THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 2
****
Director: Francis Lawrence
Screenwriters: Peter Craig and Danny Strong
Principal cast:
Jennifer Lawrence
Josh Hutchinson
Liam Hemsworth
Julianne Moore
Country: USA
Classification: M
Rating: ***1/2
Runtime: 137 mins.
Australian release date: 19 November 2015
Previewed at: Roadshow Theatrette, Sydney, on 17 November 2015
Let the 76th Hunger Games begin!! …well, the fourth really.
Dividing the last book of the trilogy into two is a clever marketing ploy as the movie franchise is now made up of four films and that means a bigger box-office gross and, for a series as successful as this one, that translates into really big bucks. Welcome to Hollywood!
The final instalment in The Hunger Games, Mockingjay - Part 2, picks up exactly where Mockingjay - Part 1 left off. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) reprises her role as the unifier of the districts of Panem, which are under threat from the Capitol and the tyrannical President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Katniss is recruited by President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) to set off with a ‘Star Squad,’ made up of fellow champions, to save what is left of District 13. They are joined by her ex-boyfriend Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), who’s still suffering from the effects of his brainwashing at the hands of President Snow. You’ll remember Peeta tried to strangle Katniss in MJ – Part 1. It appears that she is surrounded by fickle human beings with a desire to see her annihilation.
The squad sets off to President Snow’s compound but first it has to navigate through a number of destructive booby traps, automated ‘pods’ which create explosions, oil slicks and machine gun fire. There are even nastier things in store for them as they weave their way through the pipelines running under the Capitol and it seems that there are no limits to how dangerous the journey is going to be. It makes for some pretty nerve-wracking moments.
Like its predecessors, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 sticks with the theme of ‘good versus evil’ and whether or not the rebellion of the Districts against the Capitol will be successful. We were left hanging in suspense at the end of the first part and now comes this denouement, full of carnage and mayhem but also hope. The performances from the leads are as solid as we’ve come to expect from the previous films, but the spookiest one is that of Phillip Seymour Hoffman (in his role as Plutarch Heavensbee), who we thought we’d seen for the last time in MJ - Part 1; it comes as quite a shock to see the great man on screen once more. The Production Design by Phillip Messina is particularly good and the colour palette of shades of grey serves the story well; Jo Willems’s fine cinematography matches his previous work on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Mockingjay - Part 1; mention should also be made of Kurt and Bart’s costumes which are suitably drab, unlike the riot of colours that were seen in the first film, at least on the backs of the denizens of the Capitol.
Fans of the novels and previous films will not be disappointed, but those who are not already familiar with the material may feel a bit left out. The subject of the film is pretty much tied up in the maxim spoken by one of the cast, ‘may your aim be as clear as your heart is true.’ The difficulty comes with knowing just who to aim for.
Screenwriters: Peter Craig and Danny Strong
Principal cast:
Jennifer Lawrence
Josh Hutchinson
Liam Hemsworth
Julianne Moore
Country: USA
Classification: M
Rating: ***1/2
Runtime: 137 mins.
Australian release date: 19 November 2015
Previewed at: Roadshow Theatrette, Sydney, on 17 November 2015
Let the 76th Hunger Games begin!! …well, the fourth really.
Dividing the last book of the trilogy into two is a clever marketing ploy as the movie franchise is now made up of four films and that means a bigger box-office gross and, for a series as successful as this one, that translates into really big bucks. Welcome to Hollywood!
The final instalment in The Hunger Games, Mockingjay - Part 2, picks up exactly where Mockingjay - Part 1 left off. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) reprises her role as the unifier of the districts of Panem, which are under threat from the Capitol and the tyrannical President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Katniss is recruited by President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) to set off with a ‘Star Squad,’ made up of fellow champions, to save what is left of District 13. They are joined by her ex-boyfriend Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), who’s still suffering from the effects of his brainwashing at the hands of President Snow. You’ll remember Peeta tried to strangle Katniss in MJ – Part 1. It appears that she is surrounded by fickle human beings with a desire to see her annihilation.
The squad sets off to President Snow’s compound but first it has to navigate through a number of destructive booby traps, automated ‘pods’ which create explosions, oil slicks and machine gun fire. There are even nastier things in store for them as they weave their way through the pipelines running under the Capitol and it seems that there are no limits to how dangerous the journey is going to be. It makes for some pretty nerve-wracking moments.
Like its predecessors, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 sticks with the theme of ‘good versus evil’ and whether or not the rebellion of the Districts against the Capitol will be successful. We were left hanging in suspense at the end of the first part and now comes this denouement, full of carnage and mayhem but also hope. The performances from the leads are as solid as we’ve come to expect from the previous films, but the spookiest one is that of Phillip Seymour Hoffman (in his role as Plutarch Heavensbee), who we thought we’d seen for the last time in MJ - Part 1; it comes as quite a shock to see the great man on screen once more. The Production Design by Phillip Messina is particularly good and the colour palette of shades of grey serves the story well; Jo Willems’s fine cinematography matches his previous work on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Mockingjay - Part 1; mention should also be made of Kurt and Bart’s costumes which are suitably drab, unlike the riot of colours that were seen in the first film, at least on the backs of the denizens of the Capitol.
Fans of the novels and previous films will not be disappointed, but those who are not already familiar with the material may feel a bit left out. The subject of the film is pretty much tied up in the maxim spoken by one of the cast, ‘may your aim be as clear as your heart is true.’ The difficulty comes with knowing just who to aim for.