The second part of Suzanne Collins’ final book of the Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay, hit the theaters on Nov. 20 worldwide and everyone is flocking to get a glimpse of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and her trustworthy combatants as they try and take down the Capitol and its oppressive reign over the districts.
To recap “Mockingjay Part 1”, Katniss Everdeen was brought to an underground facility in what once was District 13 but had been bombed because it was a part of a rebellion against the Capitol seventy five years prior. There were some survivors from the bombing who then created an underground facility unknown to the Capitol. District 13 President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and others decide Katniss will be the official face of the rebellion. They decide to shoot propaganda videos with Katniss in action. Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), while in the hands of President Snow, warns of an attack against District 13. Sure enough, an attack occurs but the District survives. A rescue team is sent out to save Peeta and others from the Capitol’s hands in which they are successful in doing so. Peeta was abused, brainwashed and is now delusional.
Katniss and company start off the second part attempting to bring Peeta back to his normal, kind-loving self. The rebels decide to launch an offensive against President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and the Capitol, as the surrounding area is littered with devices that were used by gamemakers in the hunger games to make tributes’ lives as difficult as possible. In this instance, it is to deter the rebels and destroy them. One of the leaders next to Katniss in the rebellion is Julianne Moore, President Alma Coin, who at a glance looks to be an innocent, gentle person. Throughout the movie, there is a struggle between Katniss and Coin for who was the stronger person as a new side of Coin is shown, and this leads to numerous conflicts between the two.
One interesting note is that in the three movies prior to “Mockingjay Part 2”, romance played an important role in creating the plot of the book/movie, but in this finale, the love and romance between Katniss and her two male admirers, Peeta and Gale (Liam Hemsworth), takes a back seat. Of course, on occasion there is a kiss or short conversation about relationships, but again, the main focus is on the rebellion and fight against President Snow, his peacekeepers and the Capitol.
Francis Lawrence, who also directed the second book Catching Fire and “Mockingjay: Part 1” movies, falters in creating a movie that ends the trilogy with a big bang. With the previous three movies, action and excitement were abundant. Yet “Mockingjay Part 2” is quite a slow and drawn-out film that has sporadic action. However, the parts of the movie where fighting and action do occur are very well done and well-executed.
As I have already read the book, the ending comes with no surprise, but for someone who has not read it, the movie has too many unnecessary moments, such as standstills or private conversations, which have the viewer itching for when the movie is going to wrap up.
