Mockingjay (2010)

*Premise spoilers, including spoilers for the end of Catching Fire*

Going into my reread, I was most curious to see how my opinion of this book might change. I had a pretty strong reaction to it the first time around, and I was wondering how it would strike me now.

Mockingjay finds Katniss a wreck after the events of Catching Fire; her district is in smoldering ruins, Peeta is being held prisoner in the Capitol, and in her underground sanctuary with the rebels of District 13, she’s expected to step up and be the face of a revolution. However, much like the Games relied so heavily on media and image, Katniss is called on to be more of an emblem than a leader. It’s Katniss, so you know she’s not just going to sit back and do what she’s told, but the vision District 13 has is of a gorgeous freedom fighter giving stirring speeches and wielding prop weapons in front of a camera.

The first time I read Mockingjay, I came away disappointed in it as a conclusion to the trilogy. On the whole, I thought it felt too unrelenting in its torment of Katniss, and in particular, the bleak ending left me feeling depleted. And I’m not a big epilogue fan in general, so that didn’t really make things better for me. My thoughts mellowed somewhat with the movies, but Mockingjay was still my least favorite of the trilogy.

Fast forward, though, to Sunrise on the Reaping. Bleak, brutal Sunrise on the Reaping, my beloved, tormenting our poor hero left and right until it reached the point where I’d never been so grateful for an epilogue in my life. The circumstances aren’t exactly the same, since being a prequel gives Sunrise on the Reaping freer license to be grim—there’s a reason Return of the Jedi doesn’t end the same way as Revenge of the Sith. Still, is it fair to look at Mockingjay and knock it for something that I love about Sunrise on the Reaping?

Long story short, I still don’t know that I find Mockingjay entirely satisfying, but my opinion on it has improved quite a bit. I’m better able to see the purpose for the ending, beyond just torturing Katniss, and I understand why Suzanne Collins went that route. Perhaps even more importantly, I’m better able to look at the book as a whole instead of just focusing on the ending. And there’s so much good stuff in Mockingjay.

I love that, having gotten out from under the Capitol and been rescued by the rebels, Katniss still finds herself caught in the expectations of people who are interested in her primarily as a symbol. This is a revolution that very much will be televised, and it’s fascinating to see Katniss navigate that, figuring out how to provide the symbol of rebellion that the districts need while also refusing to be a mere mouthpiece when others are risking their lives. And I appreciate Katniss’s distrust of District 13’s President Coin, the acknowledgement that armed conflict is complicated and messy and that, even if your enemy does unequivocally horrific things, that doesn’t automatically mean all your allies are pure of heart.

I really adore seeing the deepening of Katniss’s friendship with Finnick in this book. On the face of it, they might seem like pretty unlikely friends, but I love how they lean on each other after their shared traumatic experiences, knowing that they’re both in the same terrible boat. After Sunrise on the Reaping, it’s wonderful to see how Haymitch looks out for Katniss, Peeta, and to a lesser extent other young victors like Finnick. He doesn’t lose his cantankerousness and irascibility, but it’s more evident than ever how much he cares about them and wishes he could protect them from the sort of torture he suffered at the hands of the Capitol. And I greatly enjoy the documentary crew that’s tapped to film Katniss’s revolutionary “propos.” I always appreciate seeing folks from the Capitol joining the rebellion, and like Cinna before them, I love the demonstration that there are more ways to contribute to justice than taking up arms. The documentary crew fights with their filmmaking talents, just like Cinna fights with his designs.

Warnings

Violence (including violence against children and references to torture,) strong thematic elements (including suicide,) disturbing images, and drinking/drug use.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015, PG-13)

I finally had a chance to see the final The Hunger Games installment.  As a movie based on half of a book, I don’t think it weathers the split quite as well as Part 1, but it still delivers strong acting, rootable characters, and some terrific moments.  (As with anything Hunger Games-related, I can’t talk about this movie without bringing up big twists from the previous films.)

In oh-so-many ways, the original book could have the alternate title How Life Keeps Crapping on Katniss Everdeen, and that holds true here.  Her friend, ally, and possible lover Peeta has been rescued from the Capitol as a ghost of himself – after the hallucinogenic mental conditioning he received during his torture there, he’s convinced that Katniss is a monstrous enemy who has to be stopped at all costs.  In light of this most recent devastating loss, Katniss decides that she’s done being just the telegenic face of the rebellion.  She clashes with her politically-savvy but potentially-shady handlers and makes her own plans to join the fight in earnest.

Maybe it’s just because of how often the Star Wars showing in the next theater nearly drowned out Mockingjay’s dialogue for me (seriously, what’s up with that?), but I was struck by how quiet so much of this movie is.  That’s not to say there’s no action – there is, and some of it is bang-up intense – but there’s a far greater emphasis on everything from midnight-watch heart-to-hearts to political tête-à-têtes.  I’m mixed on this.  I like most of the interpersonal aspects of the story, and a number of these scenes are golden.  At the same time, the love triangle gets too much face time for my liking, and there are definitely moments where the film drags and I was itching for some action.

In general, the movie feels true to the book.  As always, things get left out, but I feel like pretty much everything essential got covered.  Although the majority of the supporting characters have pretty minor roles, nearly everyone in the cast makes the most of them.  Donald Sutherland and Elizabeth Banks are absolute gifts to the franchise as President Snow and Effie, Elden Hanson (Foggy!) kills it without saying a word as Pollux, and I’m in platonic love with Natalie Dormer’s Cressida.  Jena Malone/Johanna doesn’t get much to do, but every one of her scenes is gold, and while, overall, I’m a little underwhelmed by Finnick’s (in-my-opinion) flatter characterization in the films versus the book, Sam Claflin makes his screentime count.  Additional shout-out to Mahershala Ali as Boggs – he brings so much presence to a role that could’ve easily gotten lost in the shuffle of the large cast.  My only supporting-cast gripe is, why would you cast the wonderful Gwendoline Christie (Brienne from Game of Thrones) and only use her in one scene?

Nothing really new to say about Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss.  I love Lawrence, and I adore Katniss, and this movie continues to aptly demonstrate why.  However, I want to take a moment to give props to Josh Hutcherson.  I’m a bit lukewarm on his Peeta (more the writing than anything else, I think,) but he’s fantastically effective in his portrayal of Peeta’s “hijacked” mental state.  Superb job; Part 1 gave me hope that he’d be excellent here, and he delivers on all fronts.

Warnings

Violence, war images, and strong thematic elements.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014, PG-13)

 

While I don’t think Mockingjay needed to be split into two films, I’m pleased with the overall effect.  Unlike other Part 1 movies I could name, it feels like a complete film on its own, with no prevailing sense that it’s just set-up for next year’s main attraction.  It doesn’t drag, but moves along at a good pace while allowing a little extra time for color and character moments – though I think Catching Fire is excellent, plenty of good stuff from it feels rushed or short-changed.

 

It’s impossible to talk specifically about any Hunger Games installment without spoiling earlier twists, so my discussion of the general premise will spoil a few things that came before.  Consider yourself warned.  Mockingjay finds Katniss a wreck after the events of Catching Fire; her district is in smoldering ruins, Peeta is being held prisoner in the Capitol, and in her underground sanctuary with the rebels of District 13, she’s expected to step up and be the face of a revolution.  However, much like the Games relied so heavily on media and image, Katniss is called on to be more of an emblem than a leader.  It’s Katniss, so you know she’s not just going to sit back and do what she’s told, but the vision District 13 has is of a gorgeous freedom fighter giving stirring speeches and wielding prop weapons in front of a camera.

 

I’ve always liked this element of the series, the emphasis on the power of images, of media manipulation.  In the Games, Katniss was a pawn of the Capitol, and here, she’s asked to be a pawn for the other side.  It muddies the waters in a good way, because there’s subterfuge and propaganda no matter where she is, and her world doesn’t divide neatly between those wearing white and black hats.  I love her inner struggle between consenting to be the “mockingjay” and wanting to make a more tangible contribution to the war effort, whether it’s to get into the fray and fight or to help ease people’s suffering.  In a way, it’s a lot like Steve’s plot in Captain America, wherein the army tries to turn him into a symbol rather than let him be a soldier.

 

The film does a nice job following the book.  It hits the major beats well and leaves room for more of the “little” moments that didn’t get a lot of screentime in the first two films (not entirely, of course – in particular, Finnick seems to get the short straw much of the time.)  Additionally, it fleshes out some of the outside-world elements, which I love.  It’s really affecting to see slogans and themes from Katniss’s televised “propos” appropriated for scenes of the districts rebelling.  It ties her plot in better with the larger story of what’s going on in Panem.

 

Jennifer Lawrence is, predictably, wonderful.  While Katniss’s PTSD isn’t as prominent in the film as in the book, Lawrence beautifully captures her pain, desperation, and inner conflict.  As Peeta, Josh Hutcherson makes the most of his reduced role and makes me excited to see what he’s going to do with Peeta’s story in Part 2, and Sam Claflin’s performance as a more shell-shocked Finnick is a great contrast to his work in Catching Fire.  Among the adult cast, Woody Harrelson as Haymitch, Julianne Moore as President Coin, and Elizabeth Banks as Effie are especially great, and it’s cool to see Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell or Jamie Moriarty, depending on your fandom) as the subversive filmmaker Cressida.

 

Warnings

 

Violence (including implied torture,) some disturbing images, and thematic elements.