The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 is the fourth and final instalment of the Hunger Games franchise based off of the second half of Suzanne Collin's novel "Mockingjay". The film is a culmination of everything that has come before it, and follows Katniss Everdeen as she leads the rebellion against the evil President Snow and marches towards the Capitol in one final push to overthrow his oppressive regime over the people of Panem.
Now first and foremost I think its important for me to add that I am not a Hunger Games super fan as I haven't read the books. Every time I go in to the theatre to watch a Hunger Games film I'm always completely unaware of what's about to unfold in front of me. I'm not one of those people that completely slates a film because they missed out that one important scene from the books, I always create my own opinion based on how much I enjoy the movie as its own entity.
So because I had no idea what was about to unfold in this saga's final instalment, I was always interested to see where these characters would go. I was always captivated by the story that was unfolding, and I was particularly impressed with some of the directions they take with the narrative and the way in which the film positioned characters in relation to each other. For example, I've never really been a huge fan of the character of "Peeta" in these films, but in Mockingjay Part 2 I have to say Peeta stole the entire film. Josh Hutcherson's portrayal made Peeta more vulnerable than he's ever been before. He's a damaged, broken man for the majority of the movie's runtime and was the one character who developed the best for sure.
Jennifer Lawrence is typically brilliant with her performance as she really has the character of Katniss locked down tight. There is one scene in particular where she flexes her acting muscles, but a lot of the time her performance is very subdued. I think the combination of both of these factors perfectly embodied the character of Katniss; an emotionally damaged woman, but one who is determined to do what is right and is focused completely on her goals.
And Mockingjay Part 2 is so much more action packed than Part 1. In fact I have to say that Francis Lawrence and the production crew did an excellent job at crafting and executing some really terrific and exciting action sequences. I think my favourite scene of the entire film is definitely the "sewer" scene, where Katniss and co. are being attacked by these vile "Mutt" creatures. That scene was incredibly suspenseful, and maintained a consistently high level of thrills throughout, which I was very happy to see. I just wish that there were more of these scenes.
The major problem I have with Mockingjay Part 2 (aside from the love triangle which I've just come to accept and live with) is its dire handle on pacing. Part 1 was an incredibly slow and meditative film with no pay off whatsoever. Part 2 on the other hand does have pay off with some really intense action sequences and some powerful, bleak imagery, but it's still so excruciatingly slow on way too many occasions. This is the final film of the saga; it should be an exciting, action-packed and have an emotionally impactful ending. Instead, the film seems to grind to a halt in way too many instances.
The film's handle on pacing is actually quite atrocious. Not only does it grind the movie down to a stand still when characters should be involved in intense sequences, it also seems to speed up in the moments where the film should slow down and deliver that emotional punch. As it is the final instalment of the saga, people die in this film. When these characters do die, the movie glosses over them entirely. Surely these are the moments where the movie should wind down as opposed to just them resting in sewers or hiding in a tiger lady's basement?
I believe the Mockingjay book should have been adapted into one film. I think much like Part 1, Part 2 suffers from having way too many unnecessary scenes put in to extend the runtime and justify the movie's length. The film's ending perfectly reflects this. It goes for a "Return of the King" like ending only this time it doesn't feel like it is the closing of a book. Instead it feels like a string of scenes which were loosely tacked on in post. I feel the film could have ended 4 times before it did.
But just because I feel like a lot of this movie is way too slow doesn't mean I can't recommend you seeing it. I feel like fans of the Hunger Games novels and the films will take a lot of enjoyment from this film. I didn't dislike the film at all, I was very interested in the direction they took the story and how they fleshed out certain characters, plus the action was entertaining. I just can't possibly justify how slow this film is considering it should have been a non-stop thrill ride. Is it worth seeing in theatres? I'm not sure. But you'll probably go and see it anyway:
Rating - C+
Thanks for reading,
Matt
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