The trend of breaking up final installments of movies based on bestselling literary adaptations seeks not only to milk the material for extra box-office receipts, but also to create an action-packed finale for the ages. In the case of Francis Lawrence’s one-two punch with Mockingjay (the concluding text of The Hunger Games series), Part 2 seeks to perfectly execute the game plan. The war on the Capitol and President Snow (Donald Sutherland) reaches fever pitch, with the ever-reluctant leader Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) at the helm — and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Expect this final assault to dominate the box office through the Thanksgiving season and beyond; at least until a certain Force Awakens. (Opens wide Friday) (PG-13) Not screened in time for review
This article appears in Nov 18-24, 2015.
