For the third time so far, the final instalment of a YA film franchise based on a bestselling book has been split into two halves. It worked with Harry Potter, it was a cynical and pointless exercise with the largely plotless Breaking Dawn, but was it a good idea for Mockingjay, the second sequel to the hugely successful Hunger Games?

While plenty happens in this movie, the split becomes obvious in that it doesn’t so much end as simply stop – albeit on a tantalising cliffhanger. Author Suzanne Collins’s themes of cynical media exploitation and government oppression continue as Katniss Everdeen, survivor of two Hunger Games, finds that where she was once the public face for the evil Capitol, she is now expected to do the same for the rebels based in District 13. In the meantime she must cope with severe PTSD, and her fears for love interest Peeta, who has been taken prisoner by the Capitol and is being tortured in captivity. Jennifer Lawrence provides another excellent performance, as do newcomers to the series Julianne Moore and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Josh Hutcherson is also a standout as the increasingly damaged Peeta, though Liam Hemsworth as rival love interest Gale remains largely uninteresting.

The split was perhaps unnecessary, but Mockingjay Part 1 remains an intelligent, entertaining and highly watchable movie, which should satisfy fans while leaving them hungry for more.