Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 Review
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 Review
WARNING: SPOILERS
On November 20 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, directed by Francis Lawrence, premiered and it was a raging success. The blockbuster raked in $75.8 million on opening weekend, which was an improvement upon Part 1, which garnered only $57 million on its opening weekend.
Going in to Mockingjay Part 2 I had already read the books and had high expectations for the film, especially after having seen and loved the very successful Mockingjay Part 1. I was pleased to find that not only did Part 2 meet my expectations, it exceeded them. Part 2 was an action packed tragic tale with some humor, and plenty of heartfelt moments. The movie, just like the book, is rife with death and tragedy. It picks up shortly after the end of Part 1. Katniss is getting her neck brace off, and Peeta is still out of his mind, having gotten only slightly better. Katniss and Gale are in a dubious relationship, which is still hindered by Peeta. The opening is heartbreaking, and the audience was completely silent as they watched Peeta threaten to kill Katniss and call her evil. Peeta’s aversion to Katniss makes her angrier at Snow, and fuels her need to be a hands on participant in the rebellion.
Katniss is distributed to District One, the last line of defense before breaching the Capitol, shortly after in order to try and bring the natives to the rebellions side. The ever present tragedy starts with the bombing of District One’s mines. The bombing leads to a stand-off between locals and the rebels, as Katniss tries her hardest to get the locals to listen to her, and ends up shot. This display of death and violence sets the tone for the rest of the movie.
Things quickly spiral out of control when President Coin asks Katniss to stay physically out of the rebellion for her own safety. Katniss does not take well to this, and instead sneaks off to the front line. She ends up on Squad 451 with Gale, Peeta, Finnick, a pair of sisters and a pair of brothers, as well as her propo team and a few others.
The second half of the movie is spent following Squad 451 as they travel through the Capitol shooting propos and running for their lives. Things get worse before they get better, as the characters face impossible challenges in the form of mines places around the Capitol. It is heartbreaking to watch as beloved characters die, and Peeta fights a losing battle with himself not to kill Katniss. As the movie progresses the rebels eventually prevail and defeat Snow, but not before countless children and medical personnel are bombed outside Snow’s mansion. I won’t give away too much, but the movie ends with a fantastic twist that shocked the audience.
Despite the horrors of the rest of the film, Mockingjay Part 2 ended amicably with a heart warming epilogue featuring older Katniss and Peeta and their children. Mockingjay Part 2 was intense and impactful, but overall a great movie. It was an extremely well done film replete with tragedy, romance, and significance that will surely inspire generations to come.