The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 – With the rebellion in full swing, Katniss Everdeen is once again pushed to the front in her persona as the rebel’s figurehead: The Mockingjay. With her hatred of the vile and cruel President Snow – leader of the decadent ‘Capitol’ – Katniss is driven with revenge in mind. However, when the Capitol gets wind of the rebels’ plan, the fight becomes a lot more dangerous once they step foot onto the Capitol’s booby-trapped streets.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015) – Director: Francis Lawrence

Rating: 12

Running Length: 137 mins

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Donald Sutherland

Genre: Science Fiction, Action/Adventure

REVIEW: ‘THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 2’

The fourth and final instalment of the phenomenally popular ‘The Hunger Games’ franchise ensures that the series goes out with a bang. With copious amounts of action, which was sadly lacking in ‘Part 1’ (even though the story called for it), ‘Part 2’ brings all the characters that the fans know and love together and have them fight on a ‘Hunger Games’ style battlefield in Panem’s Capitol.

Sticking closely to the books by Suzanne Collins, fans of the trilogy will love all the attention to detail that Francis Lawrence has brought to the big screen. Sadly, what does bring the movie down is Jennifer Lawrence’s limited portrayal of emotion. Lawrence carries the franchise on her shoulders but whilst Katniss is a reactionary character and practically minded and tough, she is still a young woman who has seen and done terrible things for survival. In moments of extreme emotional distress, what is supposed to be stoicism, strength or sometimes numbness unfortunately comes across as bland or moody which often spoils otherwise powerful moments of plot.

While it may struggle to compete with the first two movies, ‘Mockingjay – Part 2’ certainly stands up to scrutiny and with action scenes aplenty and lots of fascinating characters, it doesn’t disappoint as the finale to an epic series that became more than just a story for teens.

CONTENT: IS ‘THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 2’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

A plan is hatched to destroy a stronghold that the Capitol has control of but in order to do this, numerous civilians will be killed or injured in the attack which would bury people alive. One character is very unhappy to do this but their concerns are largely ignored, even by their closest friends. When the attack happens, people in the background are heard cheering when the bombs explode.

A major character is unexpectedly shot several times in the chest and they instantly fall to the floor. This attack is shown several times, some in close up and others further away.

When the rebels reach the Capitol, they know that many traps have been set to stop them and, in true ‘Hunger Games’ style, they have been designed to provide as much entertainment to the Capitol’s residents as possible. These traps include fire, machine guns and more unusual elements, for example a black, oil-like substance pours into the area where Katniss and her unit are. The oil comes in like a tsunami, forcing the unit to flee for their lives and, when one falls into it a net suddenly forms around him and drags him into the air. He can be seen flailing around in the net and screams; a short while later his body is seen laid out inside the net, it is unclear exactly how he died but he is covered in oil and it is obvious that he suffered.

The strongest scene of the movie is when the unit are sneaking through underground tunnels. They become aware of whispering and noises and there is around 5 minutes of tension where they don’t know where the sounds are coming from and therefore unsure of which direction to go. They are suddenly attacked by dozens of large terrifying monsters which have no eyes but sharp teeth and claws. More than one character is killed in this scene which lasts for around 5 minutes. One character is killed and, despite being completely surrounded by the monsters, his face can still be seen as he suffers. There is 5 – 10 seconds of him screaming in pain and begging for help and although no blood or gore is seen, it is still horrific and distressing.

In one scene, there are several explosions very close to civilians. They are mostly families with young children and many of them are killed. Very little blood or gore is shown but afterwards people are heard screaming in anguish and carrying the charred bodies of loved ones.

A character who has been in every ‘Hunger Games’ film is killed and a loved one breaks down from grief. This part of the movie only lasts a few minutes but could be quite upsetting due to the close relationship that the two characters had.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 2’

As the final part of the franchise, ‘Mockingjay – Part 2’ is action packed and the plot is finished well with lots of twists and turns along the way. While the majority of the content isn’t too bad, we feel that, with the extremely strong violence in the underground scene, this movie is not suitable for kids aged under 12.

• Violence: 5/5 (a character is poisoned and, while they gasp, choke and turn red, the people around them barely react. After around 20 seconds of suffering, the character dies, collapsing onto the table that they are sitting at. There are a couple of close-ups of horrible bruises inflicted after characters have been attacked. One is around someone’s neck, and later, there is one around someone’s torso. These bruises cover a large area and are black/purple in colour)
• Emotional Distress: 3/5 (a character feels responsible for an attack that kills a loved one of a friend. He is devastated and their friend is unable to forgive them, they say ‘goodbye’ to them and it is clear that they are unlikely to see each other again)
• Fear Factor: 5/5
• Sexual Content: 1/5 (a female character joins a male character in his bed, they are both fully clothed and neither make any sexual advances towards one another. They are later seen several years into the future and they have two children)    
• Bad Language: 0/5
• Dialogue: 3/5 (a weapon is described which emits smoke that is designed to cling to the enemy’s eyes. A character who had previously been held captive and tortured by the Capitol tells someone that she and another character had adjacent cells and that ‘we’re very familiar with each others’ screams’)
• Other notes: Deals with themes of totalitarian governments, the consequences of societal divide, willingness to sacrifice one’s life for the greater good, recognising that good intentions may not always lead to good actions, unconditional trust and fighting against hatred.

Words by Laura Record

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