On this Thanksgiving Day, I’m
grateful we’re free from our long national nightmare. With the release of the final Hunger Games movie, no longer are we shackled
to the threat of future films based on pre-teen page turners about sullen
heroines with commitment issues. But deliverance
comes only from struggle. I saw The Hunger Games – The Mockingjay Part 2
last Sunday, and it was indeed a struggle.
This turgid, colorless exercise in Hollywood greed and contempt robbed
me of a weekend afternoon, this fetid effluence of cinematic offal smeared on countless
movie screens, crammed down our throats like overfed, numbed cattle awaiting
their turn in the chute. Then again, the
popcorn and Milk Duds weren’t half bad!
I blame my daughter. A few years ago she rebuffed me when I tried
borrowing her copy of the third and final Hunger
Games novel. “Dads shouldn’t read
books 6th grade girls are reading,” she said, even though I’d
devoured the first two of Suzanne Collins’ books about Katniss Everdeen and her
exploits in a dystopian America where TV reigns and the passive, ruthless President
plots and schemes (think Ben Carson but less energy). As I sat alone in the first hour of the
fourth film of the three books, I blamed my daughter for denying me the chance
to learn in advance this story is tired, drawn-out and exhausting.
The
Mockingjay Part 2 was released to massive hype last week, our last chance
to see Jennifer Lawrence in the role that launched her career. The film picks up where Mockingjay 1 ended. Wounded
and on the mend, Katniss itches to get back in the rebels’ fight against the
government. She’s surrounded by glum
cohorts who say serious things like, “I guess there are no rules anymore about
what a person can do to another person,” and, “Our future starts tomorrow at
dawn,” while plotting the final assault on the Capitol, the seat of power for
the brutal, regal President Snow, played by Donald Sutherland. Katniss must kill the President to end the rebellion
and eliminate the chance of any future Hunger Games – these annual televised
contests where unlucky citizens fight to the death until one victor emerges, a
show staged by the government to ensure its downtrodden citizenry remembers
who’s in charge. “He needs to see my
eyes when I kill him,” she mutters to one of her two boyfriends as she readies
herself for battle. Neither seems like a
very good listener.
What the rebels lack in prospects and
upbeat outerwear, they make up in personal grooming habits - who knew revolution
could be so good for eyebrows and teeth?
As Katniss and both boyfriends join a squad of soldiers, including a PR
team filming their every move, we’re treated to scenes of rubble, holographic
maps, refugee squalor and exchanges like, “You don’t owe me anything,” and “All
those deaths mean something.” Jennifer
Lawrence barely registers a pulse, whether it’s choosing between rebel hunks or
enduring her new boss’s treachery. She
spends most of her time offering a look that whispers, “This franchise seemed
like a good idea at the time, before I met Bradley Cooper and Bobby De Niro. I just need to get through this.” I feel the same way, Jennifer, I feel the
same way.
The film reaches a heartbeat in the
final thirty minutes as the plucky pals dodge a sludge flood to battle an
underground horde of zany zombies in what looks like the Somerville, MA Red
Line train station. But just as I think
the film may redeem itself, it settles into a pace slower than the action sequences
in My Dinner with Andre.
The end comes mercifully, but not
after a lot of violence, murder, remorse and baby-making. Near the climax, the new president, played by
Julianne Moore, says, “A thirst for blood is difficult to satisfy,” as Woody
Harrelson’s character grimaces like a man with gastric distress. I couldn’t tell if he was acting or needed a
few Beano capsules. No one on screen
ever looked all that comfortable, and when Katniss finally does break down and
shows some emotion, I’m shocked she’s such an ugly crier – all snot and sloppy
tears and lack of facial muscle control.
Let it out, Katniss – you’re free from The Hunger Games for good, which should make all film lovers smile
ear to ear.
(The Hunger Games – The Mockingjay Part 2 is both a violent film
filled with mayhem and destruction and
a boring, dialogue-driven commentary on surveillance, media intrusion and
governmental control. Suitable for anyone
who read the books or who’s old enough for caffeine- you’re gonna need it. In wide release everywhere).
(Email Tim your comments and
suggestions – timcoshea@gmail.com)
