Review - The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (2014/2015)

           Hey guys, Chuck here, and well, the clue in my last post was a hint at today's review, where we wrap up, until next November at least, the Hunger Games franchise with the two-part film adaptation of Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay. Once again directed by Francis Lawrence, this movie sees the return of Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Sam Claflin, Jeffrey Wright, Paula Malcolmson, Stanley Tucci, Willow Shields, Jena Malone, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Donald Sutherland, with newcomers including the likes of Mahershala Ali, Natalie Dormer, Wes Chatham, Elden Hensen, Patina Miller, Stef Dawson, and Julianne Moore, with minor roles by Gwendoline Christie and Robert Knepper. 

         So, Part One starts off with Katniss Everdeen in District 13, where one of the higher-ranking soldiers, Boggs, takes her to meet with the leader of the rebel underground based in District 13. It's from Boggs that we learn that while Capitol bombers did wipe out the surface of District 13 after the first war, known as the Dark Days, the people learned to survive underground. The people of 13, being predominantly military, live extremely structured lives, and all receive the same standard attire, food rations, etc. 

          It's here where we meet President Alma Coin, who leads District 13, and by proxy the entire rebel army. Coin, with Plutarch Heavensbee by her side, proposes to Katniss that she be the rallying face of the rebellion against the Capitol, filming a series of propaganda videos referred to by Plutarch as "Propos," to rally the Districts against the Capitol. Katniss, unfortunately, is unable to consider such a thing, given that Peeta was left behind to face inhuman torture in the Capitol. After Katniss storms away, Plutarch suggests letting Katniss see what the Capitol bombers did to District 12. So, Katniss, joined by her long-time friend Gale Hawthorne, heads to District 12 and sees the devastation. She looks around the Everdeen house in Victor's Village and finds one of President Snow's white roses. She collects some items, as well as Prim's cat Buttercup, and returns to 13. 

         The Capitol, meanwhile, is really cracking down on the uprisings amongst the other Districts of Panem, going as far as publicly executing people who associate themselves with the symbol of the Mockingjay. We also see Peeta being used as a puppet, going on television and calling for peace, and everyone across Panem to stop the senseless violence and return to their lives and jobs. This pisses Katniss to agree to be the Mockingjay for Coin and the rebellion, but with conditions. The first condition is this: the Victors held in the Capitol (Johanna Mason, Annie Cresta, and Peeta) are to be rescued at the earliest moment and given full pardons. When Coin refuses, stating that there will be a tribunal regarding the Victors, Katniss retorts that "Peeta and the others will be rescued and pardoned. You will personally guarantee this, or you'll find another Mockingjay." Plutarch suggests that in this case, certain concessions can be made, while things like tribunals can be the bedrock of the new Panem. Katniss' second condition is that Prim gets to keep Buttercup. 

          Okay, so it's here where I need to mention a major difference from the book to the film version. In the original Mockingjay book, Katniss' prep team (Venia, Flavius, and Octavia) were brought from the Capitol to 13 to work with her once again. However, as they had little to no character development in the movies, with Venia being completely omitted from the film adaptation of Catching Fire, director Francis Lawrence swapped them out for Effie Trinket, who had little to no role.in the original Mockingjay book. And honestly, this is a change for the better, as Effie has had tons of character development in the movies, and is a fan favorite character. Seriously, Elizabeth Banks took a very shallow, one-note character from the books and fleshed her out into a character that fans loved throughout the film series. It's no surprise why Lionsgate Films and Dean Israelite later cast her as Rita Repulsa in the 2017 film version of Power Rangers. 

        Anyway, so Plutarch goes to meet with Effie, who is in 13 now, and tells her that they need her on board now that Katniss has agreed to be the Mockingjay. Initially reluctant, Effie agrees, and reunites with Katniss and Gale. It's here where Effie shows Katniss some designs made by Cinna, but reveals that she wasn't to see them until she chose to be the Mockingjay for herself. Suiting up, Katniss heads to film her first Propo, but it turns out to be a dud. Haymitch, who had been dealing with withdrawal from his alcoholism, brings everyone together and notes the issue with this first Propo. Pointing out that, while the people will follow Katniss, it has to feel real. After hearing examples of people being emotionally moved by Katniss, such as volunteering as Tribute in place of her sister, or tending to Rue after Marvel killed her during the Games, Haymitch suggests putting her in the thick of battle, making her emotions come off as more real and not forced. Coin, almost reluctantly, agrees to send Katniss with a film crew and armed protection to District 8. Beetee gives Katniss and Gale their signature weapons: a bow for Katniss and a crossbow for Gale. Along with Boggs, the two meet the film crew: Cressida, Messalla, and brothers Castor and Pollux. Pollux, as a result of being made an Avox by the Capitol, is unable to speak as he no longer has a tongue. Yeah, while they weren't referenced much in the film, Avoxes we're established early on in the books as people punished for crimes by having their tongues removed, hair dyed red, and forced into servitude. 

         It's also here where I should talk about Gale, because while he was a supporting player in the first two movies, he is much more prominent in Mockingjay, and Liam Hemsworth definitely is at his best in these movies. Hell, some fans actually wanted to see Katniss end up with Gale instead of Peeta just based on how much cooler Gale was, and I definitely understand that. I don't agree with that, because I'm a book fan and the ties between Katniss and Gale were different in the book, but I do see where non-book fans are coming from. That being said, I do appreciate how Liam Hemsworth really gets his turn in the spotlight with this movie, and he turns in a genuinely stellar performance as Gale. 

         So, in District 8, Katniss and co. meet with Commander Paylor, who shows them to a makeshift hospital for those who are ill or wounded. Katniss goes to see them, and they all show their adoration of her. Suddenly, however, Capitol hovercraft show up and attack, destroying the hospital and killing everyone inside. Katniss and Gale take to higher ground, and using an explosive arrow provided by Beetee, Katniss takes down the hovercraft, and heads for the wreckage of the hospital. Cressida then begins recording Katniss, as the proclaims, "I'm in District 8, where the Capitol just bombed a hospital filled with unarmed men, women, and children, and there will be no survivors. If you think for one second the Capitol will treat us fairly, then you're lying to yourselves, became THIS is who they are! THIS is what they do, and we must fight back! I have a message for President Snow. You can torture us and bomb us and burn our Districts to the ground. But do you see that? Fire is catching. And if we burn, you burn with us!" 

         Later, Plutarch takes the footage from District 8 and edits it into his Propo, ending it with a text that reads "Join the Mockingjay. Join the fight." This Propo, which gets massive cheers from the crowd in District 13, is broadcast across the Districts, but unfortunately not in the Capitol due to a signal system created by Beetee that Beetee himself, unfortunately, can't find his way through. The message is clear, as we later see lumber workers in District 7 spring a trap for the Peacekeepers, climbing into the treetops and shouting down to them "If we burn, you burn with us!" before setting off a set of buried explosives, killing all of the Peacekeepers. Now, I wand to touch on these Peacekeeper guys for a quick second. You see, the Peacekeeper armor evolved between the releases of The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, going from white riot armor to genuine military gear. Over the course of the movies, Peacekeepers of Panem went from looking like riot cops to basically being Panem's equivalent to the Stormtroopers from Star Wars. And honestly, given that they do become more militaristic during the events of Mockingjay, changing up the armor from its look in The Hunger Games to its look in the sequels is pretty smart on the part of director Francis Lawrence and the production team. 

        Anyway, the Capitol retaliates by having Peeta go on television again and speak out against the incident in District 7, as well as the Propo that Katniss participated in. Gale, who is watching with Katniss after the two came back inside after hunting on the surface, asks how Peeta can defend those who wiped out District 12, and Katniss realizes Peeta has no idea what happened to 12, nor does anyone else in Panem. So, the second Propo is filmed in the charred ruins of District 12, with Gale recounting the incidents of what happened, and how he was only able to save about nine-hundred people, including Katniss' mother and sister. Later, the entire crew is seen relaxing by a nearby lake, where Pollux points out a small bird, which Katniss confirms to be a mockingjay. After Pollux gives a whistle, which the mockingjays repeat, he signals for Katniss to sing a song. This leads to Katniss singing a District 12 folk song called "The Hanging Tree," the origins of which are explored in Suzanne Collins'prequel novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes , the film adaptation of which hits theaters in November of 2023.  Now, not everyone liked Jennifer Lawrence's singing in this sequence, but I liked it fine. I think it added a bit of melancholy to the lyrics. 

         So, Plutarch uses the song, paired up with the footage of a devastated District 12, for the second Propo, which is broadcast across the Districts, and we see it's message clear, as several power plant workers in District 5 sing it while marching to destroy the hydroelectric dam, which shuts off power across the Capitol, also allowing Beetee to broadcast the Propos to the Capitol. We see this in effect when, once again, Peeta is on television talking about the "senseless attack" on the dam, which leads Beetee to remark "We interrupt your regularly scheduled horse manure to bring you this," and broadcasts the "Hanging Tree" Propo for Peeta to see. Hearing Katniss' voice seems to get through to him, and he warns "They're coming. They're going destroy everything in District 13. Get out now!" Coin then orders an air raid drill, getting everyone secure deeper in an underground stronghold. A squad of Capitol bombers attacks 13, but everyone makes it through the night. 

         The next morning, Katniss heads outside and sees a massive crater where the bombs were dropped, and finds it covered in white roses. She knows this as a message meaning one thing: Peeta is going to be killed. Later that day, Coin orders a squad of six soldiers, volunteer only, to carry out an extraction plan to get Peeta, Johanna, and Annie out of the Capitol and back safely to District 13, with both Boggs and Gale (the first to volunteer for the mission) on the squad. To distract the Capitol's defenses and signal blocker, Beetee has Finnick speak live on air, spilling many secrets he learned over the years regarding President Snow, specifically of how he squashed any uprising before it started and got rid of anyone who threatened his position of power with his signature weapon: poison. Snow would often consume the poison along with his victims, but would use the antidote to cure himself. Unfortunately, antidotes didn't always work, leaving his mouth full of bleeding sores that never heal, hence his use of roses that smell of perfume to mask the scent of blood on his breath. Now, if you are interested in learning more of the backstory of Coriolanus Snow and his rise to power, check out the book The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, or wait until the movie adaptation of it hits theaters in November of 2023. 

         Anyway, the broadcast with Finnick is cutting out, as the signal blocker is coming back online. Katniss suggests going on live, herself, speaking directly to Snow. Plutarch and Beetee both agree that it's a good idea, and put her on. Snow answers, and the two speak to each other, with Snow reminding her of how he spoke of the fragility of peace, but like a child, she took great pleasure in breaking it. When she offers to go in Peeta's place, Snow remarks that it's too late for that, and states "it's the things we love most that destroy us," before revealing that he knows of the extraction team in the Tribute Center, cutting their transmission. Not knowing what's going on, Katniss freaks out at the notion of losing both Peeta and Gale in the same night, with Haymitch trying to calm her down. 

         Luckily, the extraction team returns safely, with Katniss seeing Johanna, whose definitely been through Hell, and Finnick reuniting with Annie. Katniss reunites with Gale, who mentions that their getaway from the Capitol was almost too clean. It's here where we realize something isn't right, as Peeta, upon seeing Katniss, starts to strangle her nearly to death, only to be stopped by Boggs knocking him out. After she wakes up, unable to speak as her vocal chords are still swollen, Katniss learns from Plutarch that Peeta was put through a form of torture called highjacking, wherein he would have his memory altered through the use of Tracker Jacker venom, causing him to be fearful of Katniss and perceiving her as a threat. Unclear if the reprogramming can be undone, Plutarch remarks how they're in all-new territory. The movie ends with Coin proclaiming that their next move is to liberate District 2. 

          Now we get to Part Two, where Katniss' vocal chords are healed and back to normal, and she goes to see Peeta again, who has been getting better thanks the District 13 doctors. However, to hopefully get through, they send someone he's familiar with, Prim, to speak with him. It seems to work, until he starts to freak out and refer to Katniss as a mutt (referring to Capitol-manufactured muttations also known as "Mutts") that can't be trusted. After being cleared to return to work, Katniss, Gale, Boggs, and the film crew head to District 2, where they create an avalanche to bury all but a single exit for a mountain stronghold known as the Nut, which is currently housing all of the Peacekeepers and Capitol loyalists. Katniss calls for everyone to exit the Nut and join the rebel cause, but gets shot by a Capitol loyalist. 

         Luckily, Cinna crafted her suit to be bulletproof, this keeping her alive. Back in 13, she relaxes and enjoys the festivities of the wedding of Finnick and Annie, even to the point of dancing with Prim. Unfortunately, things aren't sitting right with Katniss, who seeks to be on the front lines for the assault on the Capitol, instead of Plutarch's plan to shoot more Propos safely in 13. Sneaking off to the Capitol, Katniss makes it to join the battle effort, led by Commander Paylor. Surprisingly, she's made a part of the Star Squad, which consists of herself, Gale, Finnick, Cressida, Messalla, Castor, Pollux, the Leeg sisters, Mitchell, Homes, and the squad leaders Jackson and, of course, Boggs. Boggs has control of a holo, which can track devices called Pods, which include a series of death traps set up by the Game makers, leading Finnick to sarcastically remark "Welcome to the seventy-sixth Hunger Games." 

           The Star Squad, whose duty is to head in after a majority of the fighting has pushed further into the Capitol and be recorded fighting any remaining Peacekeeper squadrons and dealing with whatever active Pods are left after the main front line troops have advanced. Peeta is later added as part of the Star Squad, but is handcuffed and placed under constant guard so that he doesn't make any other attempts to kill Katniss. Among those who keep watch of him are Katniss herself, Gale, and Finnick. Unfortunately, the Leegs, Boggs, and other Squad members are taken out by Pods, which set Peeta off and he nearly kills Katniss, Finnick, and Gale. Everyone gets to higher ground from a massive wave of tar, and they take shelter elsewhere. 

          Deciding that traversing on the surface is too dangerous, Katniss and the Star Squad decide to travel underground in the sewers of the Capitol, where they face a different king of mutt: rose-scented reptilian mutts, which take the lives of Jackson, Castor, and Finnick. Katniss, who was given control of the holo earlier, destroys it to buy time to escape, only to run into Peacekeepers and a high-heat Pod that vaporizes whoever is caught in it. Cressida finds them shelter with Tigris, a former stylist in the Hunger Games who Snow altered to physically have feline facial features. And again, we learn more of her connection with Snow in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, so again, check that book out or wait until the movie hits theaters in November of 2023. 

         Anyway, Snow calls for all Capitol citizens to come to the Presidential Mansion for shelter and safety, with Katniss and Gale traveling there in the guise of refugees. In truth, Katniss has one goal: kill Snow. Anyway, the two get closer to the Mansion, and the right picks up when the rebel troops show up, and Peacekeepers take Gale away, barely missing Katniss, who witnesses the Peacekeepers rounding up the Capitol children to be taken inside first. Suddenly, a hovercraft drops parachuted goods onto the crowd below, only for them to be bombs that kill many. Some time after the bombs go off, Katniss sees Prim tending to the wounded, only to be killed herself by another bomb, which knocks Katniss unconscious. 

        Katniss awakens in a makeshift hospital, where  Haymitch reveals that the Capitol finally surrendered, leaving no resistance. Particularly interesting note, evidently some Peacekeepers had children who were taken out by the dropped bombs. Katniss, now healed, goes to speak with Snow, who is locked up in his rose garden awaiting execution. Snow reveals that it was Coin, not he, that released the bombs that killed the Capitol children and Prim. He also insinuates that Coin will almost certainly take over as President of Panem, and how she easily played both Snow and Katniss against each other. When Katniss states how he doesn't believe him, Snow remarks "Oh, my dear Miss Everdeen, I thought we'd agreed never to lie to each other." 

        Gale, when later speaking to Katniss, confirms that the bombs were, indeed, released by the rebels on Coin's order. Gale apologizes as, with Prim dead, he failed to live up to his promise to keep Katniss' family safe. Coin later calls together all surviving Victors, including Katniss, Beetee, Peeta, Enobaria, Annie, Johanna, and Haymitch in regards to what's next. Coin has made herself interim President, Snow and his co-conspirators will be executed, with Snow's execution set for that afternoon. However, she fears that there will be more calls for blood, leading to Coin coming up with something to ease the calls for blood: one final Hunger Games consisting predominantly of Capitol children. Okay, seriously, what the eff? Hell, even when I read about this in the book, I was thinking the same thing: what the eff? Why, after having seventy-five years worth of Hunger Games with twenty-four, or in the case of the fiftieth Hunger Games (which Haymitch won, by the way) fourty-eight, Tributes from across the twelve Districts, would you look to have ANOTHER Hunger Games with children from the Capitol? Just WHYYYYY?!?!?!!!!?! Anyway, Coin puts it up to a vote, with a majority of four carrying the decision. Beetee, Annie, and Peeta all vote "No," while Johanna and Enobaria vote "Yes," with Johanna mentioning the fact that Snow has a granddaughter. Katniss, with the provision that she gets to kill Snow, votes "Yes," with Haymitch, who realizes that Katniss is trying to make Coin think she's on Coin's side, follow suit and votes "Yes." 

        So, the moment has come, Katniss with a bow and arrow, marches down the Avenue of the Tributes, with people from across Panem leaving the Grand Stands and following her, to where Peeta, Gale, Haymitch, Cressida's film crew, Coin, Plutarch, and Payloy are waiting, with Snow tied to a post awaiting execution. Coin gives a passionate speech, ending with her telling Katniss "may your aim be true as your heart is pure." Katniss unsheathes her arrow and takes aim at Snow. Holding her aim for a moment z Katniss realizes that Snow's death won't end tyranny in Panem, and fires her arrow at Coin, killing her instead. The crowd then charges at a laughing Snow, who does in the scuffle, and Katniss is taken into custody. Haymitch comes to see her, bringing a letter from Plutarch that tells her that he knew that Katniss would do the right thing in the end, and if he had the choice to put her through the same ordeal to reach the same outcome, he would. He added that the District leaders would convene to elect a new President, with Paylor likely to carry the vote as she's been the voice of reason amongst the confusion. And, in due time, Paylor would fully pardon Katniss of any wrongdoing. So, all that was left was for Katniss and Haymitch to head back home to District 12, saying goodbye to Effie as they leave. And I did like how Woody Harrelson as Haymitch have Elizabeth Banks as Effie a goodbye kiss. Nice touch. 

      Back in 12, Katniss rests up, only to find Buttercup having made his way back home. Katniss yells at him to leave, shouting about how Prim was gone and wasn't coming back, breaking down completely because of it. Katniss then picks up Buttercup, and he starts purring in her arms. My thoughts on this are that Prim's spirit lead Buttercup back to District 12 so that he could be there for Katniss as a reminder of Prim. Peeta also returns to 12, and plants some flowers near the Everdeen house. The flower he plants, specifically, is primrose, in honor of Prim's memory. Katniss and Peeta reunite, and watch along with Haymitch as Paylor is sworn in as President of Panem. Years later, and we see Katniss and Peeta enjoying an afternoon in the meadow with their two children, ending the movie. 

          Okay, so while many feel that splitting Mockingjay into two movies was unnecessary and made Part One nothing more than a prologue, I don't agree with those sentiments. I, myself, feel that the decision to split Mockingjay into two movies allowed for more character development and more time to spend with the many new characters and returning favorites. 

         Both Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth are at their best in these movies, Part One especially, and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta gets his chance to shine in Part Two. I was also a big fan of Mahershala Ali as Boggs, as well as Natalie Dormer as Cressida. Wes Chatham and Elden Hensen we're fantastic as brothers Castor and Pollux, and I absolutely enjoyed Patina Miller as Paylor. Donald Sutherland is definitely menacing as President Snow, as was Julianne Moore as President Coin. Now, while Snow is still the villain of the franchise, don't be fooled, Coin is the villain of Mockingjay. I mean, why in the Hell did she even consider putting together a Hunger Games which would consist of Capitol children? I know I harped on that before, but seriously. What the hell? 

         The sets and locations, especially with the likes of Districts 13, 8, and 7 we're among my favorites in the movie, and getting to see things that were implied, like the citizens of the Districts fighting back and echoing Katniss' words was really neat, and the visual effects for the Pods was really spectacular, especially the flood of tar. The lizard mutts, unfortunately, felt too humanoid and not reptilian enough for me, but that's my only complaint. 

         It's also with a very heavy heart that Mockingjay marked the final two films in the career of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who joined the franchise as Plutarch Heavensbee in Catching Fire. Tragically, he passed away in February of 2014, and the filmmakers were able to find a workaround regarding the scenes in Part Two he had left to film, which weren't many and didn't necessitate him being physically present. 

          All that being said, Part One of Mockingjay is definitely the weakest of the Hunger Games franchise, coming in at a rating of 2.75/5, whist Part Two comes in at a rating of 4.85/5. Rounding this up, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay gets an accumulated rating of 3.95/5. So, that'll wrap up my reviews of The Hunger Games series for now, as next year I will be checking out the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins' prequel novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which I am definitely looking forward to. But, there are plenty of other reviews to get through until then, including my next review: Batman: The Animated Series. Until then, this is Chuck signing off and I'll see you guys next time.