Movie Review: The Hunger Games - Mockingjay Part 2

Today I have something different for you all, a movie review! I was recently emailed by a guy named Spencer. He has volunteered to write a guest review  as tribute! He will be sharing his thoughts on the amazing and final movie in the Hunger Games series, MockingJay Part 2! Hope you all enjoy!

Final Glimpse of the Hunger Games

With the final Hunger Games film installment, Mockingjay Part 2, in theaters, we join Katniss and company for one final trip to the Capital City. The film series, based on the bestselling young adult trilogy by Suzanne Collins, has produced four films, with the third book in the series adapted into two films in much the same way as the final installment of the Harry Potter series. The first three films in the series, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay Part 1 were all huge box office successes, and this latest and last in the series is fully expected to follow their lead.

While some critics feel that breaking up the final novel in the trilogy into two films wasn’t necessary, particularly as the first part was noticeably slower paced than the second, the novel itself provided enough material to justify two movies as the second quickly picks up almost exactly where the first ended. Jennifer Lawrence gives her final performance in the lead, with Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth as Peeta and Gale, respectively, and the film continues the trend of its predecessors in remaining as faithful to the source material as any adaptation can reasonably be.

Just as in the novel, the characters on the screen have grown and matured throughout their journeys and trials. In the first novel, Katniss’s rebellion was strictly in the form of going outside of the designated District 12 area to hunt with her friend Gale, and it was motivated strictly by the need to provide for her family and survive. Even her taking Prim’s place as tribute for the games was simply an act of love and protection rather than defiance against authority. However throughout the film series, as in the novel series, we get to watch as Katniss not only grows up, but comes to understand and therefore be more cynical of the machinations of the world and those in charge of its politics.

Revelations and realizations such as Katniss experiences are all too relatable for today’s youth, who more often than not are left to consider what type of world they will inherit in a few short years. Between global terrorism and political upheavals both abroad and at home, competing for attention with issues of global warming and messages of impending environmental doom, the future must seem particularly daunting for today’s young adults, the target audience for the dystopian literature that’s all the rage over the last few years. Add to this the uncertainty of the economy and the disproportionate distribution of wealth in this country, and it must seem at times that we live in our own personal Panam right here in the U.S.

As a fan of both the novel series and the movies based on them, it’s always bittersweet when the final installment has run its course (catch up on the first three films on Hulu or DTV). Nonetheless, it’s refreshing for literature fans when the movie is faithful to its source material, regardless of how sadly or shockingly the story ends. Mockingjay Part 2 is no exception to this, and fans of the book will not be disappointed. For all of her pain and despair, Katniss maintains her independence and strength of will to the end, making her final choices based on her own moral compass and observations, taking the action she deems right rather than the easy way out - both a lesson worth learning and a character trait worth emulating.

- Written by Spencer

So what did you all think of the final movie?! Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.