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[Review] ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2’ is a Fitting End to the Franchise

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Mockingjay Part 2 Review

After four years, the worldwide phenomenon comes to a close with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, the second half the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ third book in The Hunger Games young adult book trilogy. It isn’t the strongest entry in the series (that title would belong to 2013’s exceptional Catching Fire), but it does provide it a fitting, if somewhat drawn out, conclusion.

Picking up right where The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 left off, we begin the film with Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) recovering from her attack at the hands of Peeta. She is bruised and battered after having been betrayed by her friend and is then immediately thrust back into the war against the Capitol. After a rather laborious first half she, along with Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Finnick (Sam Claflin), and a slew of others enter into the Capitol, which has been booby-trapped beyond all over, prompting one character to declare it the 76th Annual Hunger Games (something the Part 1 was sorely lacking).

Jennifer Lawrence’s career has skyrocketed since she appeared in the first film four years ago, but she is still fully committed to the role that fully put her in the public’s eye. It is to Lawrence’s credit that Mockingjay Part 2 works as well as it does. She has always been the one to ground the films and give them an emotional depth when they could sometimes come off as melodramatic.

Director Francis Lawrence films the action sequences in Mockingjay Part frantically, to the point where it almost feels like you are watching Saving Private Ryan. Sometimes it is so frantic that you can’t always tell what is going on or who is dying. Such is war, after all, so it fits the situations perfectly. When a major character dies about halfway through the film, it’s barely given a second thought. No one stops to mourn them because there isn’t any time.

The film has a few thrilling action sequences as well, with the two best ones involving a flood of tar and the other a vicious attack by mutts in the sewers. The latter stands out as one of the most horrific sequences the films have ever done and it plays out wonderfully.

Where Mockjay Part 2’s strength lies (and this was also a strength of the book) is that it doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of war. Besides the aforementioned deaths, Mockingjay Part 2 serves up a bleak outlook on the repercussions of the rebellion and the toll that war can take on a society. While Mockingjay was the weakest part of the book trilogy, it’s ending is what set it apart from other YA novels of the same ilk, and this concluding chapter in the film franchise is no different. The final half of the film and, specifically, the closing 20 minutes, make up for many of the weaknesses that came before it

Mockingjay

Unfortunately, Mockingjay Part 2 fails to justify splitting the 390-page novel up into two films totaling  over four hours of films screen time. Much of the film’s first hour is spent in meetings between Katniss, President Coin (Julianne Moore) and Plutarch Heavensby (the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman), which is exactly what Mockingjay Part 1 consisted of. Hoffman’s absence due to his untimely death last year is especially felt at the end of the film, with Woody Harrelson’s Haymitch delivering a letter containing Plutarch’s parting words to Katniss.

With such a large cast, Mockingjay Part 2 attempts to give each character a proper sendoff, and while it may work for certain characters (Finnick and Jena Malone’s Johana), many other characters (Elizabeth Banks’ Effie and Stanley Tucci’s Caesar, among others) are underserved and it feels nothing more than a long game of roll call. Mockingjay Part 2 would have done better to just excise some of those characters in favor of giving others more screen time. This is all the more disappointing considering that the two films had over four hours of screen time to squeeze as many character moments in as it could. You have to give the film one thing: it doesn’t feel overstuffed.

One of the weaker parts of the previous films was the love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale, and that problem continues to plague Mockingjay Part 2. The film grinds to a halt every time the characters discuss Peeta and Gale fighting for Katniss’ affection. The good news is that these scenes are few and far between, but since Gale is more present in this film than he ever was in any of the previous installments, they do occur more than you would like.

Overall, Mockingjay Part 2 does justice to the book and refuses to water down any of the harsher moments of its closing moments. Any worries fans may have had about the film watering down any parts of the novel can rest assured that the deaths hit hard and the ending is just as bittersweet as you remember. On its own, it still feels like half of a film. The first half is a bit of a slog to get through, but once they enter the city, it becomes an incredibly intense war movie. It still doesn’t surpass Catching Fire as the high point of the franchise, but it is a noble effort.

A journalist for Bloody Disgusting since 2015, Trace writes film reviews and editorials, as well as co-hosts Bloody Disgusting's Horror Queers podcast, which looks at horror films through a queer lens. He has since become dedicated to amplifying queer voices in the horror community, while also injecting his own personal flair into film discourse. Trace lives in Austin, TX with his husband and their two dogs. Find him on Twitter @TracedThurman

Books

‘In Search of Darkness’ Book Review: A Must-Have for ’80s Horror Fans

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In 2019, the documentary of 80s horror In Search of Darkness became an instant hit with horror fans. Now, a beautiful coffee table style companion book is available and is a must-own for all fans of one of horror’s greatest eras. The book is a walk down the horror aisle of the best mom and pop video store in the heyday of VHS, featuring full color photos, poster art, insightful essays and more. More than just a nostalgic throwback, In Search of Darkness is the kind of book I wish I’d had back in my years as a burgeoning horror fan but is also satisfying for the film fanatic I have become in the years since.

The format is beautifully and simply laid out, with at least a dozen (usually more) movies from each year of the decade presented in order of release accompanied by informative and insightful essays by the authors Heather Wixson and Patrick Bromley. Both authors have been mainstays of film journalism, specializing in horror, for many years. Wixson began her career in 2007 with Dread Central and has spent the past ten years as the Managing Editor of Daily Dead, from which she recently retired to focus on books and other projects. She has devoted the past several years to interviewing and writing books about the Make-up and Special Effects wizards that have brought so much to film over the years, specifically the horror genre.

Bromley is a film journalist and critic whose work can be found all over the place including right here on Bloody Disgusting. He recently provided the commentary for the Vinegar Syndrome release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and is known as something of a Tobe Hooper expert. He is also the founder and editor of F this Movie!, an eclectic film website, and host of its accompanying podcast. So, to be clear, the authors know their stuff.

Wixson and Bromley divide writing duties roughly in half and though each has a distinctive voice, their writing styles dovetail beautifully into a cohesive whole. Each author plays to their strengths. Being familiar with both their work I didn’t even have to look at the bylines to know that Heather covered Christine and Terror in the Aisles and Patrick took on The Funhouse and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. Wixson’s passion for make-up effects is clear and comes through in many of her contributions. In general, Wixson takes on the “big” titles, the movies that defined the decade the most, and Bromley covers what the more cynical among us might call schlock, but he would likely call pure cinematic bliss. There are exceptions and surprises, of course, as there should be (Patrick covers The Shining for example). Each essay dives into the history behind the film, the major players involved, the reception, and legacy with often surprising aspects drawn from interviews with the filmmakers from various sources and insights from the authors.

For all their in-depth explorations of each film, in general the authors keep their critics’ hats safely stowed, keeping in mind that every entry on the book has its fans. In fact, they may well have sold me on finally hitting play on some of the schlockier offerings of the decade like Evilspeak, Nightbeast, and Blood Diner. Hell, I may even give The Beast Within a spin for shits and giggles. The point is that this book is a celebration through and through. The authors are honest about the critical receptions of the films, which were often unkind, and sometimes let their own opinions shine through, but recognize how beloved even the schlockiest films can become given time and availability. And that is an ongoing theme of In Search of Darkness. What may have been dismissed in its day often becomes revered as the years pass. Variations on the phrase “the years have been kind to…” referring to various maligned projects like The Thing, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, The Blob and many, many others, can be found throughout the book for good reason.

Each chapter of the book also includes a rundown of the top horror movies at the box office for the year as well as the top movies of all genres for context. The final page for each year highlights some of the major news and pop culture events including the top songs, albums, and television shows. There is a large central section that pays tribute to the talent involved with the greatest horror films of the 80s including directors, actors, effects artists, and more. This section includes brief biographies of John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Stephen King, Tom Savini, Barbara Crampton, Robert Englund, and many others presented in a dynamic and engaging fashion.

One of the beauties of the book is that it covers so much ground. Sure, you’ll find Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, and the Halloween sequels in it, but you’ll also find deeper cuts like The Changeling, The Being, and Tetsuo: The Iron Man. I was happy to find the same love given to Frank Henenlotter and Larry Cohen as to George A. Romero and David Cronenberg. In other words, In Search of Darkness is extraordinarily eclectic, highlighting the diversity that truly defined what is often viewed as a homogenous decade. The authors make the case that the 80s was horror’s greatest decade, and with what they lay out throughout this book, it’s tough to argue against that. I even came across a film or two I hadn’t even heard of before, which has become increasingly rare as the years go by.

At just shy of $85, the cover price may give some horror hounds pause, but believe me, it’s worth every penny. This is a beautiful volume that every fan of 80s horror will want on their shelf or prominently displayed on their coffee table. Filled with favorite titles, hundreds of full color photos, insightful and informative writing, this is simply a must own.

You can order your copy now.

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