23 November 2015

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2





Breaking up the final part of this trilogy was clearly a money-grabbing ploy because on its own, Part 2 lacked a definite structure which made the conclusion of this dystopic saga feel limp and betrayed the emotional investment of the audience.


That being said, Suzanne Collin's third book itself was also not her best, as it tried to cramp as much of its political satirism-for-tweens, but at least the ending held weight and was less expected than in the movie - which was clumsily foreshadowed.


The target demographic would surely be happy with the film. Its darker overtones were well handled but could have been dealt with more deeply to give it a richer complexity which I am sure star Jennifer Lawrence could have handled.


This second part dragged on too long to reach a conclusion that as foresaid was expected. It moved from one scene to another, as our characters faced one obstacle after another, but none of that were truly climatic or exciting. It truly felt hollow as there never was once a sense of real danger for our heroes (except one particular standout moment which was too rare in coming).


The chemistry that existed once between Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson seemingly vanished. As more age-appropriate it is between Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth, they lacked chemistry. Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks were under utilised but their few scenes were a lot more memorable. Julianne Moore's character evolution/deceit would have been better served if it was all in one movie and Donald Sutherland was great as President Snow - evil and cunning and frightfully calm.


In the end, this was a serviceable film that felt too long and concluded the saga in an unsatisfying limp.

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