The fourth and final film in the series breaks after a tidal wave of growing popularity, but will it leave audiences high and dry or suck them deeper into the world of Katniss Everdeen?
The final instalment follows the remaining victors through an arena of war under the watchful eyes of Coin and Snow. Katniss is sent ever closer to Snow on the front lines to press the rebel’s advantage, soon joined by Peta in an attempt to show his defection. This foray so close to Snow’s grasp quickly spirals into a chaotic ride that grips you right to the credits.
Elizabeth Banks & Jennifer Lawrence
True to the scale of darkness that has grown throughout the series, Part Two is by far the grimmest. With little in the way pageantry to hide the brutality of war, it is a challenging experience. Noting as the film rolled that it was a 12A for moderate violence and threat, in hindsight I can only wonder about the mental state of the rating board. The film shows to great effect that excessive gore is entirely unnecessary to shock your viewer, using high tension moments as Katniss and her team creep beneath the capitol, your fears are played on perfectly. The film ends with the ability to shock you in a meaningful way, it is refreshing and rare for a high budget action/adventure film, and as a viewer you feel just as numbed by the final events as the protagonists.
The attention to detail throughout the movie surprised me for a ‘AAA’ epic, for example a quiet scene deliberately addresses the emotional euthanasia bestowed on Katniss by the events in the film; it stresses the tiredness and evident burden she feels at being expected to reciprocate feelings for one or both of these men. Jennifer Lawrence’s acting is supreme to pull this off but its scripting and inclusion by the director shows a shared vision. This is what makes the series work so well and gives it great depth.
Now that the story is at an end we can see the series as a whole for the first time. Looking back from the first film to the last, the journey captures the endless cycles of humanity and the eternal games we play in love, war and society. The gamemakers show how plucking at the smallest of life’s gossamer threads can change everything and that a victor’s only prize is to play again. The film is conscious of itself and as you pay for your entry, you sit alongside the Capitol members to watch The Hunger Games. The masquerade of enjoyable warfare is slowly removed throughout the films until you, and the populace of Panam, are happy to witness something less violent.
Author: Joe, Bath store
