The Hunger Games Doesn't Go Out on a Strong Note
Film: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015). Young Actress: Willow Shields, age 14.
It’s funny how young adult film franchises work out sometimes. Take Harry Potter, for example: while mostly decent to good, the eight films had ten years and four directors between them and were all over the place stylistically. Now that the Hunger Games movies have wrapped up, I would say that this series peaks in the middle. The second and third films, Catching Fire and Mockingjay 1, are the tightest, the most suspenseful and most interesting, and have the best blend of action and warmth. They also have by far the most screentime for Jena Malone and Willow Shields, respectively. But the first and fourth films, The Hunger Games and Mockingjay 2, rely too much on Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson ( Bridge to Terabithia) as the lead couple, and even after all this time, I still feel that they weren’t the best choices for Katniss and Peeta.
At Finnick and Annie’s wedding, Katniss and Prim dance and hug each other for the last time
These two are so much front and center in Mockingjay 2 that a lot of the excellent supporting cast goes to waste. Willow has only a few minutes of screentime, and none of it is particularly memorable. The film maintains the book’s ending, including the death of Willow’s character Prim, which feels strangely glanced over. Several scenes after she dies in a bombing, we get a few minutes of Katniss messily crying while hugging Prim’s cat, but that’s it. Even her sister’s death doesn’t really distract Katniss’s attention from Peeta, and nothing distracts the movie from their love story.
Jena has a similarly small role, but it does allow for a little real acting. In her one scene, her character Johanna steals morphine from Katniss’s hospital room, and she still shows some of the snarkiness that made her so much fun in Catching Fire.
This movie is decent and watchable, but the Hunger Games deserved a better final film. Now that Jennifer has done her last Hunger Games movie and her last X-Men movie ( X-Men: Apocalypse, released seven months after Mockingjay 2), she might never make another movie that isn’t directed by David O. Russell.
LINKS
Mockingjay 2 premiere.
Mockingjay 1 review and premiere.
AWARDS
Critics Choice: Nominated for Best Actress: Action (Jennifer).
Kids Choice: Won Favorite Movie Actress (Jennifer), nominated for Favorite Movie.
MTV Movie Awards: Won Best Hero (Jennifer), nominated for Best Action Performance (Jennifer) and Best Ensemble Cast.
Teen Choice: Won Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy (Jennifer Lawrence), Choice Movie: Liplock (Jennifer and Josh Hutcherson), and Choice Movie: Scene Stealer (Jena); nominated for Choice Movie: Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Choice Movie: Chemistry (Jennifer and Josh Hutcherson).
It’s funny how young adult film franchises work out sometimes. Take Harry Potter, for example: while mostly decent to good, the eight films had ten years and four directors between them and were all over the place stylistically. Now that the Hunger Games movies have wrapped up, I would say that this series peaks in the middle. The second and third films, Catching Fire and Mockingjay 1, are the tightest, the most suspenseful and most interesting, and have the best blend of action and warmth. They also have by far the most screentime for Jena Malone and Willow Shields, respectively. But the first and fourth films, The Hunger Games and Mockingjay 2, rely too much on Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson ( Bridge to Terabithia) as the lead couple, and even after all this time, I still feel that they weren’t the best choices for Katniss and Peeta.
At Finnick and Annie’s wedding, Katniss and Prim dance and hug each other for the last time
These two are so much front and center in Mockingjay 2 that a lot of the excellent supporting cast goes to waste. Willow has only a few minutes of screentime, and none of it is particularly memorable. The film maintains the book’s ending, including the death of Willow’s character Prim, which feels strangely glanced over. Several scenes after she dies in a bombing, we get a few minutes of Katniss messily crying while hugging Prim’s cat, but that’s it. Even her sister’s death doesn’t really distract Katniss’s attention from Peeta, and nothing distracts the movie from their love story.
Jena has a similarly small role, but it does allow for a little real acting. In her one scene, her character Johanna steals morphine from Katniss’s hospital room, and she still shows some of the snarkiness that made her so much fun in Catching Fire.
This movie is decent and watchable, but the Hunger Games deserved a better final film. Now that Jennifer has done her last Hunger Games movie and her last X-Men movie ( X-Men: Apocalypse, released seven months after Mockingjay 2), she might never make another movie that isn’t directed by David O. Russell.
LINKS
Mockingjay 2 premiere.
Mockingjay 1 review and premiere.
AWARDS
Critics Choice: Nominated for Best Actress: Action (Jennifer).
Kids Choice: Won Favorite Movie Actress (Jennifer), nominated for Favorite Movie.
MTV Movie Awards: Won Best Hero (Jennifer), nominated for Best Action Performance (Jennifer) and Best Ensemble Cast.
Teen Choice: Won Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy (Jennifer Lawrence), Choice Movie: Liplock (Jennifer and Josh Hutcherson), and Choice Movie: Scene Stealer (Jena); nominated for Choice Movie: Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Choice Movie: Chemistry (Jennifer and Josh Hutcherson).