The Hunger Games

FredHayek wrote: The Philip Seymour Hoffman scenes were created after his death. I don't know exactly how, but that could explain why he was off. Plan to see it this weekend but the wife might win out and we will see Penguins of Madagascar.

No, they were not.

Philip Seymour Hoffman Was Nearly Finished Shooting ‘Hunger Games’
Andrew Stewart and Dave McNary
February 2, 2014

According to Lionsgate, the majority of Hoffman’s scenes had been completed, with just seven days left to shoot on “Mockingjay — Part 2.”

‘Hunger Games: Mockingjay’ Director Didn’t Use CGI for Philip Seymour Hoffman Scenes
Maane Khatchatourian
@MaaneKhat
November 15, 2014

We’ll be seeing less of Philip Seymour Hoffman in “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay” films than initially expected as director Francis Lawrence has revealed that he didn’t utilize CGI to finish Hoffman’s remaining scenes.

Hoffman had almost completed his turn as Plutarch Heavensbee for the final two installments of the “Hunger Games” franchise, “Mockingjay – Part 1″ and “Mockingjay – Part 2,” when he died on February 2 from mixed drug intoxication. Lawrence said that the creative team shied away from using “digital trickery” to replace Hoffman.

“He had two scenes with dialogue that were left and we decided we didn’t want to try any kind of digital trickery with him, so we rewrote his scenes and gave his dialogue to other actors,” he said. “So there was one scene from ‘Part 1′ and one scene from ‘Part 2,’ so we shot both movies back to back.”

Those two articles above are not the only two that are out there, I just didn't want to inundate you with sources. Multiple sources say one scene from each movie wasn't complete as they were only days from wrapping and that they didn't digitally do his last two scenes - what you see in the movie is really him.

I don't know if he had been using again for a while, or had lost his battle just that once and it killed him so there's no way to know if it affected his performance. It could've been crappy shooting/editing/dialog, whatever, that made his performance seem off. I just know I'll miss seeing his brilliance from here on out.

This reminded me why I liked this series so much. A strong female lead and breaking relationship stereotypes that I think is so important to do for young adults, especially girls.

How “The Hunger Games” Challenges Old Hollywood Expectations About Gender Roles
Peeta Mellark, damsel in distress.
Alison Willmore
Nov. 22, 2014

If Katniss is a deliberate departure from the classic romantic heroine, happier carving up a deer in the forest than being on display in a ballgown on stage, Peeta also seems carefully calibrated to subvert assumptions about how a male love interest should look and behave. Katniss is the hunter while Peeta is the baker — she’s the skilled archer where his skills lie in camouflage. Katniss rushes into action while Peeta is better with strategy and PR.

Rather than have Katniss easily gravitate to the obvious choice — Gale, who’s just like her, only bigger, burlier, and more capable of ruthlessness — The Hunger Games is doing something genuinely interesting in having her learn to appreciate Peeta’s softer qualities, and having those traits not be a sign that he’s doomed to be a friend but never a lover. Peeta may require the occasional rescuing, but Katniss is more than capable of figuring that out, and in flipping these roles, The Hunger Games has become a YA adaptation that shakes up the way we think about action, and — maybe more importantly — about romance.

If you haven't read the books, you might not want to read this next story. Reading what the filmmakers intend for Part 2, it gives me a teensy glimmer of hope that the last movie might not be as frustrating as the book ending was.
How A Big Change In “Mockingjay – Part 1” Will Affect “Part 2”
The filmmakers behind the final Hunger Games movies talk to BuzzFeed News about Katniss’ motivation and how dark the climactic film will be. WARNING: ALL OF THE SPOILERS ahead.
Adam B. Vary
Nov. 25, 2014

The reason, according to the filmmakers, had to do with the decision to break Mockingjay into two movies, and allow each film to have a clear objective.

I still hate the ending of this one but perhaps they will change it some from the book so it'll be more palatable. Time will tell. Pretty epic trailer!