The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part II

It's always an odd thing when these book-turned-movie series come to an end. I remember being quite emotional when the final Harry Potter film released -- that was truly the end of an era for me, having started the books in elementary school and watching the final film as I was Studying Abroad in Sydney, Australia as a 21 year old. That's a long time for a pop culture item to be part of your life and that final film provided a lot of solid closure. 

The Hunger Games is no Harry Potter, both in social importance or the length of time that it was present in my life. But oddly enough, I started reading those books while I was in Sydney too, over four years ago now. 

As I'm sure I've mentioned in my other reviews (The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I), the book series is one of my favorites. I know the YA genre gets a lot of flak, some of which is deserved, but these novels were truly a standout series from start to finish. Many "fans" really hate the third book, Mockingjay, but I sincerely think it's just as strong as the other two and quietly brilliant in and of itself. The final few pages of the ending are very sloppy, but other than that the book is a logical consequence to those actions in the books that preceded it and helped to elevate the series to represent more than just a meandering love story. The final book is a dark one, full of violence, death, and some really tough pills to swallow. 

This final movie is really no different. I liked Part I more than most (I might have overrated it a tad in hindsight), but I enjoyed the propaganda focus it had and having now seen Part II I think that splitting the films was a solid decision. Without the division I fear we would have gotten a 3+ hour film with a lot of key details cut out. 

Instead we get a finale that really offers the audience some of that similar closure for a film series that did so much right and surprised probably everyone (critics included) with how great these films actually turned out to be. 

The Capitol flushed their sewage. All they eat is Taco Bell...

#Squadgoals

Mockingjay Part II is the most serious Hunger Games yet. There isn't much "fun" to be had here. This wasn't ever a comedy series to begin with, but it did have moments of lightness and humor. The tone is noticeably darker this time, for good reason, and only gets darker as the films goes on. The focus on death and who should die and why is frequently discussed and an obviously heavy topic. The book was a similar fashion as the setting transitions away from the games and the districts and toward wartime. As I said only a couple paragraphs ago -- the third book is quietly brilliant (something I didn't really realize until my second time reading it). This film follows it very closely so I imagine those who still stand by their "I hate the third book" will not like this film as much as the first (the film series' weakest entry) or the second (strongest entry). Part II picks up just a day or two after the cliffhanger-esque ending of Part I and follows Katniss (Lawrence) as she battles the Capitol and President Snow once and for all. Much like the final scenes in other large scale final films (*cough Return of the King cough cough*), Part II's dismount is about as shaky as the novel's after that final twist/incident hits and what took 10+ minutes to do could have been condensed. Given that this is Part II of a slightly-over-300-page novel, I'm not sure it needed to be 137 minutes, but I'd be lying if I said I thought they went by slowly. 

Anchored by a great cast and a director that has stuck with his franchise ever since he adopted it, this feels like a Hunger Games film. The vision that started years ago, truly with Catching Fire, is on grand display here. This is a dystopian society that is both fantastical and realistic all at once and the aesthetics are breathtaking at times, often better than I was able to imagine it while reading. Lawrence once again owns the role of Katniss so well that I can't really picture anyone else as her. Sure it may be a blockbuster franchise, but at the end of her most likely illustrious career, Katniss Everdeen will be one of the very best roles she ever plays. Gale (Liam Hemsworth) gets more to say and do here, but is easily overshadowed by a fantastic, confused/conflicted performance from Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. He and Katniss' scenes in Part II are some of the first times I've truly bought into their romance and both are capable actors. Everyone else does well, though most are sideline players this time out.

"I've lost my dignity! Someone! Please help me find it!!"

There is some solid action throughout and most of it is a lot heavier to deal with this go round because we know/care about the characters involved. I found the special effects and choreography in these scenes to be great, though there was a particular action scene in the sewers that had some issues. As an action scene, it was great, but unfortunately the lighting, mixed with some watery camera effects, were making it really hard to tell what was going on. With these issues, it could have always been my theater, but I don't think it was in this case and some additional brightness in the background would have done wonders for my comprehension. 

Part II is well made too. I enjoyed the original score and I've really noticed over the course of the series that it has gotten better and better. Along with that, the sound editing is fantastic, especially during the hectic scenes. Lastly, the cinematography is far better than most blockbusters of this nature and there are several shots throughout that will be hard to forget because of the excellent framing.

Off to do bigger and better things...once she finishes X-Men of course

It wasn't really a surprise to me that Part II of this series ended up being one of its highlights. The team behind this series really care about the source material and the world that has been created over the course of four films is one that feels fleshed out. Between the phenomenal marketing for the films, the stars they were able to attract, and the quality of the overall products, it's refreshing to see a complete movie series so well completed as The Hunger Games does with Mockingjay - Part II. 

I'm a bit sad to see it all end, but (and I don't think I say this very often about Hollywood franchises) I'm really proud of what this group of films was able to accomplish. This was one of those rare cases where the movies were often just as good as the novels, if not better. And that's coming from a huge fan of the books.

CONS:

• Some of the more fantastical elements from the novel don't translate super well in the movie. They feel a bit out of place
• Overlong by about 10-15 minutes
• Much like the novel, it struggles with those very final "after the fact" scenes
• One superb action scene is hurt by low lighting
• A bit depressing

PROS:

• Jennifer Lawrence owns these films and Katniss will be one of the greatest roles of her career. She plays the part like she already knows that and has some truly talented scenes
• The rest of the cast (which is impressive) does well from the sidelines and Josh Hutcherson gets my 2nd Place vote as his portrayal of a troubled, hijacked Peeta is intense and haunting
• Great setpieces in this fully realized world that is very well designed. Francis Lawrence, the director, should be proud of what he's done with these books
• Gut-wrenching moments throughout. If you've read the books, you'll know what I'm talking about. This series has always had an issue with death, as it often seems way underplayed (see my original Hunger Games review for an example). This is the film that finally delivers the weight of some of these deaths and they're not easy to watch/handle. On a similar note, the film's theme of death, war, and sacrifice is well orchestrated and really reflects that "genius" of the third book that I think a lot of people miss out on 
• Great action sequences and game-like survival scenes. The special effects that accompany these are equally as impressive
• Continues the trend of having a great original score
• Some of the series' best cinematography
• A really solid ending to a franchise that was far better than many expected it would be. Kudos to all involved -- it was a job very well done

Rath's Review Score: 9/10