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Starved

A Film Review of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

I appreciate what the Hunger Games film adaptations started off doing.  They put women to the forefront of an action/adventure, special effect driven saga typically reserved for the boys club and the story unfolded in a way where themes of female empowerment did not equate to male enfeeblement, thus avoiding a battle of the sexes on the internet for every reason under the sun.  The first two films were entertaining, had interesting characters and had a few nuggets of social commentary regarding the state of the western world.  Unfortunately, Mockingjays part 1 and 2 were devoid of the energy and passion that spring boarded this franchise as they were the cinematic equivalent of gearing down so as not needing to apply the brake to the approaching intersection of completion. 

As a result, I give thanks that the Hunger Games film franchise has been finally put to rest.  I am all about seeing film entertainment focused on main characters that are not exclusively white and male.  However, the way Jennifer Lawrence’s cash cow put out to pasture couldn’t have been more underwhelming, and I am legitimately vexed because despite having the budget, talent and production value to truly put this fiction on the same level as the likes of Star Wars, Avengers and Harry Potter; the opportunity was squandered.  To be clear, I am speaking only in terms of the quality of this film’s narrative and not its pocketbooks, which are certainly being stuffed with gobs of tween cash having already banked over $200 million in domestic sales in 11 days.  Even with this handsome sum (not to mention zero competition at the box office) Mockingjay Part 2 is running behind the pace of its predecessors, and I can’t help but think that more people than not were truly dissatisfied with how it all ended.  I will quote my fiancé regarding this film’s 3^rd act: “The climax sucked.  I cried a little.  I got bored.  And then it was over.” 

There are two other aspects of this film that kept me looking down at my watch waiting for it to end well before its 3^rd act even had a chance to lay into me.  First, Katniss Everdeen stopped being an interesting character two films ago.  I totally engaged with her desperation during the first film.  I was completely in sync with her rage over being manipulated (especially at the end) of Catching Fire.  Then these Mockingjay films came along and mothballed Katniss’ mojo.  Part of the problem is that Katniss is written to never be comfortable let alone fully accepting of her role as a revolutionary icon, let alone a base participant in the overall conflict of Panem.  Only when Katniss has no home to return to does she begrudgingly accept her greater role with half-hearted enthusiasm vainly masking her only motivation: protecting her friends and family at all costs.  The blame for this offense lies at the feet of Jennifer Lawrence and director Francis Lawrence.  Where Katniss’ defiance, anger and frustration would naturally be approaching critical mass, her character is presented as a back seat driver who endures inevitable victory as if she knew all along, thus finding no real need to demonstrate passion.  Not having read the books, I cannot tell if Katniss ever drops the selfishness, indecisiveness, self-loathing and general mopey attitude, but this status quo is fully maintained in both Mockingjay films.  Hell, just looking at Jennifer Lawrence during the climactic “arrow strike” sequence couldn’t have screamed a millennial “whatever, why am I even here?” any louder even if the filmmakers tried.

The second thing that never sat well with me in this film is that although we are constantly following Katniss’ journey towards the Capitol, this adventure is actually not important to the overall plot.  Everything significant happens off camera in the hopes that the audience can simply connect the dots back to Katniss in some meaningful way.  Her journey certainly has more personal meaning by aiding her mind in choosing between Gale and Peeta, but even that element gets scuffled because she and her spec ops unit are too busy dodging death traps in areas of the capitol not on the front lines of combat?  What?  The fact that Katniss’ sham of a final mission is so resolutely inert makes perfect sense how this film ends in the very definition of “insult to injury.” 

“Moving” = 21/33

“Picture” = 21/33

“Story” = 16/34

Overall MPS Rating: 58/100

The “girl on fire” couldn’t be further away from going out in a blaze of glory.  Mockingjay Part 2 is an adventure without energy, passion and the will to succeed which it cannot make up for with plot twists of convenience to divert the viewer’s attention.  These journeys don’t always have to end in victory, but the protagonist must have something radiating from inside that makes the hero/heroine’s path worthwhile even if an audience cannot identify or sympathize with him or her.  It is a reliable failure of Hollywood filmmaking that culminates when lackluster performance intersects unfocused direction.