The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2 Review

2015 in film

Nov 19

Preview

PG13: Intense Sequences of Violence and Action, and For Some Thematic Material
Lionsgate, Color Force
2 hrs and 17 Minutes
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Willow Shields, Natalie Dormer, Sam Clafin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marshela Ali, Elden Henson, with Julianne Moore, and Donald Sutherland

Editor’s Note: This review was originally published during my adolescence. Outdated language might be seen in these old posts. Since then, my thoughts and values have grown. This review is being presented as they were originally written, grammatical errors and typos and all. Because to do otherwise would be that same as claiming these flaws has never existed.

BACKSTORY: Wednesday November 18th, I go to the screening for the final installment of The Hunger Games franchise; Mockingjay Part 2. So I had my hopes set so high since how much the previous film was such a disappointment this had to live to its hype right? Right?

STORYLINE: 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.

REVIEW: It has been since 2012 we the audience were attached to Katniss Everdeen and the shit she went through in Hunger Games. As years progress just as the novels they were based on, the story kept building itself up for the penultimate revolution that it was leading up to. Where in the last Hunger Games film, you were hyped up to see how everything concludes once we saw Peeta freak out at Katniss and right in the beginning, they waste no time continuing the story. Since this was filmed back to back with Mockingjay Part 1, you can tell this was immediately continued after the last one ended. The first act starts out very slow but then picks up quickly once the actual revolution sets in. Somehow you realize after spending four years getting to know these characters you finally get to pin point their personalities and to be honest you get the sense on which characters are more useful than others, Usually people joke about how completely useless and pathetic Peeta is as a character, but girls still love him. But in the last film it's just sad how useless Peeta actually is. With the tendency of getting himself into trouble and not really fending for himself, he's more corrupt by constantly holding our heroes back since he was brainwashed. Even when Katniss is still thinking between him and Gale, it's obvious who her choice should be. Throughout the film Katniss makes very random decisions to an extent where it's hard to get behind her. Yet I'll damned if I didn't say that Lawrence bought her A game to this final film, because her delivery of dialogue in her most dramatic let alone emotional scenes are phenomenal especially in the final 5 minutes of the film. When the characters do step into the capitol and all hell breaks loose, the film's intensity cranks itself up to a 10. All of the action sequences will have you at the edge of your seat gasping for air because the sense of danger is so high that death is literally around every corner and every step they make. Where it does lead to is very compelling and shows a very strong subliminal message about politics that it gives somewhat of a plot twist to the film's ending. The film really does come to a good close to the franchise, but the huge bomb that this film took was the lack of emotion. There are a lot of major deaths in the film and none of them are emotional as they should be. With several characters that pass, you do want to cry, you do want to emote, because in the book the deaths are handled pretty heavily. Unfortunately the movie just shrug its shoulders and say "hey we got a story to finish we can't spend any time showing any emotion the characters that played a huge role in the franchise." The lack of emotional residence in this film is so off putting it made me miss Rue's death scene in the first film because the tears that came out my eyes there were genuine tears. Even the ending when we have to say the goodbye to the characters he spent so long to know, they literally just say bye. As opposed to other YA novel adaptation conclusions such as Harry Potter they had a sense of goodbye that made your heart melt and smile knowing you have finished their long journey. Hell even Twilight, a franchise with characters nobody even cared about had a very heartwarming goodbye that nearly made people cry. Even though the film ends on a nice touch, it doesn't give the heartfelt goodbye as it should.

LAST STATEMENT: The lack of emotional residence and sense of goodbye Mockingjay Part 2 needed is caged under a abundant amount of action though it does make for a thrilling, intense film with a very satisfying conclusion.