MOVIE REVIEW: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)

Adventure, Sci-Fi

Directed By: Francis Lawrence 

All things must come to an end, and despite the studio's best efforts to bleed the franchise as long as possible, such is the case for box office juggernaut The Hunger Games. After nearly four years of following Katniss Everdeen through two Games and the beginning stages of a revolution the time has come to finally meet the end of her journey. Unfortunately, due to the money making ability of the property the studio went the Harry Potter route and split the final book into two movies. For better or worse this is what we were given and after seeing Part 1 and being pleasantly surprised by how entertaining the setup was I couldn't wait to see the final payoff. Staying quite faithful to the source material this final movie is action packed and emotionally distressing as we see the people of the districts give their final sacrifices for freedom. 

Due to being split into two movies, Part 2 of Mockingjay picks up right in the middle of the story leading into the rebellions attack on the capitol. They have just rescued Peeta from the clutches of President Snow, who has completely hijacked his mind in an attempt to turn him into Katniss would be assassin. Despite all that is going on however it is time for them to start their final assault on the capital and end this war for good. Much like in the first part, Katniss is used as propaganda for the rebellion. She and her unit are to stay behind the main attack and use their position to inspire the remaining troops and people throughout the districts. This is no cake walk though as the entire capital is rigged with "PODS", sadistic traps created by the game makers of the hunger games to stop any invading forces. The longer they can survive the better the chance the rest of the army has of making it to Snow's mansion and winning their war. In the Words of Finnick "Welcome to the 76th Annual Hunger Games". 

Mockingjay Part 2 is a fine ending to a franchise and a good send off of one of pop culture's favorite characters, yet it still felt a little flat compared to the other movies of the series. Yes it was packed to the brim with action and the PODS were done incredibly but it lacked weight. Some key character deaths and important moments lacked the emotional depth that you'd expect and it's directly related to the fact that this is a part two to a book that was barely 300 pages long. Stretching this story into two movies that each are over two hours was just too much and it ultimately fell to many of the same problems the two final Hobbit movies did as well. Splitting the story into separate movies meant that all of the setup and character specific moments happen in the first part so by the time we finally get to see the finale all of those moments are forgotten. This makes it difficult to connect with many of the characters in their biggest moments, ultimately killing all the emotion of the scene. 

This isn't to say the movie is a failure though, when something is making as much money as this franchise has it comes as no surprise that the people in charge of it would want to make that money as long as possible, so this was inevitable. Francis Lawrence has done an amazing job with this franchise and this final film is no exception. He captures the brutality of the war and the bleak reality of this world to near perfection and as a fan of the books I couldn't be happier with what he has done for these movies. Jennifer Lawrence gives one last knock out performance as Katniss and all of our other favorite players are back as well. Peeta, Haymitch, Effie, Prim, Gale and all the rest reprise their roles for one last time and give their send off to these beloved characters. 

With the amount of money this property has made I doubt this is the end of this universe on screen but one thing is for sure, this is the end of the story of the Girl on Fire. Despite it's problems from being split up into two films Mockingjay Part 2 mostly overcomes them all and delivers an action packed thrill ride of a finale. Fans of the series will be happy to see it all wrapped up in a faithful way that respects the books and doesn't steer away from the darkness that exists inside of it. If you have been following the franchise up until this point then this is a must see on the big screen so check it out if you haven't done so already. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!