The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

            “The Hunger Games” films have definitely made an impact on this generation of film goers haven’t they? Being the next YA franchise that “Harry Potter” passed the torch onto, people have gone nuts for seeing more of what would be brought to the table in their film adaptations. And as you would have guessed, I am one of those people who grew to love the films.

            The first film, directed by Gary Ross, introduced movie goers to the heroine, Katniss Everdeen, an archer of District 12 who volunteers as tribute to the 74^th Annual Hunger Games, when her sister Primrose is selected. Afterwards, she and Peeta become part of this reality show of survival, and seeing the true brutal nature that the games really are. For a first film to bring you into this world that’s going to be a franchise, it did its job very well. At first, it just seemed like an Americanized “Battle Royale,” but I feel like this film managed to give itself its own identity. Though, my major complaint with the film is that the action scenes did have some poor cinematography. Aside from that, I enjoyed it very nicely.

            In the second film, “Catching Fire,” Katniss and Peeta return as the winners on tour to other districts, but witness more of President Snow’s brutality towards the people, when they inspire some district citizens to fight back. After a short break back at home, the two are thrown back into the 75^th Hunger Games, competing against previous winners, with Katniss being the subject for an upcoming revolution. Switching over to director Frances Lawrence’s hands, “Catching Fire” could have easily been a copy and paste of the first film with slight updates, but it goes beyond that. The film fleshes out the characters further, the action scenes are polished greatly, and it really keeps you on the edge of your seat with each passing second.

            The third film, “Mockingjay Part 1”, features Katniss suffering from post-traumatic stress after the games. Despite this, the rebels of District 13 make her inspire the other districts to join in on revolting against the Capitol’s reign, and help get the other winners after being captured. One of my favorite films of last year, “Mockingjay Part 1” had some really damn good build up to it, and also raised a lot of questions about the revolution and the Capitol, and who is really the side to trust. It may be frustrating that they separated the third book into two films, but I let that go with how well they handled “Part 1.” It is a propaganda film, so it should have a good build up to a rebellion.

            I felt like the series just keeps getting better and better with each passing film, so you can imagine that I was looking forward to “Mockingjay Part 2.” So opening day, my buddy Zack and I attend a showing for it.

            In “Mockingjay Part 2,” after recovering from Peeta’s assault on her, Katniss is put back to work to inspire the rebellion and gather troops. Going against Coin’s orders, Katniss and others set out to Panem’s Capitol, but Snow’s troops have a trick or two up their sleeve for the attack. Now, did I like the film? Of course, I really enjoyed watching the film…but I do have a few complaints about it.

For starters, there were some scenes that felt padded out than they needed to be, with some scenes that felt short on how they played out. For example, while I thought the ending was good, I felt like the very last part of the ending was a bit unnecessary, which did take away the emotional punch that the previous scene had. That seems to be my main complaint about the film, is that there are several moments that feel padded, and you can definitely feel it. Granted, it’s not as bad as when it was done in “The Hobbit,” but you get my point.

However, with how padded the scenes are, the ones that are underplayed were the mourning of characters deaths. We do see the mourning, but I felt like they should have spent a bit more time on it, to really allow the emotions to settle in, especially one involving a very crucial character, who I won’t say for the sake of keeping this spoiler free. I also noticed that there was a particular scene that was directly stolen from the movie, “Aliens.” If you’ve seen the film, you know what I’m talking about.

Aside from that, I still think the rest of the film is still strong. The production design is still amazing to look at, from the Capitol to the Districts, and even the underground tunnels. You really feel like you’re in this dystopian future that Suzanne Collins created, fighting alongside the Mockingjay and the rebellion. As for the action scenes we get, Frances Lawrence really did a bang up job with giving it a thrilling feel and that every step could be a trap just waiting to spring.

Jennifer Lawrence still does a fantastic job playing Katniss, the Mockingjay herself. I’ve heard people complain about her performance, saying that she looks bored through the whole movie, which I disagree with. Think about what Katniss has been through these past few movies: this is a woman who after going through two Hunger Games and almost dying on several occasions, one of which was being choked by Peeta. Looking at her in this installment, it tells me that she's just fed up and tired with all of this hell, and just wants it to finally end. It’s pretty clear that the events have her going through post-traumatic stress if you ask me. And with this being the last installment, Lawrence gives it her all, and still remains one of my favorite actresses.

Josh Hutcherson as Peeta has a lot of emotions going through this film after being rescued by the rebellion. Still recovering from the effects of the Tracker Venom that the Capitol gave him, there are plenty of moments that have him conflicting with his mental thinking, even attempting to kill Katniss again. Hutcherson’s display of this duel between his thoughts and the Capitol’s really makes for some interesting scenes, and keeps you on edge when the guy’s going to crack. Other cast members like Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, Donald Sutherland, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Jeffery Wright, and Willow Shields, really do an outstanding job for the film. I also got to give props to Phillip Seymour Hoffman, marking this as his official last appearance onscreen, after his tragic passing in early 2014. This man was a phenomenal actor, and he will be missed dearly.

As for how the rebellion turns out, it definitely got me thinking after watching it. At first, it seemed underwhelming, but after a while I did get what it was trying to represent. It tells us that no matter what, there’s always going to be a cycle of war and chaos, no matter what side you’re on. I think that’s what the message of the books is trying to get behind, showing us that nothing is ever going to change. There will always be corruption in politics, there’s always going to be harsh brutality, and as much as we try to fight it, the cycle is always likely to continue.

            Now the main question is would “Mockingjay” have settled better as one film? Well, I would say…yes and no. There are parts that were extended that I thought were executed really damn well, actually making it feel like it belonged, but at the same time there are moments that got extended that felt padded when other scenes would have been better suited longer. So I guess the decision was a bit of a mixed bag. I really enjoy both parts, and I look forward to buying them all on Blu-ray in one nice package.

            Overall, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” may not have reached my expectations, but I still enjoyed it immensely. Now that the series has ended its course on the big screen, where will it go from here? Will it follow the path of “Harry Potter,” and possibly develop a separate story in the universe, or will it be left as it is? And which YA film series will be passed on the torch to take its place? “Divergent?” “The Maze Runner?” Or could it possibly be “The 5^th Wave” coming out soon? Only time will tell. All that can be said left is that we’ve come to the end of another era, and a new one is set to begin soon. You truly were something, “Hunger Games.”

Rating: 9/10