REVIEW

Spoiler Alert

The mouthful of a title is a precursor for the final instalment of the dystopian trilogy, “The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2”. Those of us who loathed the money-hungry idea of a two-part instalment, all looked smug as we watched the film struggle along and regurgitate everything but the plots of the last three films.

Loyal fans of Suzanne Collin’s book series will love the faithfulness of the movie to the novel’s plot, but the film’s lack of surprises meant it played out like a formula: Heroin is heroic, innocent people die, Snow breaks into an evil smile with perfect amount of sass, love triangle is awkward, lots of explosions and sad music. Zero surprises.

The film picks up directly after its counterpart’s conclusion, with a frazzled Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) nursing her wounds from an attack by a brainwashed and emaciated Peeta (Josh Hutcherson). The moodiness of the film sets in immediately and the first third of the film is just explosions and depression, with scene after scene of despair and general meandering before Katniss enters the Panem Capitol to join the rebellion.

Though Katniss is being kept in a glass cabinet, she and her crew must avoid a slew of disturbing obstacles that The Hunger Games’ game makers have planted around the Capitol. Cue Finnick Odair’s (Sam Claflin) biggest eye roller of the film: “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the 76th Hunger Games”.

While devising a plan to escape her unit and kill Snow, Peeta is dropped off with Katniss’ group, leaving her vulnerable to his brainwashed antics. Therein ensues some more love triangle drama that can be summed up as:

Both leading men are equal in acting skills and overall gorgeousness but by the end of “Mockingjay Part 2”, I was ready to boycott the franchise if I had to witness one more awkward, whiney kiss with either male.

The film had its highlights, which include the masterful and saddening final scenes of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, who played Capitol defector Plutarch Heavensbee, the artful death of some favourite characters and of course the dark whit that the franchise delivers in abundance. Woody Harrelson (Haymitch Abernathy), Donald Sutherland (President Snow) and Jena Malone (Johanna Mason) all deserve recognition for outstanding supporting acting.

The final 15 minutes of the film were easily the most interesting, but annoyingly felt like it took an extra movie to get to - which it did. The costuming, music and dialogue may have been really powerful if the audience hadn’t seen it all before.

The film also masterfully navigated the themes of war, human nature, politics and capitalism, but it is still obvious that the actors carried the mish-mash final instalment through to fruition.

The overall brilliance of "Mockingjay Part 2" comes from its underlying story rather than its cinematography. The story isn’t far removed from the realities of modern geopolitical disparities; the film acts as a mirror where the privileged live lavishly and the rest of the world starves.

The opening weekend revenue of “The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2” fell 17 percent short of Part 1, which could signify the two-part installation as a giant mistake. However, the movie is still one of only 34 movies to ever gross over $100 million on its opening weekend.

Eden Puriri is an Undergraduate Media and Communications student who believes in the equality of the sexes, genders and races. Contact her at feedback@ibtimes.com.au , or let us know what you think below.

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