Reviews

I always saw The Hunger Games' movies as a thrilling representation of the corruption and tyranny that's invading this world, and as a young Egyptian who lived through two recent revolutions, we know a great deal about the consequences of civil war, and how dirty the fight can be over political power. This movie hits right home with this theme in a way that democratic and luxurious societies won't understand or enjoy.

Mockingjay pt2 delivers a suspenseful and emotional ride as Katniss and the other rebels set out on a mission to kill the ruthless president Snow. The film plays heavy on its politics, showing the ugly side of revolutions. It would have been easy to make a pure good vs. pure evil scenario, but the movie shows a lot of gray areas and stresses on the fact the no one is incorruptible, which is far more enjoyable in terms of storytelling.

The film also does justice to its characters in their final journey, and has great performances by its two leads. J.Lawrence excels in portraying a determined Katniss fighting to subdue her tortured emotions for the sake of a bigger cause, she perfectly balances the strength of making sacrifices and becoming merciless in war without losing her humanity. Hutcherson gives his best acting shot as a confused Peeta fighting battles both on the ground and within his mind, and his monologues arrive with several meaningful moments that remind us of what 'The Hunger Games' were all about. However, its D.Sutherland's and J.Moore's sickening performances as two similar nemeses, that elevated this young-adult film to a whole new level.

But the film is anything but flawless, it has several problems which we can blame on the editing team, the slow pace of the film focuses too much on Katniss and her group that makes you forget about the outside war, and when the time came when the size of the rebellion showed itself, you don't get enough of it, which in my opinion is the biggest issue with the film. However, this was never meant to be a full scale war film, it was always, presented from one person's point of view, which is understandable. Another issue I found was in how the movie had several deaths of main characters but doesn't spend enough time to pay tribute to them, not as much as they did with Rue in the first film.

Nevertheless, instead of lingering on the imperfections, I applaud Mockingjay Part 2 for the bigger message its trying to convey, for creating a satisfying resolution to one of the strongest and most enduring heroines in cinema, and for respecting its audience and not sugarcoating anything. People are complaining about this final chapter being too grim, my parents thought it was too realistic, too similar to what's happening in our country and so many others, but to me...that was necessary. I can only wish that movies like this will in some way contribute in making a wiser next generation of political leaders, which is what the film offers ultimately as consolation; a last sense of hope for the future.

The day I took my mom to see Mockingjay, was the morning we learned that our previous president/dictator Mubarak has been counted innocent after all the youth he's murdered in 2011. What a day it was to see this film!!

I've been a fan of these movies because they embody for me the same cause and ideas that revolutions in my country have stood for. I bet the many fans of this film (who are just obsessed with the love triangle) are not aware of how realistic and relevant it is to events happening in Egypt, and in other corrupted political systems around the world.

I will NOT try to refute all the reviews that deemed this film as 'BORING'. I understand their argument, but this film is an indispensable emotional transition between a story about a brutal reality show, to a story about a freaking revolution!! And if you see it that way, it won't be boring!!

The military corruption and spirit of rebellion captured in the film, is something all Egyptians like me have lived through. The whole cast rendered this spirit beautifully. Jennifer Lawrence, I was so happy that she pulled off that rage that makes the audience hate brutal regimes (The Capital) as much as Katniss does. Josh Hutcherson gave a powerful heart-breaking performance that reminds me of all the brainwashed people we have in Egyptian media. And last but not least, Mr. Sutherland successfully portrayed our previous AND CURRENT presidents who just enslave their people. Thank you Donald!!

I know I'm hailing the film as great because I can relate to its political context. But even if the film is not actually great, it has redefined the YA genre with the importance of its message, which redeems ALL its flaws for me. Knowing that there are people out there, especially teenagers, who will connect with this film and understand how tyrannical systems work, makes me hopeful about the future leaders of this world.

I can't wait for the FIGHT to start in Part 2…as well as the THIRD revolution in my country!!!

Spike Jones, once again, redefines creative film-making. Forget about romantic clichés and comic super heroes, HER offers a unique and brand new film experience that is just incomprehensible.

Yes, the idea of the story is very bizarre _a man falling in love with an artificially intelligent operating system. Yes, there were a couple of weird moments in the film that staggered me, some R-rated scenes that were ruining to the emotional aesthetic, but despite that the film ultimately manages to get over its weird awkwardness to fill me with a transcendent poetic feeling of beauty…just beauty.

What I loved about HER the most is how Spike Jones was able to portray this believable futuristic technological setting while making the movie more about human emotions and relationships. In the end, the message is simple, no matter how much technology evolves to make our lives easier, it can never be a satisfying substitute for human interaction and intimacy, but despite the message being unoriginal, it is conveyed in the most creatively honest way.

Need I say anything about the performances of the film; Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johanson were nothing short of amazing. The script is piece of literature, the art direction and cinematography are breathtaking, and what stands out the most is the incredible score of Arcade fire, which distinguished the film from Spike Jones' previous works; it's really the watermark of the film.

Everything about HER was thought-provoking and awkward, yet there is a subtle sense of beauty in the film that surpasses everything else. It's one of these timeless films that need to be revisited in order to fully experience its beauty, it will definitely be remembered for a very long time.

I always said that the Egyptian people should win an Oscar for their revolutionary spirits, and this film proves just that!! The fact that the first Egyptian film to be nominated for an Oscar is a film about Tahrir square, is nothing short of amazing!! And the fact that it is actually banned from being screened in Egypt, is a testament to the corruption that persists.

I was too much of a coward to join the protests in Tahrir in 2011, but this film made me feel like I was right there. It takes you back on a memory lane through all the struggles that happened in the square, all the shifts and dilemmas. I was so glad that the film showed different viewpoints of people. It showed the standpoint of not just the rebellious youth but also of the opposing people in authority. It also presented the ideology of the Muslim brotherhood in a very humane way, instead of portraying them as terrorist like Egyptian media currently does. Above all, it portrayed military brutality!! And that in itself is the biggest triumph of the film since military authorities are now brainwashing people like never before.

I must say that every Egyptian needs to see this film to be reminded of the corruption of military rulers, of the thousands of souls we lost, and of the quest for freedom we all started 3 years ago, which most of us have become cynical about today.

It is sad to realize that now that the square is empty, even though the ideals that the people fought and died for are still nowhere to be found. I had actually given up on the dream that this country will ever change, but after seeing this film and seeing that there are people still fighting out there, I can hope once more.

I am one of those people who didn't read the book but were anticipating the film so much that I feared it was gonna disappoint me but fortunately...it didn't!!

Francis Lawrence successfully managed to create a proper movie sequel that kept me at the edge of my seat all the time!! Most people don't know that there is a lot more to Catching Fire than a teen movie with another love triangle and hot young stars. But I think the realistic political references within the story actually make it a very mature film, its what gives the film a lot of magnitude, excitement and suspense. I know why some people thought it was boring; the film didn't focus on chase and killing sequences in the games, but its not about the games anymore, its about the hunger revolution and the tensions the will lead up to it. That's what the film focused on and that's why we don't actually get into the games until half of the screen time.

The story was build up smoothly, it takes time in the beginning to take us back to the characters, which are more mature, relatable and complex this time round, thanks to the writers and the acting talents of the cast who were not affected by cheesy stardom. Jennifer Lawrence is still on top of the game, she is so immersed in the role of Katniss that not once did I feel that that's the actress who won an Oscar last year. Josh Hutcherson gave his character huge likability through his subtle performance, it will be interesting to see how he will evolve as Peeta's character changes in the coming sequels. Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland and Elizabeth Banks return strongly and have more emotional roles than the first film. Sam Calfin (Finnick) was a great addition to the cast and Jena Malone's Johanna was a scene stealer!! However, I didn't get enough of Woody Harrelson and Philip Seymour Hoffman, they fell a little short for me.

Although the dialogue was a little weak sometimes, it was very smart and witty which infused the dystopian scene of the film with such realism. They added so much more complexity to everything this time, whether you're a fan of the love triangle or the revolution idea, you'll be satisfied either way, especially because the cinematography and visual effects are so much better now, finally!!! What's missing however is a little bit more action, the climax of the film did not exactly reach its peak for me. I think if it had, the film would have definitely smashed the box office longer than The Avengers did. Despite that, it was still very fulfilling and it really deserved all the publicity it was given throughout the year. I can't wait for the next film, hopefully it will top this one!!

In the first hour of the movie I was pretty much excited, touched by the performances and grabbed to my seat, but by the end it disappointed me. Anyway, I gotta say that there are more good sides to this movie than bad, so lets start with the bad and save the good stuff in the end.

What disappointed me: Despite being the hottest superman ever, and doing a superb job physically, still Henry Cavill's acting could have been better. If the movie intends to make the story of Superman more humane and realistic, then Henry should have given a much deeper and/or natural performance, instead he was a bit numb at times. Second, the dialog turned very cheesy in the middle of the film, it just disconnected me from the movie and turned the most dramatic lines into comedy. Third, the action scenes were too much, I know its a Chris Nolan thing, but it was hard to keep track of the story from the numerous explosions that just prolonged the movie, at some point I didn't understand what was going on.

What impressed me: The portrayal of the world of Cripton, it was very well put together (the characters, the technology, the costumes, the planet) it really does justice to the background story of Cripton and to the origins of Superman. Second, the Acting. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane give such heart-felt performances, they really give depth to the Kent family and the role they had in raising Clark/Cal. Similarly Russel Crowe and Ayelet Zurer as his real parents delivered very good performances as well. What was more impressive is the redefinition of Superman as a hero: This movie really rebuilds the character of Cal and makes him more human, instead of hiding his humanity behind the stereotypical image of Superman. The fact that not everyone was routing for Superman, waiting for him to bring them salvation and heavily labeling him as a hero throughout the whole movie. The word 'Superman' actually was only said once or twice in the whole movie. Apart from all this, the special effects were indeed out of this world!!! They were rendered magnificently by true visual effects artists who are the real heroes behind this movie. It just shows the amount of effort put in the film. Another thing that I loved is the fact that Louis knows the identity of Superman. Finally a superman movie where Louis is not such a fool and knows that Clark Kent is Superman. Its a hole that was finally filled in this movie.

Well that's it basically. Like I said the good side outnumber the bad, but the bad side has a very influential role on the perception of the film, its what sadly made me leave the theater with remaining feelings of distress from the extensive action scenes and disappointment from the story, when I ought to have been amazed and excited for future sequels.