So the end has finally come to one of the most popular books to film series of all-time. For the record, The Hunger Games series has garnered over One Billion in Box Office money through the first three films. The girl on fire losses a bit of that spark that seem to peak with the second film, Catching Fire. Everything that made the first two so special is only a shadow of its former self by the end of this fourth installment. Warning, spoilers ahead…
Picking up exactly where Part 1 ended, we see a battered and bruised Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) trying to understand what has happened to Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) after being brainwashed by the evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Breaking up Mockingjay into two parts the way they did broke any momentum part two hoped to achieve as we spend a good portion of the first act rehashing the past. Once we get through this stage, Mockingjay, Part 2 reestablishes itself and we once again find ourselves fully vested in Katniss Everdeen’s quest for revenge against the Capital and President Snow.
However, Katniss also finds that she is very much a pawn in President Coin’s (Julianne Moore) efforts to take control of the Capitol herself. This is where things get very interesting for Katniss and decisions need to be made. Who can she trust? Everyone has something to gain and she is the common denominator in that equation regardless if she lives or dies. The face of the enemy is ever evolving.
The highlight of the film takes place when Katniss, Gale (Liam Hemsworth) and Peeta along with a group of rebel soldiers infiltrate the Capitol city in order to shoot propaganda film to help rally the surviving districts and its rebellion. However, the Capital is booby-trapped with mine field like pods that when triggered, unleashes hell. Whether it’s a massive tidal wave of oil or machine guns, the group must find a way to navigate through this. Katniss, on the other hand, has her own agenda and that’s to assassinate President Snow and end this war once and for all.
With each passing film, Katniss becomes a darker more complex character. She was elevated to almost a godlike status by some who looked at her as a symbol of hope while others looked at her as a symbol of fear. Either way, she was very much human and flawed, as we all are. She also embodied what’s great about the human spirit to endure and stare down injustice. The underlying message behind The Hunger Games has always been a reflection of the world we live in today. Whether it’s politics or social status, look no further than the headlines and events that dominate our news stories and you’ll understand what I mean.
The biggest flaw for Mockingjay, Part 2 is that it suffers mainly from greed and a cash grab by the studio. This concluding chapter of the “trilogy” of books took over 4+ hours to bring us closure. Parts 1 and 2 have many fine elements of exciting action between them. But underwhelming fluff and long periods of boring dialogue mar them from being better than they should have been. Take an hour from each film and you’ve got something that matches the epic quality of the first two.
Even though the general consensus is that while a second part wasn’t necessary, other than to extend its box office life, those who have invested their time and money will still find Mockingjay, Part 2 thanks to an exciting final act, a somewhat satisfying conclusion to a worthy hero named Katniss Everdeen.
PG-13 136 min
Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Julianne Moore, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks with Philip Seymour Hoffman & Donald Sutherland
THE HUNGER GAMES MOCKINGJAY, PART 2 – ***1/2 (Out of 5 stars)
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
