The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 reviews round-up: Critics applaud Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss

However, reviewers were frustrated filmmakers split Suzanne Collins’ trilogy into two separate features

Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence, and Josh Hutcherson at the Berlin premiere on Wednesday night (AP)

And so, The Hunger Games ‘trilogy’ has come to an end, with Mockingjay Part 2 premiering last night.

Critics have been relatively positive about the film, many reviewers praising the bombastic set pieces while others wrote negatively about the pacing.

Both The Independent and the Telegraph awarded it four stars, Geoffrey McNab writing how Jennifer Lawrence “brings real depth to the character” while Robbie Collin noted how “the final confrontation between Katniss and Snow is worth the admission fee alone.”

At the other end of the spectrum, The Guardian criticised the film's pace as well as the decision to split the last Hunger Games novel into two parts, as did The Hollywood Reporter, both of whom awarded the flick three stars.

Geoffrey McNab, The Independent - 4/5

Mockingjay – Part 1 was anticlimactic. It was frustrating that the filmmakers felt compelled to split the third book in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy into two separate features. With Mockingjay – Part 2, Hunger Games gets the finale it deserves. This, though, is a film whose bleakness may take some younger fans of the series by surprise.

Benjamin Lee, The Guardian - 3/5

The decision to turn a 390-page book into over four hours worth of screen time (and a bonus payday) has resulted in a patchy end to a franchise that started so promisingly. While the people might feel like rebelling, the game has been won – by Lionsgate.

Robbie Collin, Telegraph - 4/5

It’s sad to see this deservedly successful franchise reach the end of its run: but here’s hoping its dissident spirit will survive in young-adult blockbusters to come.

Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter - 3/5

"It gets a little tedious after all these years," admits Katniss Everdeen about her life's obligations in her final line of dialogue after 547 accumulated minutes of The Hunger Games films. It's hard not to agree with her, nor to imagine that there are too many people — Jennifer Lawrence included — who will be sorry to see this overdrawn series end.

Brian Viner, Daily Mail - 3/5

It’s a relentlessly dark tale, with nothing to laugh about except for the studio money men, who will be rubbing their hands with glee.

Jennifer Lawrence, right, reprises the role of Katniss Everdeen for the last time

Peter Debruge, Variety

Though the script adheres to Collins’ novel, everything that follows feels extraneous, with a succession of endings straining the patience somewhat. While the series remarkably managed to sustain its cast and credibility across four increasingly ambitious features, Francis Lawrence doesn’t quite recognize when it’s game over.

Tom Huddleston, TimeOut London - 4/5

Some will find the wrongfooting nature of the final scenes off-putting, and the pace can be ponderous. But it's genuinely powerful, thanks in large part to a peerless cast: Lawrence has rarely been better, and she’s matched – unexpectedly – by Hutcherson, delivering a peculiarly soulful turn.

Simon Reynolds, Digital Spy - 4/5

Mockingjay - Part 2 may not have the relentless pace or quip-heavy approach of, say, a Marvel blockbuster, but what it does offer is an emotional gut-punch of a film that's a fitting send-off for one of modern-day cinema's great heroines.