Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
All good things must come to an end, right? And after a year we finally have The Hunger Game: Mockingjay Part 2. This movie acts as a second part. There's no set up. No review. Part 1 ended with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) choking Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) after he was rescued from the Capital. Part 2 starts with her getting her neck brace off to check for bruising and vocal damage. That's all the lead up you get. Rebellion is building throughout the districts, district 2, the soldiers of Panem, has yet to join the districts in support, and war is about to overtake the Capitol. The center of Panem is about to become the new Hunger Games.
Mockingjay is based on the controversial book by Suzanne Collins. Controversial because many fans didn't like it. I almost didn't read Hunger Games at all because a friend told me not to bother with the series, as she didn't like the last book. After several months of pondering I finally downloaded Hunger Games to my Kindle, and ironically Mockingjay turned out to be my favorite book. It breaks from the formulaic structure of the first two novels, where the three act structure was 1. Deal with emotions in District 12, 2. venture to the Capitol for training, and 3. Survive the Hunger Games.
In Mockingjay Katniss finds herself in the secret, recently unknown District 13, and for a book that's actually slow in pace, this single book was split into 2 movies. Honestly, there could have been one movie with a tighter plot. Here we get a movie that's somewhat lackluster in parts. The reasons why I love the book got lost in the movie's narrative and year long intermission.
Where in the first movie (stupid handheld jiggles aside, rendering Hunger Games unwatchable), it was nice seeing the story without hearing Katniss's thoughts and ponders. In this new movie I started to miss her analysis and inner snark. The final scene between Katniss and Gale (Liam Hemsworth), doesn't have the same "oomph" as the book. The fact that I had to explain final points and character motivations to my Dad, who hasn't read the book, is proof story material got lost in translation. The fact that this single book had to parts, and didn't fully explain or mention a couple points isn't good. And also, some favorite moments from the book didn't even make the movie!! Peeta's wedding cake for Finnick's wedding didn't make it! All of Peeta's character development during his time in 13 didn't make the movie. There's a few scenes, but it's not the same.
This movie is not a standalone. And in all honesty, if you haven't watched any of the previous movies this movie would be a waste of time, it's that dependent on Part 1. As a conclusion it works. Is it a great sendoff to such a popular series? I'm not sure. The final narrative in the book's epilogue was more impactful then the film.
I'm glad it's over.
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and for some thematic material.
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