I liked it much better than the first movie! It fixed a few things that bugged me about the first movie, like getting rid of the shaky cam. Didn't see the twists coming either. And I really like Finnick and Johanna as characters. I've only read the first book, but I'm one of those people who liked the movies better because I felt underwhelmed by the books being told in 1st person from Katniss's POV.

Regarding Katniss "going soft," that's not true at all. What's happening is that she's experiencing PTSD. And who wouldn't after participating in the Hunger Games? :/