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| Katniss and her trusty bow |
No
Fun Anymore
A Review of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 by
Nick Olszyk
MPAA Rating, PG-13
USCCB Rating, A-II
Reel Rating, Three Reels
The Hunger Games film series began in
2012 as a standard dystopian fantasy, admittedly grim but also entertaining and
approachable. That was before Paris, before Sandy Hook, and before anyone had
heard of ISIS. Now Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) finds herself involved
in a full blown civil war and a pawn in a much larger game while the Earth
finds herself trapped in the deadly grip of Islamic terrorism. As both wars
continue on, the hope that a simple solution will come forward becomes less and
less and the fear that it will continue generation to generation becomes ever
greater. I wish we could back to the nineties and just fight aliens again.
The
first image that appears onscreen is Katniss removing her neck brace, revealing
an ugly bruise from when Katniss’s love interest Peeta, under the influence of
Capitol-induced hallucinogenic drugs, tried to strangle her. It’s a potent
symbol that everything has changed, and she can’t trust anyone. She becomes
convinced that assassinating President Snow is the only way to end the war, but
President Coin – the leader of the rebellion – wants her to stay safe behind
enemy lines to shoot propaganda films as they close in on the Capitol. Being a
rebellious teen protagonist of a YA novel, Katniss goes rogue with the help of
Peeta, Gale, and several other friends – some of whom will no doubt lose their
lives to help her mission. As they get closer to Snow’s mansion, dodging
Peacekeepers and booby traps along the way, it becomes clear that Coin’s
methods of war may not be so noble, and one dictator may be overthrown only to
be replaced with another.
Mockingjay 2 is most notable for its
realistic depiction of war – not for the violence or gore of a PG-13 movie but
for the sense of confusion, fear, impatience, and sorrow. Katniss and her crew
spend little screen time fighting and most of it cowering in hiding, running
from Peacemakers, dealing with conflicting loyalties, and waiting to see who
dies next. No one is sure of the real enemy, and when Coin kills a group of
children for political gain, even Snow looks good by comparison. “I’m not above
killing children,” he smiles. “But I’m not wasteful.” It underlines the sad
reality that war is often a game for the rich and privileged at the expense of
the common man. This is why many Americans seem confused at Pope Francis’
hesitation to bless war against ISIS. He harbors no love for terrorism but
understands that it is the poor who will suffer most.
In
the face of so much darkness, Katniss seems frozen. Unable to support anyone,
she turns her gaze to Snow, the one thing she knows is evil. Her final solution
to this problem is bizarre, and it is unclear whether it will ultimately solve
anything. In reality, she gives up. Rather than face the difficult waters of
nation building, she acts in a way that simply ends the war. What happens next
is not her problem.
The
real answer that pokes around the margins of The Hunger Games but is never fully realized is the infinite value
and worth of every human being. This is a Universe devoid of religion and thus
any “good” that people strive for is ultimately a reflection of personal
preference. There are shadows of natural law present but without revelation
there is no guidance. This is a world similar to the one that existed prior to
Moses; everyone knows in their bones they must love one another, but the details
are foggy. In the final scene, Katniss reminds her daughter that despite all
the terrible things in this world, there are also many wonderful blessings, a
good apologetic argument of the moral law, but her words come off as forced and
awkward. The question remains.
Mockingjay 2 is a decent movie but due
to present circumstances feels too close to home. Like Katniss, it is easy to become
hopeless as the world is headed “piecemeal towards World War III.” War is
always Hell, and it’s proper to recognize it as such. Sentiments such as “war
never solved anything” and “the war to end all wars” are equally naïve. In the
face of this reality, Christ reveals the dignity of every person, friend and
foe alike. War will always be with us; what matters are your choices.
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