Despite the
massive success of The Hunger Games franchise, I have been highly skeptical of
the young adult book adaptations since the original 2012 release. The first
film gave me pause due to a remarkable number of similarities the PG-13 film
shared with a far edgier R-rated Japanese film from 2000. But despite what
seemed like blatant borrowing, The Hunger Games was engaging enough to draw my
curiosity to the sequel. I somehow assumed that the continuation of “The Hunger
Games” in the title ensured the film would finish with another climactic
sequence within the games, and was extremely letdown to discover the film
utilized a ‘deus ex machine’ moment to remove all significant characters from
the action before the Hunger Games completed. This would be like releasing a
film called Batman v Superman where the film ends just before they are about to
fight. I felt cheated by the title and annoyed at the convenient removal of the
only interesting dilemma in the franchise. My frustration was only carried over
into the second sequel, which had no Hunger Games and no worthwhile action or
plot.
Many criticized The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, saying that it wasn’t enough
movie on its own and the final book should not have been split into two films.
I agreed with this point until I finally watched Part 2, and now I just wish the second and third films had been
combined, or better yet, been left out entirely. It may have taken two
obnoxiously flawed, money-grabbing sequels, but The Hunger Games franchise finally got the last film right. Mockingjay Part 2 builds off of the
emotional resonance of its storyline without losing the action elements which
made the first film a success. Better yet, the film actually has an ending,
unlike the last two films to come out of the franchise. I know my criticism and
reviews will do little to stop every single stupid young adult novel being
split up in its last installment, if only to bleed its fanbase for an
additional ticket price, but I have to speak up for the sacredness of art over
commerce. This film is a fantastic conclusion, but I only wish I could have
entered the viewing without the bad taste left in my mouth by the last two
sequels.
Jennifer Lawrence returns to one of three
roles that she plays (yes, I’m including everything from David O. Russell as
the same performance) as a now damaged Katniss Everdeen decides to take the
fate of the rebellion into her own hands by leading a team to assassinate
Panem’s tyrannical President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Along the way she leads
on both of the men in the obligatory YA love triangle (thanks to Twilight, every single tired franchise
with a leading female must also have two men desperately vying for her
attention), though this situation is resolved without Katniss ever having to
actually choose between Peeta (Josh Hutcherson, with the worst character name
in recent history) or Gale (Liam Hemsworth, with a close second).
But these are all further critiques
of what doesn’t work, whereas the effectiveness of this final chapter comes
with the willingness to return to brutal traps and games that made the first
film a success. As Katniss and her team of rebels travel to the capitol to kill
Snow, they must first pass through a series of mazes and traps set out by their
foe. While it is not the same as the hunger games (take note, the title still
doesn’t make sense), at least there is finally some of the war-like action
within this film, picking off the heroes even if they aren’t battling each
other.
Beyond the actual narrative, this is
also the most technically efficient of the Hunger
Games films, including fantastic production design and only a few bad CGI
effects (which look remarkably similar to director Francis Lawrence’s I Am Legend monsters). The look of this
film nearly elevates the material beyond the somewhat predictable soap opera
and comic book action, forcing me to take it nearly as seriously as the film
takes itself. Mockingjay Part 2 may
be humorless and a bit hokey, but it was so well made that I was able to
forgive the shortcomings and become swept up in the narrative more than any
other installment in the franchise, possibly even the first.
The Blu-ray combo pack comes with a
DVD and Digital HD copy of the film, along with over 5 hours of bonus features.
The highlight of the extras comes in an 8-part making-of featurette (because
apparently even the special features need to be split up) and an audio
commentary track with director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson.
There is also a photo gallery, artwork from the costume design, and a
featurette on the Hunger Games Exhibit, which found yet another way to cash in
on the faithful fanbase.
Entertainment Value:
8.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 8/10
Historical Significance:
7/10
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