Review: Mockingjay Part 2

War is hell. So are love triangles.

We pick up right where we left off in Mockingjay Part 1. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is recovering from being attacked by Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) who has been turned into a weapon against her by President Snow. (Donald Sutherland) Katniss begins to disagree with President Coin's (Julianne Moore) refusal to put her on the front lines to fight, so she takes matters into her own hands. She infiltrates the Capital along with a few familiar faces.

The supporting cast has a lot less to do this time around. Stanley Tucci and Gwendoline Christie have one scene a piece. Willow Shield's Primrose only has a few, same with Sam Caflin's Finnick and Jena Malone's Johanna. They sit out good portions of the movie. This film focuses so heavily on Katniss and her vendetta against Snow that nearly everyone else falls aside. 

Personally, I've always thought the first half of the Mockingjay novel was terribly boring. I was looking forward to the most interesting part to be adapted, so I was taken by surprise at how many problems this movie still managed to have. I already touched on the supporting players being pushed aside. Katniss and Peeta are the only ones whose feelings are even dwelled on. And speaking of not dwelling on other things - this film treats many of the big deaths as afterthoughts. One is spiced up a bit, the rest just happen and we move on. It's frustrating. My biggest gripe was the way the film was actually shot. It's as if they used some sort of filter to make everything darker, which makes sense in a war movie, but things are so dark that there's long stretches of the film where you can barely see what anyone is doing. And while the film did a great job at highlighting how awful war is, it also brought way too much attention to how silly the entire Katniss/Peeta/Gale love triangle really was. I already hated how they just threw away Katniss and Gale's friendship in the novel, the movie makes it stick out like a sore thumb how hard they tried to circumvent the two of them actually having a legitimate conversation about it. 

Even with it's flaws, I'm glad I saw Mockingjay 2. It's a series that wasn't perfect, but was a good read. I also have to point out what a powerhouse Jennifer Lawrence is. Yes, she can be obnoxious in interviews but when it's time for her to deliver, she does. Everything weighs heavily on Katniss and Lawrence shows it every second. 

Recommended: Yes, you already watched the other 3. Might as well. 

Grade: C+

Memorable quote: "If I had to put you through it all again to have this outcome, I would." - Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman)