
The film is clearly
made under the assumption that the audience will have seen Part 1 prior to
entering the theater for the final installment. From the opening scene
everything is presented as if it is a complete continuation of Part 1. And honestly when a series of four movies
comes out over four years, one would expect everyone to be caught up by the
time the fourth one rolls around.
The cast is all
back for the final go around. There are some weak links with Hemsworth and
Hutcherson being slightly underpar throughout, but others certainly bring their A-game. Julianne Moore is back as President Alma Coin, the leader of the
rebellion and delivers a rather devious leader type character. Other characters
from the previous films make very brief (unfortunately) appearances such as
Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket and Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy.
Natalie Dormer gets to show off her acting abilities and overall coolness with
the young rebel Cressida, while her Game of Thrones co-star Gwendoline Christie
is criminally underused and relegated to a one-scene role.
Sutherland is just as slimy yet slick as
ever, continuing to play the evil President with just the right amount of
charisma to maybe make you like him, but only a little bit as he likely does
something horrendous in the next scene. Then there is the star of it all,
Jennifer Lawrence. It’s odd to look at where her career was when the first film
was released in 2012, just a new comer who happened to get the coveted role in
a new franchise. But now it’s 2015 and it’s clear she is a certified movie star
and phenomenal actress, just ask that Oscar up on her mantle.
The action is
pretty exciting throughout. While Part 1 drifted away from the Hunger Games
aspect of the first two, Part 2 delves into a full-blown war set on the stage
of a gamemakers playground, and creates it’s own Hunger Games in a way. Seeing
the traps, called pods in the film, take you back to the arena in a way but
somehow feel more dangerous than before. Perhaps the larger stakes have
something to with it.
Overall The Hunger
Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is a step up from Part 1. While it suffers slightly
from being split from the first one, it certainly works better on it’s own. The action is exciting and familiar while throwing new elements in
as well. The acting is pretty great from a collective standpoint, especially
the two most important characters in Katniss and Snow. The ending feels a
little hollow but still satisfying and gives a worthy conclusion to the story
of Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire. (7.5/10)
So what did you think of the final installment in The Hunger Games franchise? Have you seen it and how do you rank it among the others? Comment below and let me know and as always return to I Am Sam for weekly reviews.
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