I'm super late with this considering I actually went to see this film the day it was released but I'm reviewing it anyway! And, if you haven't seen the film or read the book don't worry; I will warn you if I'm about to reveal a spoiler.

This film was pretty emotional for me. I saw the first film as soon as it was released, and read the books only weeks before that. I was 13, innocent and small when I discovered 'The Hunger Games'. Now I'm 17, stressed out and still small. I've done a lot of changing in that time (little growing however) but this franchise is something that has been there throughout all of it. I never actually read or watched Harry Potter as a child. I never had the excitement and thrill when the latest book or film came out. This series is essentially my Harry Potter, so you'll understand my slightly biased and emotional connection to it. Every year I've gone to see the latest film on the day it's released, and it broke my heart to watch this one and realise it was all over.

I loved every moment of this film. The special effects were all incredible and so realistic I could easily have been there with them. It had me jumping from my seat on multiple occasions despite being perfectly safe in the cinema. I haven't read the book in several years but I recall it being even darker than the last two. The issues and themes it dealt with - which the previous books lacked in -  were brought wonderfully to the screen.

Despite its political and weighty story line, this film had the just the right amount of comedy. Its dry humour was executed sharply and had the entire cinema chuckling at all the correct moments. The addition of a little comedy also contributed to the depth of each character. As a huge fan of the books and films, and as someone who admits to feeling arguably unnecessary feelings towards various characters, I was already very much invested in each character and their progress throughout this film. I have, however, seen it mentioned in several reviews that audience members who simply attended the screening because it was "the last hunger games film and there wasn't much else on" also felt a similar connection to every character. As I mentioned earlier, I was so drawn into this film it was like I was experiencing everything along with them. This feeling was very much increased by the astounding performances of the cast. Particularly Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen), Sam Claflin (Finnick Odair) and Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark). As usual Jennifer Lawrence stunned me in her role as Katniss. It is clear she puts her heart and soul into each scene allowing the audience to entirely connect with her character. Every expression she makes perfectly portrays Katniss' varied emotions and you can see in her eyes the fear she so often experiences. Sam Claflin featured very little in this film, much to my disappointment. This, however, made no difference to Claflin's performance. He mastered every scene and perfectly brought across the hidden emotions of the much-loved Finnick Odair. Peeta Mellark goes through a lot of traumatic experiences in this final film and Josh Hutcherson was so successful in bringing Peeta's difficulties to life it honestly hurt me to watch his character suffer so much.

When it was first announced that the concluding book in the trilogy would be split into two films I was sceptical. Was there enough action in the book to produce two exciting films? Was this simply a ruse to make more money? I can now say that splitting it into two films was a successful idea. It allowed for a lot more detail from the book to be added into the film, something all fans of the books will very much appreciate. One in particular was the *minor spoiler alert* game of "real or not real" played by Peeta and Katniss whilst Peeta struggles to regain his true memories. This addition added a lot more depth to their relationship which was truly heart-wrenching to witness.

Director Francis Lawrence did a wonderful job in bringing one of my favourite trilogies to life. This film was tense, funny and heart-breaking at exactly the right moments and did an incredible job in concluding the franchise. 4.5/5