The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, the fourth and final installment in the franchise based on Suzanne Collins's book series, recently was released on Blu-ray and DVD.

The fourth film (part two of book 3) picks off where Catching Fire left off. In District 13, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is recovering after Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), who had been rescued, attacked her, having been "hijacked" by the Capitol and thinking her the enemy.

Panem is at war, and Katniss, with the help of her friends, including Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Finnick (Sam Claflin), an unstable Peeta, and some new allies, must risk their lives as they go on a mission to overthrow the Capitol and assassinate President Snow (Donald Sutherland).

Along the way to the Capitol, the streets have been booby trapped with "pods" by Snow and the Gamemakers, essentially making the streets the new arena.

Katniss must decide who she can really trust and how far she is willing to go to end the war.

Mockingjay Part 2 serves as a great end to the film franchise. While often very somber and dark, it is one of the best of the films.

For the most part, the film stays relatively true to the source material. There are a few differences, such as some characters were cut. For example it is Prim (Willow Shields) who tries to help Peeta see the truth about her sister Katniss, rather than Delly. There are other small differences as well, like Katniss sneaking to District 2 in the film, and also not killing a civilian like in the book. Certain scenes also had to be changed around because of the untimely death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who played Plutarch Heavensbee, which is why Katniss hears from him in a letter read to her by Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) at the end of the film.

The script was very effective and powerful, as were the actors delivering the lines. Many of the scenes I reacted to strongly. I especially found the bombing at the Capitol very emotional.

Visually, the film was gorgeous as expected. The costumes and makeup, as throughout the series, were absolutely beautiful. The massive sets of course were dazzling as well, from the streets of the Capitol to Snow's opulent chateau, and the fact that much of it was made of real, practical sets made it even better.

The special effects were fantastic as expected, but were especially spectacular in two particular scenes. First was where the group encountered the "oil pod." Even though all the toxic oil was digital, it felt real, and I was astonished to find out from the bonus features that even the dried oil was all digital, as well as all the damage to the buildings.

The second was the scene with the motion-captured lizard mutts in the sewer.

All in all the film is quite beautiful and I greatly enjoyed it. Whether you like science fiction, dystopic futures, or even political stories, this has a bit for everyone. It's a fitting end to a popular franchise that will be enjoyed for years to come.

Special Features:

Audio Commentary with Director Francis Lawrence and Producer Nina Jacobson

Pawns No More: Making The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2: (8-Part Documentary)

    * Walking Through Fire: Concluding the Saga - 13:55 - In this feature the cast
       and crew talk about where the third movie left off and about events in the final
       film. They also discuss the idea of war and how it changes people, as well as how
       the story is a political allegory. Other examples of things discussed are
       production aspects such as the choice in splitting the final book into two films
       and at what point, Collins being involved to help stay true to the characters, and
       keeping the violence thematically and emotionally true without reaching a higher
       rating.

    * Real or Not Real: Visual Design - 10:31 - This feature talks about the world of
       the film and throughout shows concept art and sets as they are being built. They
       talk about using many diverse locations, as well as designing, creating, and
       filming in different sets, such as the Capitol and the streets leading up to it, the
       sewer, Tigris's shop, and Snow's mansion.

    * High Value Targets: The Acting Ensemble - 17:24 - This feature is of the cast
       and crew talking about working with members of the casts. Included are many of
       the smaller characters as well. Some highlights were about Katniss evolving from
       experiencing loss but coming into her own, as well as Woody Harrelson talking
       about the unscripted kiss between Haymitch and Effie (Elizabeth Banks).

    * From Head to Toe: Costume, Makeup & Hair - 14:21 - In this feature the
       new costume designers talk about how they had to keep true to the other films
       but build on them so it was still their own. Costumes discussed are those for
       Coin (Julianne Moore), Annie and Finnick's wedding attire, Effie's design changes
       as she evolves, and Tigris's costume and tattoos. They also talk about slicking
       Joanna's hair for her bald cap, as well as the evolution of Katniss's various
       bruises, and the different burn makeups.

    * Navigating the Minefield: Production in Atlanta, Paris & Berlin - 13:48 - In
       this feature the crew talk about the various real-life locations they use and how
       there are certain things you just can't create in CG or in the studio. Most of
       District 13 was shot in Atlanta, but the large open scenes were shot in Paris and
       Berlin.

       Topics include the massive architecture of Panem and the chateau for Snow's
       mansion. They talk about adding the oil effects to the one scene, and about how
       Snow televised the defense system and that that arena moved from the jungle to
       a more urban landscape.

       The actors also talk about filming in Europe.

    * Collateral Damage: Stunts, Special Effects, & Weapons - 19:00 - The first part
       of the feature is about some of the practical, conventional effects that aren't
       noticed, such as the atmosphere and things that should be seamless like
       elevators.

       Next the cast and crew talk about the bigger effects and creating the scene
       where the one pod causes the explosion which ends up setting off the oil. They
       discuss pre-viz, using stunt doubles, and also adding in visual effects such as
       Mitchell (Joe Chrest) getting jerked into the barbed oil net.

       The design of the holo and it's different functions is discussed, as is Finnick's
       trident, which is a practical prop, but expands in CG.

       Next the cast and crew discuss creating the scene in the sewer with the lizard
       mutts and its challenges.

       Lastly they discuss Katniss & Gale's run towards the Capitol.

    * Tightening the Noose: The Post-Production Process - 30:05 - The feature
       starts by showing a quick look at how certain scenes were layered with matte
       paintings and other effects.

       Then film editing is discussed, where they choose the cuts to use.

       They talk about a lot of the effects that are added in post, like digital set
       extensions to bigger things like fireballs and damage to and destruction of
       buildings. There are different scenes they focus on, starting with Katniss
       arriving at the Nut and giving her speech. They move on to the Capitol toxic
       oil location in France and discuss in detail designing the oil using different
       version of fluid effects, and how even the dried oil is completely digital.

       They continue to talk about post-production effects of other things, interspersed
       with discussion on music and sound editing. Scenes include the sewage tunnels
       with the lizard mutts and the underground scene where they are chased by the
       "meat grinder" breaking through the floor. Another scene is the march towards
       Snow's mansion, where they discuss recording real sound effects for bullets,
       and lighting Katniss on fire.

    * A Different World: Reflections - 23:32 - In this feature the cast and crew talk
       about the last scene they filmed during the initial shoot, which was Haymitch
       reading Plutarch's letter to Katnis. They also discuss the fact that Hoffman was
       not there for that scene because he had passed away. There are also some
       toasts as the cast and crew reflect on the project. They also discuss coming back
       a year later to film the last scene of the film, with Katnis, Peeta, and their
       children, who were played by Lawrence's two nephews. At the end there is a
       montage of the cast.

The Hunger Games: A Photographic Journey - 10:17 - Photographer Murray Close talks about being on set during filming to take photos, and needing to stay out of the way, and not missing important shots. He also discusses moving to digital and how he will try to match what the director of photography is doing when it comes to light, saturation, etc.

Cinna's Sketchbook: Secrets of the Mockingjay Armor - 9:22 - In this feature the costume designers talk about designing the mockingjay outfit, not just through their eyes but Cinna's as well. They talk about some of the references used such as Joan of Arc and archery. They also discuss different aspects of the costume such as the wings on the back for the ceremonial version, and the fact that some of the actual costume sketches were used in the prop book that Katnis sees.

Panem on Display: The Hunger Games: The Exhibition - 1:57 - This short feature teases what's at the exhibit. The actors and director also talk about it. Some examples of things at the exhibit are costumes, props, and interactive displays.

Jet to the Set - 10:01 - In this feature two women explore both filming locations that fans can visit, and places the stars have hung out. They also talk to actress, Patina Miller (Commander Paylor) producer, Nina Jacobson, and some other local celebrities not connected to the film.

Also from Lionsgate - This feature is just trailers: Now You See Me 2, The Divergent Series: Allegiant, Gods of Egypt, The Last Witch Hunter, Epix. These same trailers also play when you put in the disc, but they are preceded by a little speech about mandatory viewing from Caesar Flickerman, which is cute.

Bookmarks - This is for bookmarks you set yourself on the disc.

Packaging:
The combo film comes in the normal blue clamshell case with discs of both the Blu-ray version and the DVD version, inside a cardboard slipcover. There is also a Digital HD code included on the insert, with a 20% off coupon for The Hunger Games: The Exhibition on the reverse side.

Summary:
Overall this is a fantastic set to own. Not only is it an excellent movie, but in my opinion, it's worth buying just for the extensive bonus features alone. There are hours of really interesting behind the scenes tidbits that really explain how the film was created from all the angles, including concept art, makeup, costumes, sets, props, film editing, sound editing, and everything in between. I especially loved that through the features, especially when dealing with the costumes, makeup, sets, and other art, you get to see many details that move by too fast in the film. If you are a fan of the franchise, I definitely recommend buying this combo pack.