 3 names?? IDK. ) made me wonder how he was in the film. 
Once we started seeing more of Gale & Peeta (who is still hell bent on killing Katniss for much of the film), I was distracted trying to remember who she ends up with.  One kiss with Gale and he says it's like kissing someone who's drunk.  This should be telling, dude..  And then we have Peeta who , when he's not trying to kill her is constantly asking her questions ending with "real or not?"  You love me, real or not?   sigh,  yes we all love you Peeta...

And then we have Finnick & Annie. I love Finnick  - I have since we first met him.  I kinda wished that somehow we could realign things and make Katniss end up with him. Lol.

A wedding in the midst of going to war against the Capitol just screams of romance. A few days (a week?) later and Finnick is in the Capitol with the rest of the crew.  He was prominent enough in this movie that I fell back in love with him and was slowly plotting ways to make him & Katniss be a couple, and then...  then he dies.  A ghastly death.  A ghastly death while he screams for Katniss. Like this isn't going to haunt her forever.  WHY kill him now?  Why??!  

Slip into a depression for the next bit of the movie while we all mourn Finnick :(

The troops rally and move onto the purpose of killing Snow.

I'm not even going to talk about what happens to Prim.  If you've read the books, you know. If you haven't - well you shouldn't be reading this --- Hello SPOILERS!. Let me just say - devastating. Again, why ???   But I know why-  this is what makes Katniss ultimately make that choice between Peeta  & Gale.  How can she forgive this?

I definitely feel that this is one of those movies that you are going to need to watch several times in order to get  a full appreciation for it. As I mentioned, I got distracted by certain ideas & situations which I'm sure lead me to miss smaller details while I was still in shock or mourning.

Many people have asked me how the gore level was.  Is it kid appropriate?  I think that it was definitely less graphic than some of the previous installments.  Would I take my kids to see it? No way! But my kids are stuck strictly in the PG rating area, and PG this isn't.  It definitely is something you have to decide for yourself and your own kids.  Everyone and every kid is different. I personally jumped in my seat 2-3 times and may have made some exclamations as well. Lol.

 Watch the trailer below and then get your butt to the theater and see this movie!  The end of a great series!