• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Film
  • DVD
  • Editorial
  • About ScreenFish

ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • News
  • OtherFish
  • Podcast
  • Give
You are here: Home / Reviews / Hunger Games Mockingjay Part II: In War, Everyone Loses

Hunger Games Mockingjay Part II: In War, Everyone Loses

March 23, 2016 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

hg2And, at last, Katniss Aberdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) closes the final chapter of Suzanne Collins’ dystopian series about teenagers forced to battle it out, The Running Man-style. After a decade of holding the nation’s attention, from the first novel in 2008 to this fourth and final film in 2016 on Blu-ray/DVD, Katniss has had a nice “run.” But as we follow her to a final confrontation with President Snow (Donald Sutherland), we must approach her struggle with absolute dread – like George R.R. Martin, Collins’ work hasn’t been particularly sentimental. Can Katniss make it through unscathed?

Still reeling from the effects of traitorous violence and rebel implosion seen in Mockingjay Part I, Katniss recuperates, recovering in time to be used by President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) as a figurehead, an instrument of rebellion. Coin wants Katniss to play it “safe,” hiding behind the real battle and serving only as a mascot for her motivation to unseat Snow. Here, Katniss has moved from meaningful, self-made individual to pawn of the government, and her resentment grows.

Die Tribute von Panem - Mockingjay Teil 2Of course, it becomes apparent that Katniss will fight the system – even when the system is her own. She’s on a revenge tour of the Capitol, and she’s aimed at her own destruction as much as Snow’s. Unfortunately, she’s at odds with one of her ‘boys,’ shaking up the Twilight-like threesome. But true love and friendship have prevailed before, and the audience will hold out hope for peace to reign.

Fans of the film undoubtedly know how this all ends, but on the Blu-ray/DVD/Digital combo pack, they will eat up the eight-part documentary that shows how director Francis Lawrence’s final, third film makes the dark and powerful conclusion of the series. Much of the other special feature space is eaten up by visuals: pictures from the series, sketches of the armor Katniss wears, and city setup that makes Panem (and serves as the locale for much of the film). Those serious about the series and its overview will watch the film again, this time with commentary from Lawrence and show runner Nina Jacobson who left Disney to form her own Color Force production company, which covered the whole Hunger Games series.

hg1For those who have observed the series from afar and never bought in: this is not your ‘typical’ teen thriller. The final installment is significantly darker (think Deathly Hallows ramped up) but no less pushy about its insight into the world around us. Even as I watch it, news reports about a bombing in Brussels floated in. What are the ethics of war, of guerrilla warfare, of fighting for one’s rights? What does the Hunger Games tell us about what it means to send our young out to ‘eat’ each other? Where is the justice in determining who are the combatants, the innocents, the collateral damage? In Mockingjay Part II, we see the dangers of war – everyone loses. The best anyone can hope for is that they might retain some glimmer of their soul when the last attack fades away…

Share it!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Reviews

About Jacob Sahms

Jacob serves as a United Methodist pastor in Virginia, where he spends his downtime in a theater or playing sports

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

THE SF NEWS

Get a special look, just for you.

sf podcast

Hot Off the Press

  • WandaVision: Reviving the MCU in the Past
  • Good News: 1on1 with Paul Greengrass (News of the World)
  • From Dreamland to Jungleland, Pursuing Dreams
  • The World’s Still Ending; At Least There’s Good TV
  • Blizzard of Souls – Latvian Pride
Find tickets and showtimes on Fandango.

where faith and film are intertwined

film and television carry stories which remind us of the stories God has woven since the beginning of time. come with us on a journey to see where faith and film are intertwined.

Footer

ScreenFish Articles

WandaVision: Reviving the MCU in the Past

Good News: 1on1 with Paul Greengrass (News of the World)

  • About ScreenFish
  • Privacy Policy

© 2021 · ScreenFish.net · Built by Aaron Lee

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.