The Facts:
Synopsis: As the war of Panem escalates to the destruction of other districts by the Capitol, Katniss Everdeen, the reluctant leader of the rebellion, must bring together an army against President Snow, while all she holds dear hangs in the balance.
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Natalie Dormer, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Michelle Forbes
Director: Francis Lawrence
Rated: PG-13
Running Length: 137 minutes
Trailer Review: Here
TMMM Score: (8/10)
Review: Unlike many readers of Suzanne Collins trilogy of novels, I wasn’t as disappointed in the final entry as most. For me, all three books had their high and low points but Mockingjay was the one that felt like it had the most consequences within its pages. It wasn’t an easy read with the fates of several characters being painfully revealed so it was with great trepidation that I approached The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 because I knew what lay ahead.
I still feel deep down inside that Mockingjay should have been released as one long movie. Audiences are willing to sit through a three hour (cinema) tour if the characters are appealing and the story engaging and I spent the first hour of Part 2 thinking that it came across as the middle part of a longer film, opening with the part where the action dips and audiences are given a breather before the final act begins. It was a mistake on my part to not re-watch Part 1 before because the film isn’t concerned with bringing anyone up to speed. Needless to say, I can’t write a review of Part 2 without including some spoilers from the previous films so…you’ve been warned.
Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook, as usual investing herself 130%) is still reeling after being violently reunited with a brainwashed Peeta (Josh Hutcherson, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island), her former ally and would-be love interest. That pushes her back into the arms of brawny Gale (Liam Hemsworth, The Expendables 2) and she still can’t seem to make-up her mind as to who she believes she should be with. There’s no time for dewy eyed romance though with the final drive underway by the rebel army to seize the Capitol and destroy President Snow (Donald Sutherland, Ordinary People) before he can deploy more troops to wipe them off the map.
With the rebels being led by President Coin (Julianne Moore, Still Alice, looking fierce with a short haircut, cat-like contacts, and a wardrobe that feels Jetsons-esque) under the advisement of Plutarch (the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master, in his last film role), Katinss finds a way back to the front line after being remanded to merely being the figurehead mascot of a force of people fighting for their freedom. Katniss has her sights set on Snow and will do anything to be the one to end his reign, if she (along with a small band of allies and officers) can avoid the booby trapped city blocks that lie ahead.
I never noticed it until my partner pointed it out to me but with its prominent golden eagles and red color schemes, the leaders in the Capitol have a distinct Nazi vibe going on. Themes of oppression and barbarism plague our real-life news feed and Collins’ novels tapped into some of that. While her world has definite fantastical elements, the underlying message of independence hard won is prescient.
The film is light on softness, deciding instead to keep its edges razor sharp and unforgiving. It’s not, I repeat not, a movie parents should remotely consider bringing their young children to. I’d ask parents to heed the PG-13 rating and know that it probably should have carried an R due to the amount of violence and frightening sequences of death. The carnage here is a far cry from the good old days of the first movie where young prospects picked each other off to become the victor of The Hunger Games. Here, the losses are devastating and uncompromising…making for emotional and exhaustive viewing.
After taking over for original director Gary Ross, Francis Lawrence (no relation to our star) has helmed the remaining films and done so without making concessions. From the production elements to the costume design and make-up, there’s a fully realized world on display, one that resembles ours but feels distant. Is it futuristic? Other-worldly? Yes and yes…but it also feels like it could be happening mere years from now. That’s a scary thought and one not to dwell too much on.
Since the first film was released, Jennifer Lawrence has become a true movie star with an Oscar under her belt yet she doesn’t show any signs of boredom with her involvement here. Other actresses may have started phoning these in once the first checks had cleared but Lawrence takes her job seriously…maybe a bit too seriously at times. No matter, the film has become the success it has largely due to her and the emotional depth she’s brought to a complicated character. Hutcherson too has evolved nicely over the course of the films, not just as his character but as an actor.
The main players involved are all given their due (even if Hoffman’s final speech is relegated to being read by Woody Harrelson, Now You See Me) and the good-byes have a sting to them. Watch the final shot of the exquisitely styled Elizabeth Banks (Man on a Ledge) as Effie Trinket and you’ll see how so much can be sadness can be conveyed with a single expression. I wish there were more for Jena Malone to do as Johanna Mason, a tough as nails former victor that both reviles and envies Katniss. Malone made a grand entrance in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and has been a value add to the series ever since. The final moments of the film may come off as maudlin and treacly to the more jaded among us but it feels like a fitting tying off of a well taken care of commodity.
There’s talk of the studio working on a new sequel or a prequel and I would beg of them to drop it. There’s plenty more YA literature waiting for their moment in the cinematic sunshine and the four films that have comprised The Hunger Games franchise have earned their chance to be distinguished. Don’t muck it up.