The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson
Directed by Francis Lawrence
Katniss Everdeen leads her band of not-so-merry rebels toward one last stand against the evil President Snow in the final installment of the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise. Typical for the series, Mockingjay – Part 2 represents some of the best and worst collective moments from the sometimes uneven films.
For starters, this concluding chapter features some of the best action with often gripping and genuinely engaging sequences as the heroic invaders get closer to taking down the Capitol while avoiding booby traps that include tidal waves of black oil and fearsome white “lizard mutts.”
The problem with these effective scenes is they’re bookended by more of the same dreary talk and heavy-handed exposition that make the screenplay slightly cringe worthy. Structurally speaking, Mockingjay – Part 2, while more engaging than Part 1, suffers as a standalone film because of its reliance on the previous movie. The opening scene picks up literally moments after Part 1 and, while a case can be made for ‘cutting to the chase,’ it results in a lack of mounting tension, leaving an episodic feel.
Thankfully, the Hunger Games films feature excellent casts and the ensemble once again manages to finesse the clunky moments. There is no denying the plot’s admirable overall examination of the oppressed, headstrong masses rising up against a totalitarian government, as timely now as it ever was given the state of world affairs. Unfortunately, as Mockingjay ends, a mawkish final scene threatens to topple everything with the same finality and frustration we’ve come to expect.
