It’s strange to think the end of an era is upon us; the last Hunger Games film opens in theaters (officially) tonight.  The young adult trilogy of books was first published by Suzanne Collins in 2008, and the first of four films first arrived in theaters in 2012.  The film series turned Jennifer Lawrence (and Katniss Everdeen) into a household name, and reminded us that not all young adult heroines are whiney worthless creatures like that sparkly vampire monstrosity.  The scale and scope with which Lionsgate adapted the books is amazing, pretty sure the series remains one of the most faithful book-to-movie series in the last 20 years.

I went to see the final Hunger Games film last night, in a slightly less than half full IMAX theater, sitting next to a group of 6 young teen girls.  I mean they were probably 13 or younger, and their excitement was infectious.  There were moments I was waiting for, that I knew of from the book, and I kept sneaking glances at the young ones to see their reactions.  There were screams, there were tears, there were gasps and the covering of faces.

If you haven’t read the books, I won’t go into too much detail.  There is a big HOLYCRAP THEY DIDN’T JUST DO THAT moment, which of course got the biggest reaction from the audience.  I had been waiting, WAITING, to see if the director would actually go through with it, as the rest of the series has been keeping with the big scenes so far.  And just as it did when I read the passage in the book in 2010, it hit me hard.

Almost everything I wanted to see in this film was there, the only thing I wanted more of that we didn’t get was the traps, the pods, throughout the Capital (not a spoiler, it’s in all the trailers).  The scenes in the book where the STAR Squad makes their way through the ny impossible city blocks is one of my favorites of the entire series, and I was really hoping we’d get a bit more time watching the gamemaker’s designs unfold.  Not that the scenes we DO get are bad, I would have traded some of the damn monologuing for more.

And Tigress.  We get Tigress, and she looks AMAZING.  I love the character design and her makeup, she looks better than I imagined she would.

I will say the moment that had the most intense emotional impact for me was the reading of a letter from Plutarch Heavensbee, played by the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman. For whatever reason, maybe it was the way Woody Harrelson’s Haymitch read it, it hit me.  A letter, saying goodbye, from Hoffman, who unfortunately left us due to an accidental mixing of alcohol and narcotics in 2014.  What would he have said, what words would he have left his costars with if he knew his end was near?  Maybe I’m being overly dramatic and sensitive, but there it is.

All in all, if you’ve been a fan of the books or film series, Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt 2 is most definitely worth your time and money.  A well done action/adventure that entertains adults and young adults alike, with some spectacular visuals and special effects (that you may not need 3d for).