Mockingjay Part 2 ruled the box office over this Thanksgiving break. The much-awaited final to the series did not disappoint the book’s die-hard fans. It does an excellent job of exploring what it means to be the Chosen One, to know you’re somehow more useful as a martyr to the cause than as a real, confused, emotional girl. The Katniss of Mockingjay has grown immensely from the one in the arena. This Katniss is sure of one thing, Snow must go, and Lawrence effortlessly captures the pain of Katniss’ journey, of her heartbreak and her fierce devotion to the people she loves. Julianne Moore thrills in her role as President Coin, effortlessly giving the audience the feeling that she may or may not have the best intentions. Mahershala Ali is surprisingly endearing as the second-in-command, Boggs.
As far as cinematic adaptations go, this movie is about as good as it gets in regards to sticking to the original story, although it fast-forwards a few dramatic elements that some book fans will definitely miss. The blossoming friendship between Katniss and Johanna gets compressed into a couple of conversations. The strength of Katniss’ feelings for fellow Hunger Games victor Finnick, whose marriage to Annie is similarly glossed over in one quick scene, isn’t really shown. Some also wish that they had spent more than one minute on Prim’s death, which I expected to leave me in tears but instead left me wondering if it had actually happened. Although these tweaks are annoying, they help keep the movie going.
This movie will make you anxious for what is to come, whether the scene is Peeta talking to Prim for the first time or when they are literally looking for what is to come on the capitol streets that have transformed into a battlefield. The biggest disappointment of the movie was one that you see coming if you have read the books. I’m not a huge fan of the ending and had hoped that the director would take creative license to change it up. The closing shot was on Katniss and Peeta and their happy family and while the coming full circle idea worked for Harry Potter, it was less than satisfying in this movie. The end of the Hunger Games era feels more like a silly fairy tale where everyone lives happily ever and left me as a viewer feeling like there must be something else.