THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 2 (2015)

Genre: Science Fiction / Action
Running Length: 2:16
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Sam Claflin, Mahershala Ali, Natalie Dormer
Director: Francis Lawrence

Screenplay: Peter Craig and Danny Strong, based on the novel “Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins

Dramatic irony is a powerful tool in literature and films. When used correctly, it connects so deeply into the very core of the audience one literally feels like they were punched in the gut. MOCKINGJAY PART 2 had so much potential to do so but in order to attract a wider audience, the filmmakers compromised and never went "all in". There were at least two major ironies which they could have focused on to redeem the franchise (which started off with so much shock and promise) but instead, they chose the safe path of highlighting the characters running around in abandoned tunnels and buildings chased by zombie-like creatures aka Maze Runner or Divergent series.

The film begins exactly were Part 1 ended. Distressed about what happened to Hurtcherson's character, Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss decides to join the front line of the Resistance with a personal agenda of assassinating President Snow (Sutherland). And so begins her dangerous mission which she later learns that she could just be a pawn in a bigger game.

I think one of the key problems of the Mockingjay movies is dividing it into two movies. It could have been one epic satisfying major movie to conclude the series. But instead, to justify more box office money the need to develop more three dimensional characters and deeper plots, the results were counter intuitive. Both films felt bloated with uneven pacing. I didn't care enough when major characters were killed off.

There's no doubting that the Hunger Game series has high aspirations and is meant to provoke the irony of war, but it ended lukewarm - neither a satisfying sci-fi adventure movie nor a deeper exploration into the grim side of human nature.

Rating: 5.5/10

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 1 (2014)

Genre: Science Fiction

Running Length: 2:03

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Elizabeth Banks, Jeffrey Wright, Natalie Dormer

Director: Francis Lawrence 

The film makers of THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 1 must be commended for taking the risk to divert this movie from the standard Hollywood blockbuster formula. MOCKINGJAY, PART 1 is more akin to a political commentary on the media's power to manipulate (compared to its fast paced action-heavy earlier entries of the series). With no Games this time around, there are no big action scenes but instead, the characters uses war of words, mind games and emotional blackmail to outwit one another. Indeed it is a valiant effort but by dividing the final book in the popular trilogy into two separate films, this film feels incomplete and more like a set-up to something better (hopefully, but we have to wait for a full year to find out *cough* *studio greed* *cough*)

Rating: 6/10