Mockingjay Movie Review
The movie series that began when most of us were in middle school has finally come to a conclusion. The Hunger Games trilogy went out with a bang on November 16. It is also currently taking in enough profits, $101 million and counting, to call it a wholly successful franchise.
The movie began right where Mockingjay Part 1 left off, with Katniss realizing that Peeta had been mentally manipulated into a horrible shadow of his former self. The anger that is ignited by this realization drives Katniss to get revenge on President Snow by whatever means possible. Thus ensues the rest of the movie. From going to District Two to turn loyalists against the capital, to sneaking aboard a plane that takes her into the front lines of combat, her full determination is focused on killing President Snow.
Her goal consumes her to the point where she completely disregards her personal safety and continues into the Capitol even after her mission becomes violent and deadly. At least half of her unit dies due to traps the Capitol has set for the rebels, making her trip to the capital seem like "the seventy sixth Hunger Games," as Finnick calls it. Katniss is also plagued by attacks President Snow sends after her whenever he sees her on surveillance video. The loss of life continues throughout the end of the movie, and too many main characters die before the end.
The mechanics of the movie are very well done. The actors all portray their characters' problems and emotions perfectly. The costumes and sets stick completely to descriptions from the book, to the point where a scene from the movie will look familiar to someone who has only read the book, and is seeing the movie for the first time. The main issue with the Mockingjay Part 2 is the fact that it's a part two. The plot of the story had to be chopped in half, which creates a rough transition between them. The other issue is the sadness and violence of the story, which isn't the movie's fault, since it stays true to the book. The deadly and dramatic story of Mockingjay Part 2 is guaranteed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats, but it is slightly traumatic, especially for younger viewers. Although there is so much sadness and pain in the conclusion, the movie ends on a happy note. It gives a glimpse of Katniss's life after the war, which leaves viewers with a message of life and hope.
