Every other week, it seems like news is dropping about yet another post-apocalyptic film adaptation of a young-adult novel. In the past couple of years, the Divergent, Maze Runner and upcoming release The 5th Wave all center of teens grappling with world-ending circumstances and attempting to fight back against the unjust society they live in. In that regard, The Hunger Games can easily be labelled as something of a trendsetter, despite early claims that the Suzanne Collins’ trilogy (and their film adaptations) hewed a bit too closely to the 1999 Japanese novel and its 2000 film. Now The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 — because Harry Potter and Twilight have apparently taught us that every grand finale requires two films — is here to finish the job it started.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the film continues the tale of teenage Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) as she continues to serve as the spokesperson (i.e. the titular Mockingjay) for the resistance against the President Snow’s (Donald Sutherland) tyrannical Capitol. Of course, that journey also includes a complicated love triangle, which finds Katniss torn between baker/fellow Hunger Games survivor Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and hunky fellow hunting enthusiast Gale (Liam Hemsworth). By the time the credits roll, moviegoers get definitive resolutions on both stories, bringing the saga to a rich, powerful conclusion that somewhat redeems its more sluggish predecessor.

Right from its cold open, Mockingjay — Part 2 catches its audience off-guard and wastes little time in honing its focus on a small group of resistance fighters led by Katniss as they embark on a last-ditch attempt to infiltrate the Capitol in the hopes of assassinating President Snow. Many of the film’s sequences feature the same high-octane action as the arena sequences in previous films, and director Francis Lawrence — who also helmed the previous two sequels and bears no relation to the films’ star — ratchets up the suspense, making for some of the most thrilling moments in the franchise since Catching Fire as our heroes struggle against overwhelming odds.

As always, Lawrence is the heart and soul of the films, lending meaning and weight to every moment she’s onscreen. Her Katniss has always been emotionally fickle and constantly finding herself at the mercy of those around her, whether it is Snow, the Gamemakers or District 13’s President Coin (Julianne Moore). Mockingjay — Part 2 allows her to finally take a more active role in shaping not only her own life but the fate of Panem as a whole. In that way, the four-film series can be viewed as an empowering feminist story, as its protagonist evolves to the point of toppling governmental regimes.

In fact, where Mockingjay — Part 2 succeeds the most is its complex political and social commentary. The film depicts a world in which both sides of the conflict at hand are shaped by a desire for control, ambition and a distinct perspective about how best to wrangle the citizens of Panem “for the greater good”. Katniss, as it turns out, finds herself trapped firmly in the middle of it all, making her the ultimate audience proxy especially given the three-ring circus that has been the 2016 presidential campaign thus far.

Thanks to its subtext (and solid performances all around), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2 actually succeeds in creating that rare film adaptation that surpasses its source material. Whereas Collins’ novel was unnecessarily convoluted and overlong (a flaw that unfortunately carried over into the two-part film adaptation), the film bucks the book’s anti-climactic conclusion in favor of a message that is ultimately deeper than expected and a final chapter that brings the tale of Katniss Everdeen to a memorable close.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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