The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 proves that old adage that good things come to those who wait. Not that any of the other chapters were faulty, they were far from it. But director Francis Lawrence and all involved have saved the best for last and closed out The Hunger Games series with a literal bang.
The film commences right where Mockingjay Part 1 left off. Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) has been rescued, but he’s not himself. In fact, he’s been re-wired to try and kill Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) — and almost did. She hardly has a voice as our story begins because of Peeta’s attempted strangling of her. It doesn’t take long for her to find it and this film to find its own.
A revolution is not just brewing, it is in full swing. All but District 2 is under President Coin and the rebels’ control and things close to the Capitol are delicate to put it mildly.
Katniss and a team is put together to film propaganda videos in District 2’s front lines to help solidify support for the rebellion. Before long, they’ll pulled into life or death battles that are beyond terrifying. Many moments make what she experienced in The Hunger Games seem pale in comparison.
The ultimate goal for Katniss (even if she doesn’t share it with anyone) is to make it to the Capitol and to assassinate President Snow (Donald Sutherland). How she tries to accomplish that and how she might even put herself in a position where that is possible is much of the crux of Mockingjay Part 2. The outstanding cast that has assembled for this series, including Oscar winners Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, are true supporting players in this final chapter. The spotlight is firmly on Lawrence and her powerful and career-making turn as Katniss. After all, Suzanne Collins’ book series has always been about The Girl on Fire, aka The Mockingjay.
As for the two men who do their own battles over her heart, Gale (Liam Hemsworth) is given a little more to do than in past films and Peeta is struggling with sanity, constantly asking what’s real and what’s not. In that vein, Hutcherson is superb. He turns in a performance that goes toe-to-toe with the Oscar winner that is Lawrence. He has to dig deep to capture the emotions he’s channeling and does so with major aplomb. Hemsworth, on the other hand, does what he can with the role, but he is more soldier and less emotional pillar in this particular story.
What has always struck The Movie Mensch about the entire The Hunger Games series is it is supremely darker than any other of the YA series that came before it or since — from The Maze Runner to Twilight. The fact that it resonates more with audiences, and we think will stand the test of time more than those other series, is a testament to the novels of Collins — in that she penned a world that mirrors our time.
The Hunger Games arrived for a generation that grew up after 9/11. The world got noticeably darker in real life after that fateful day. Some are frankly surprised that so many young people are drawn to a story about a world where teenagers and children are pitted against each other in a battle to the death and also where the winner of those games would rise up and lead a rebellion against a ruthless dictator who stops at nothing to ensure his power remains supreme.
Mockingjay Part 2 is, therefore, a dark film. Its ending is not clean. There are casualties that fans know all-too-well about and for those who didn’t read the books, they may have issues with some character’s fates. But that is why we find it so striking. The entire series is really about war. War does not chose victims or favorites and instead leaves blood on the hands of all those involved, most notably the innocent. In the real world, we are in a constant war against an enemy that lurks in the shadows and also kills without discrimination. So, why should our popular culture entertainment take a different tone?
Lawrence, rightfully, kept the dark tone of the concluding chapter and also rightfully broke the Mockingjay book into two parts. Some felt that Part 1 was a disappointment. It merely was a set-up for Part 2. Once Mockingjay Part 2 lands on home video, this writer looks forward to watching Mockingjay Part 1 and Mockingjay Part 2 back-to-back to get the full feel of the rare effective film closing to a long-running series.
Mockingjay Part 2 not only makes Part 1 a better film, it elevates the entire series.
Grade: A-