Movie Review- The Hunger Games: MockingJay Part 2

PLOT - This is the final installment in the film franchise adaptation of Suzanne Collins' young adult series, The Hunger Games. Picking up in the middle of the third book, MockingJay Part 2, finds heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), siding with the resistance and recovering from a violent attack by Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), who during his captivity with President Snow (Donald Sutherland), was conditioned to hate and mistrust Katniss.

The leader of the resistance, Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) wants to use Katniss and the other former tributes, to rally all of the districts to topple Panem and oust President Snow. As Katniss fights for the resistance, she begins to discover that not everyone is trust-worthy and that President Snow, might not be her only adversary.

LIKE- I don't often read YA fiction, but as The Hunger Games was an enormous hit, I gave it a go. I really enjoyed both the book series and the film adaptations. Although I read the book first, it was so long ago, that I truly didn't remember anything about this fourth film. I have no idea if it stayed true to the book, because my memory wasn't even jogged while I was watching it. The plot was a completely surprise. I enjoyed the various "game" traps that were set up around the capital to thwart the rebels. Collins did a great job with world-building in her series and I loved seeing it come to life in the films. It's very imaginative.

This last film is bleak and heavy. It's graphically violent ( not for children younger than older teens) and deals with heavy subjects, like PTSD. I did like the first two films more for their inclusion of fun/lighter moments- the Effie Trinket and Caesar Flickerman bits, used to balance the horror. This final film is 100% heavy and couldn't have been otherwise. It's the natural conclusion to the story.

The casting of the franchise couldn't have been more perfect, tons of star power. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was one of my favorite actors and it is bittersweet to see him in his last role.

DISLIKE- Admittedly, it ran a little long, especially in the first third. It's always a little funny when they split a single book into two films. 

 I enjoyed it, but Dan didn't. He enjoyed his nap instead. Afterwards, he asked why we would go to a teen movie. True, we were a little older than the target audience and there were some teenage girls getting all excited over Peeta and Gale ( Liam Hemsworth). For the record, #teampeeta!

RECOMMEND- If you're a fan of the franchise, you've got to see MockingJay Part 2.  If you haven't seen the others, don't bother coming in at the end. This last installment took three films to build to the conclusion and you're missing too much info (character development) to enjoy this as an isolated experience.  

Movie Review- Divergent

As much as I love reading, Veronica Roth's series didn't appeal to me. I skipped the books, but the film adaptation of Divergent has just about everything that I would expect from a teen- centric, dystopian-future drama.

1. Plucky Heroine.

2. Corny Love Story.

3. Kids saving the day.  

Dan and I went to see it last night in Century City, after much debate over which movie to see. It wasn't necessarily our first choice, but the timing was good.

Dan hated it.

I thought that it was okay and fairly entertaining. As it met my expectations, I'm not too critical.  Although the story tries to impart lofty messages regarding fighting for what's right and believing in who you are, this movie isn't too deep. Dystopian futures is a genre that I tend to like, so I was willing to go along for the ride.

Divergent is set in a futuristic Chicago, years after a catastrophic war. The city has been sealed to protect its citizens and the inhabitants are broken up into five groups based on their sensibilities. As soon as they reach adulthood, teenagers are tested to see which group they belong to and despite the pressure to stay within their test results and currently family units, they are free to choose any group, if they feel it is where they truly belong. It's this illusion of free-will and the pressure to pick the right group, that keeps people buying in to the system. 

Beatrice (Shailene Woodley) lives with her family in Abnegation, the group dedicated to selflessness and serving others. When it comes time to be tested, she does not fall into a category and is declared Divergent. The administer of her test tells her to hide her results, as it will get her killed. Divergents do not like to follow the system and are deemed dangerous for making their own, unpredictable choices. At the choosing ceremony, Beatrice decides to go with the Dauntless, a group that are the protectors/warriors of the city. 

There had to be a lot of information that was in the book, but cut from the film, as certain things were glossed over. The various groups are only explained in the most simplistic, stereotyped ways. Kate Winslet's character as an evil leader in the Erudite group is never fully developed. You know that she is the bad guy from the start, but her motives are only explained in the most basic way and there is no build to explain the root of her drive. She just seems extreme and hell-bent. No clue regarding what happened with the war or how long ago it occurred. A little more information and shorter fight sequences, would have made a tighter adaptation.

 Shailene Woodley is what makes this film watchable. Just as Jennifer Lawrence made a perfect Katniss, Woodley is a good fit for Beatrice. She brings emotion and heart to the role. She's incredibly likable and I was rooting for her to make it. Although the romance storyline is extremely corny, Woodley and Theo James, who plays Beatrice's love interest, Four, have a ton of onscreen chemistry. 

Visually, the movie is stunning, with a creative imagining of a futuristic Chicago and creepy dream sequences. There is plenty of action and some very brutal fight sequences. 

Seeing this movie doesn't motivate me to read the books, although I'm sure that they're better than the film adaptation. I'm not sure if I would bother seeing the subsequent movies. Maybe if they came on television. There were clearly many fans of the books in the theatre with us and they seemed really pleased with the film. 

Movie Review- Catching Fire

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Last year, I read Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games Trilogy and my favorite book was the second in the series, Catching Fire. I enjoyed all of the books, but Catching Fire stood out as the most surprising, most emotional and most action-packed. I couldn't  put it down. Naturally, I had to see the movie version of the book.

The movie adaptation of Catching Fire did not disappoint. Maybe it's because I read the book so long ago, but I really couldn't see essential parts that were omitted or changed from the original story. I felt like it was true to the source material, a rare quality in an adaptation. Book lovers tend to be a pretty tough audience! 

Not only was the story true, but the sets and costumes are just as I imagined them, if not better. Katniss' wedding/Mocking Jay dress couldn't have been more gorgeous or perfect.  I loved all of the lavish sequences in the capitol, especially the gala at President Snow's mansion. Even though the film clearly utilizes CG for many of the effects, it's not over-done or fake looking (I'm thinking of you, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland). 

The best reason to see Catching Fire is the cast, in particular Jennifer Lawrence. Lawrence has undeniable star-quality. Seriously, she could be filmed reading the Yellow Pages and it would be entertaining. I can't imagine anyone else in the role of Katniss. I will even own up to having shed a few tears during the Tribute Tour scenes. The material is emotional, but Lawrence's performance is really what makes it so compelling. I really loved the additions of Jena Malone as Johanna and Sam Clafin as Finnick. As with the costumes and sets, everyone cast in the roles is just as I imagined it when reading the story. Dead on. 

You definitely need to have seen the first film or read the books to understand this movie. It does not stand alone. I was a bit miffed to read that the third book is being split into two films. The first two movies were so good, that I trust that the film makers know what their doing and that it's simply not a ploy to drag it out and make more money. That would be a let-down. I just don't think that I can wait until 2015 to see how the final book plays out. 

Catching Fire was fantastic. It's definitely one to watch on the big screen.