The decision to unnecessarily split the adaptation of Suzanne
Collins' final book weighs down The
Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2 right
from the very beginning. The droll blandness of the prior film marches on
unabated like the jackbooted "peacekeepers" deployed by President
Snow (Donald Sutherland). So too does the threadbare plotting, with this final
installment being more of a straight-line than ever both in terms of emotional
connections and action. And while the overall grim tone blankets the film like
a pall, it still manages to wrap up Katniss' (Jennifer Lawrence) quest for
vengeance in a satisfying way for a franchise that began with kids murdering
kids.
Along the way, the shock of children being
thrown into a bloody fight to the death gets lost in the shuffle, replaced by
Katniss as the face of a rebellion. The film picks up where the last one left
off with her struggling to cope with the brainwashed Peeta (Josh Hutcherson)
and his attempts to kill her. Meanwhile, her wannabe lover Gale (Liam
Hemsworth) broods in the corner, acknowledging what everybody seems to know but
Katniss; that she'll never be his, especially if Peeta never recovers.
The rebellion's leaders, in particular the ambitious Alma Coin (Julianne
Moore), want Katniss to stay far behind the frontlines of the war against the
Capitol, using her instead to shoot propaganda pieces to rally support.
Obviously, following orders isn't
something Katniss is good at, and before long she's sneaking into battle
alongside her team. The last film was a tedious slog due to the complete lack
of "games", a result of dividing the storyline into two chapters.
This film makes up the difference as the entire Capitol has been transformed
into one giant "hunger games" spectacle with pop-up machine gun
cannons, tidal waves of hot oil (or something), and savage "mutts"
unleashed in the catacombs. That said; the action seems more perfunctory than
thrilling, with the exception of the intense fight against the feral mutts.
With the exception of Peeta, Gale, and the handsome and newly-married Finnick
(Sam Claflin) most of the members of Katniss' squad might as well be redshirts
waiting to die.
The major source of conflict isn't the
weapons at Snow's disposal; it's the internal struggle brewing within Katniss
and Peeta. However, in this film Katniss is kept more at a distance than ever,
and perhaps more than any other time the inner monologue of the novels is
sorely missed. Peeta's fight to reclaim his sanity and accept Katniss back into
his heart provides the best dramatic arc, while Gale is underserved the most.
Not that we expect The
Hunger Games to be a laugh
riot, but the characters who helped brighten the mood are left on the
sidelines. The toothy Snow isn't nearly the joyously evil heel we love to hate.
We only get one good scene of Stanley Tucci's smiley reality show host Caesar
Flickerman, and Elizabeth Banks' colorful Effie Trinket does practically
nothing. She would have been more than welcome to spruce up the ugly gray and
dull blue color palette. Even in the Capitol, which is supposed to be this
symbol of selfishness and economic excess, it looks like a place made of boring
concrete and steel. Visually it's been diminishing returns for director Francis
Lawrence, as he hit a high with the excellent 'Catching Fire' and has been on
auto-pilot ever since. Adding to the overall dour flavor is a scene within the
Capitol that is eerily reminiscent of the recent terror attacks in Paris. Some
of the conversations that take place wouldn't be out of place in the current
political discussion about the needs for enhanced security, even at the expense
of the innocent and the loss of personal freedom. For what it's worth, no other
YA adaptation is approaching that subject matter.
Lawrence really came into her own thanks
to The Hunger Games, and
her Katniss continues to be the model of rigid heroism and self-sacrifice. That
said, she seemed to have outgrown this franchise a couple of movies ago and yet
has continued to do some of her best work right up until the very end. But the
bittersweet end is indeed here (presumably, there may be more at some point),
and while 'Mockingjay' doesn't have the powerful finish one might have hoped
for, fans will find that it hits enough of the target.
Rating: 3 out of 5
