Film review: Mockingjay Part 2 - A fire doused

We had our reservations when the film-makers decided to snip Mockingjay into two parts, but the result leaves us on the fence about the decision. On the one hand, dividing the last book into two movies gave film-makers ample room to ensure visual accuracy in terms of how readers experience the book. On the other hand, creating a movie that focuses so heavily on the internal conflict of Katniss Everdeen shifts focus away from other aspects of the story. The rest of the cast, including Julianne Moore, Josh Hutcherson, Donald Sutherland and Woody Harrelson hardly get any screen time. Even when they do, their roles lack the depth witnessed in previous films. That said, the director needs to be given credit for successfully working around the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who passed away in 2014 before filming was complete.

Directed by Francis Lawrence, the final installment focuses solely on Katniss Everdeen and her decision to fight on the frontlines as the rebels take over the Capitol. We see the inner battle that Everdeen faces as she comes to terms with the fact that even as she fights for freedom she is still just a pawn in a larger game. Every happy scene in the film looks like it is out of place in an otherwise dark narrative. Although Jennifer Lawrence nails the straight-faced brooding side of Katniss, the emotional outbursts fail to make any real impact.

Staying true to the narrative may have been a good idea had the final installment of the book been turned into one lengthy film. Telling the story in two parts has rendered the installment too dark and overburdened, with nothing much to relieve us of the unpleasant emotions. How the directors managed to make a film packed with so much action into such a drag is beyond us. A great chunk of the 137 minutes was spent stifling yawns, waiting for the end.

Even though the film-makers have tried to wrap the story neatly in a bow, the atmosphere in the theatre suggested that we were not alone in harbouring the opinion that the film failed to provide us with any real closure. This suggests sticking to the narrative may not have been the best idea in this case. The greatest disappointment, however, lies in the fact that Ms Everdeen does not adorn the striking red outfit, which instantly draws us to the posters, even once in the film.

The final verdict is simple: the film may only be for diehard fans of the books and who have a problem with deviation from the visual depiction of its scenes. Although to anyone who has read the books, the point of stretching the third book into two parts may still be lost.



Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, November 29^th, 2015.