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| The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015) |
The biggest thing to address in this review is the same thing that I needed to address in my review for Mockingjay - Part 1: did this story warrant being split into two movies? I mentioned in that review that it seemed like it would have been difficult to cram the previous movie's story into half the runtime, and the same applies here. I can't think of how they could have gotten this story and these themes across accurately and effectively if they only had 2 hours. Splitting this story in half was the right approach, especially by the end. I can't say too much here, but let's just say that there were thoughts I had in Part 1 that I thought were interesting and hoped they would do more with, and they did exactly that in Part 2. This story has a lot of twists, but more importantly it has a lot of shifts in the dynamics between characters, and if you only had one movie to get from point A to point B, it just wouldn't have been as effective. So, yeah, in this case it does feel necessary, and even though this movie would go on to receive a lot of hate for doing so, I do feel like it was the right choice here.
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| Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark |
One of the cleverest things this movie does is take the siege of the Capitol and make it seem an awful lot like another Hunger Games. The movie's not exactly subtle about this, but it is effective. The traps, the warring factions, the deaths, it all feels like another Games, which is a good thing. It is the franchise's namesake, after all, and finding a way to incorporate your unique story element into a story which didn't require physically hosting a Hunger Games was a very clever touch. It doesn't feel forced, either. The movie provides a solid explanation for why the Capitol are running things how they are, and it does make sense. But the better part is that this particular 'Games' has significantly higher stakes than the previous ones. This is the future of the country on the line, rather than just a survival deathmatch. It's a lot darker now. I know, darker than kids hunting other kids, can you imagine it? A lot of really shocking stuff happens here, stuff that I certainly didn't see coming, and there are some of the best action scenes and plot-twists in the entire series in here. Well, everything except for the Mutts. Not that they were poorly executed, but I feel as though they didn't really fit in this world and they just came out of nowhere without much explanation. Maybe it's explained more in the books, but I'm not judging the books, I'm judging the movies, and as it is in here, it could have been done better.
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| Donald Sutherland as President Snow |
The cast is in fine form for their final outing. Josh Hutcherson still walks away with the gold-medal in my eyes, and Peeta's story in this movie is just amazing. At times I've felt as though it's been him who's been the emotional center of this story and not Katniss, but we'll get to her later. In his last role before sadly passing away, Philip Seymour Hoffman delivers another exceptional, if underused, performance, as does Woody Harrelson. Elizabeth Banks is also used well here, and I feel like this is the best that Effie's been, as her final scene was genuinely emotional. Julianne Moore also really impressed me here. In Part 1 I didn't really feel the need to discuss her or her character, as I didn't know yet where they were going to take her character. I had my suspicions, and had to wait until I saw what they did with her before I could make my judgment. Having seen where they went, I like what they did with her, I like Moore's performance, and I think it makes complete and total sense for this world to have her character turn out how she did. Donald Sutherland also delivers a delightfully malicious performance after getting a glimpse of it at the end of Part 1.
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| Julianne Moore as President Coin |
But, this is the main event, here we go: Katniss is finally an interesting character. Hallelujah, it finally happened! The Mockingjay herself, the titular character of this story is finally an interesting character on her own! Praise the Lord! It's worth noting that this is Lawrence's best performance in the role, especially by the end, but that's only a part of what makes her so compelling here. Here we finally get to see why everyone considered her the face of the rebellion, as she actually properly rebels here. A lot of it comes down to the themes discussed and the more interesting plot-twists, so I can't really discuss much of it without giving away spoilers. Just know that it's the first time she's said something along the lines of 'It's all my fault' where I've genuinely felt bad for her. As she unravels the layers of deceit, it allows her an opportunity to stand on her own and make decisions for herself that go beyond just Primrose, and though that is still a big part of it, I'm very happy what they did with Katniss by the end. Not making her suck was an inspired choice.
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| Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen |
So, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015) is the best in the franchise. It just is. I know a few of my friends who dislike the Hunger Games and may or may not have seen it, and to them I say, 'Don't be teenage me.' Give it a chance. You might end up loving it. I know I have. 9.5/10.
Tomorrow: it's Terminator Genisys.
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