Film Diary 2015: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2

When I saw the first film I had no idea what the books were actually about, I had written them off as crossover teen fiction that had been picked up by post-Potter readers, and, whilst I found the first film entertaining it's political sub-plot was the most interesting, and most sidelined, aspect of the whole spectacle.

With the second film the behind-the-scenes intrigue of the story's society began to move to the foreground, with Donald Sutherland really relishing his role as the malevolent President Snow, gleefully puppeteering society via the titular gruesome bloodsport reality show. Alongside an increasingly excellent supporting cast, that by this point had added the wonderful Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright and Amanda Plummer to an ensemble that already boasted Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Perkins, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones and many more.

As the conspiracy theories and revolution pushed its way to foreground the film's allegorical nature began to move from subtle to polemical, whilst still delivering heart-rending, knuckle-whitening blockbuster thrills.

It was around this point that I chose to read the novels myself, and the rawness of Suzanne Collins' books really struck me. Unflinching in their depiction of the horrors of the violence these children and forced to enact upon one another, powerfully honest in its strong anti-war message, as well as making strong parallels between the Capitol and how real-world governments and the media aim to manipulate and control, there was something refreshingly vital and current about Collins' work, that was drawn from the actions of the past, but is, sadly, important and prescient regarding our decisions for the future.

Whilst the third film, dealing with the first half of the last book, is largely set-up - and does suffer a little as a result - it is all paid off spectacularly by this final installment.

A blistering, traumatic war movie for the modern age with a powerful and resonant message at its core, this series comes to an excellent, exciting, tear-jerking conclusion that manages to celebrate all that was great about the franchise - the impeccable casting, the imaginative costume & production design - whilst paring things down to a straight-forward yet intelligent narrative about the cycles of violence and control we inflict upon each other.

Ultimately, beyond their entertainment value, beyond Jennifer Lawrence's superb central performance - not to mention an often under-appreciated, but, here, very powerful supporting turn by Josh Hutcherson as Peeta - these films will undoubtedly be the fictions that truly represent our times.

Sure, dismiss them, like I was guilty of at first, as teen-lit, lacking in the depth of "worthier" tomes, but you'll be missing out on a cunning, creative and clever metaphor for the short-sightedness, the arrogance, the cruelty of warfare, of governance, of the media, of people, but, ultimately, of hope, of resistance, revolution and having the courage to stand up and speak out for something better.

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