I'll start out with my disappointments.

I really hated that they took out Johanna's "I don't care if you are knocked out, I'll rip your throat out" line, as well as the Second Quarter Quell. I was expecting that they would take them out, but I was hoping I was wrong. I think they should have kept in the foreshadowing about District 13 somewhere- I get why they cut out Bonnie and Twill, but they should have found another way to foreshadow them. I think they should've put in a little more about District 12- it's hard to feel that much loss about it considering we met very few District 12 people- we didn't even see Gale or Peeta's family. I also thought we should have seen more of the Careers- I mean, even a small scene where they discuss their plans would've worked.

In terms of the positives, I absolutely loved the shot of the turkey turning into Marvel, in order to show Katniss's PSTD, as well as Katniss's nightmares.

Jena Malone absolutely stole the show. I've liked Jena Malone since seeing Life as As A House and Saved and I'm glad she's getting a big spotlight. She was perfection in the part- the stripping scene was even more hilarious in the movie than it was in the book, and she was pitch-perfect. And the scene where she and Katniss go off to the jungle with Katniss clearly not wanting to had just the right amount of tension, leading up to Johanna ripping out the tracker.

I did think their interpretation of Finnick was interesting- he was a bit more silent, and he didn't feel as much of a friend to Katniss, which is why it makes sense that she really thought about killing him. I do hope they bring back more of Katniss's great friendship banter with Finnick in the third movie. I also hope they tone down the make-up- he was far more attractive in the jungle scenes without the heavy make-up they had on him earlier in the movie. The thick bronzer made Finnick look like he had far more wrinkles than a 24-year old should have. (Although I'm wondering about the age thing, because apparently Annie Cresta's games were only 5 years ago, making her 23, but the woman they picked for Annie is clearly in her early/mid-30's. Eh, at least she's not playing a teenager.)

I think Liam Hemsworth improved a lot from the first film, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he does with the plot of Mockingjay. Although I really didn't think they should have had them kiss more than once- one of the bits about Gale and Katniss's relationship is that there's an ambiguity to it- Gale clearly loves her, while Katniss is more ambiguous. She COULD love him as more than a brother, but can't entertain those feelings while they're stuck in such a harsh, brutal existence. I felt like they clearly played up the love triangle here more than the book did.

Effie's character growth was so well-done by Elizabeth Banks- you can really feel the difference between the first reaping scene, and this second one. Effie was a bundle of joy in the Hunger Games and was excited at the action of having someone volunteer for the Games, but now that she's grown fond of Katniss, it's much harder for her to pull out the slip of paper. And the gold bracelet scene was so subtle but beautifully conveyed that Effie was now completely on their side.

The Rue tribute and ensuing execution scene were so well-done. Really translated beautifully. Did you guys notice that Rue's family didn't have the father, which would suggest that he had been killed in the District 11 uprising from the first film? What a great detail. I was really also glad that they kept in Peeta's painting of Rue, which was one of my favorite bits from the book.

Finally, I loved the last scene, of Katniss going through the shock, sadness, and then steely determination for revenge all playing out on her face.

Overall, I thought the movie was a strong sequel- it lacked the cinema verite style that the first one had, but I was pleased. Bring on Mockinjay!