shifts tone yet still manages to be just as effective

Rating: Null/10 (25 March 2019)

Having brought the most recent games to an abrupt ending, the resilient Katniss Everdeen and her few remaining allies are transferred to (thought) destroyed District 13, a dour, underground society that's isolated from the rest of Panem. Once there, Katniss reluctantly agrees to become the mockingjay, and act as a symbol of the continued uprising against the Capitol. Sensing her growing influence among the people and refusing to give justification to their actions, President Snow responds by declaring it a treasonous activity for anyone to embrace the mockingjay. Although not as action-oriented as its predecessors, this bleak and riveting saga still managers to tell a captivating story with political overtones and tense character interactions, as well as plenty of close calls and startling scenes, anchored by a first-rate performance from Lawrence who believably conveys her character's various stages of anger, determination and vulnerability. ***