The Hunger Games Mocking Jay Part 2
Director:
Francis Lawrence
Novel:
Suzanne Collin
Cast:
Review:
So now we have the absolute, ultimate, this-time-we-mean-it finale of the “The Hunger Games” series, the clunkily titled “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.” But really, if we’re talking about things like art and narrative drive—which actually can and do exist in this franchise—a single film would have worked just fine. Last year’s “Mockingjay – Part 1” felt like one long placeholder. It featured a lot of wheel spinning and repetitive imagery, and it served as a glaring reminder of what a cynical cash grab this finale-splitting business truly is.
With the exception of a couple of truly dazzling action set pieces, “Mockingjay – Part 2” provides more of the same. The stakes are higher because this is the end—It really is this time!—but the first hour or so of returning director’s film is legitimately nap-inducing. From the very first moments, when Jannefer Lawrance's Katniss Everdeen struggles to speak her name as the late, great looks on sadly as gamesmaker-turned-ally Plutarch Heavensbee, it’s just unrelentingly dour, even for a film set in a dystopian future. Mercifully, the script from and g offers a few glimmers of sardonic humor, including quips from katiness fellow victor, the quick-witted Johanna.
It would be reasonable for us to hope for something better, however. Based on Suzazns Collin’ best-selling trilogy, “The Hunger Games” series has set the gold standard for all adaptations of post-apocalyptic Young Adult novels. “Divergent,” “The Maze Runner” “The Grive"—regardless of when the actual books came out, they always seemed like knock-offs of “The Hunger Games” films in terms of narrative thrills, weighty themes, production values and star-studded casts. The presence of serious, seasoned actors like Hoffman, Donald, Julieen, Woody, Stanley and Jreffry gave these movies a gravitas but also elevated them above your expectations for material aimed at angsty tweens. They were violent, exciting blockbusters but they were also About Something—at least the first two movies were.
With the exception of a couple of truly dazzling action set pieces, “Mockingjay – Part 2” provides more of the same. The stakes are higher because this is the end—It really is this time!—but the first hour or so of returning director’s film is legitimately nap-inducing. From the very first moments, when Jannefer Lawrance's Katniss Everdeen struggles to speak her name as the late, great looks on sadly as gamesmaker-turned-ally Plutarch Heavensbee, it’s just unrelentingly dour, even for a film set in a dystopian future. Mercifully, the script from and g offers a few glimmers of sardonic humor, including quips from katiness fellow victor, the quick-witted Johanna.
It would be reasonable for us to hope for something better, however. Based on Suzazns Collin’ best-selling trilogy, “The Hunger Games” series has set the gold standard for all adaptations of post-apocalyptic Young Adult novels. “Divergent,” “The Maze Runner” “The Grive"—regardless of when the actual books came out, they always seemed like knock-offs of “The Hunger Games” films in terms of narrative thrills, weighty themes, production values and star-studded casts. The presence of serious, seasoned actors like Hoffman, Donald, Julieen, Woody, Stanley and Jreffry gave these movies a gravitas but also elevated them above your expectations for material aimed at angsty tweens. They were violent, exciting blockbusters but they were also About Something—at least the first two movies were.
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