Dumb Things People Ignored In Mockingjay - Part 2
Three years and four long movies later, The Hunger Games movie franchise has officially come to an end. Mockingjay – Part II definitely had its fair share of really cool moments—but it totally had just as many head-scratching, WTF? moments, as well. Here are a few of the most egregious errors from the final chapter.
Josh Hutcherson Kind Of Sucks
Josh Hutcherson's performance as Katniss' fake-ish love, Peeta, has been a point of contention for many Hunger Games fans. On one hand, he can come across as weak and pitiful; on the other hand, that's just Peeta. That mix of lovable weakness works fine in the first movie and Catching Fire; however, his transformation to rage-filled cog brings out the worst in Hutcherson's acting, making Peeta seem like unnecessary dead weight. Seriously, Katniss. If the world might come to an end again, you're better off making out with Gale. And speaking of...
The Romantic Rivalry Falls Apart
The Peeta versus Gale rivalry never works that well in the movies, mostly because it's clichéd and was never all that exciting to begin with. But it's still a bit surprising to see just how badly it fizzles out by the end of Mockingjay – Part II. Gale and Peeta's big talk about Katniss inside Tigris' shelter feels like a scene that wouldn't make it past a theater audition at NYU. Even worse, the film reduces Gale to a good-looking pout-fest, to the point where his final scene with Katniss feels flat and admittedly confusing. If ever there was a time that Mockingjay needed to catch a little fire, this would have been it.
Plutarch's Final Scenes are a Bummer
Philip Seymour Hoffman died of a drug overdose while Mockingjay – Part II was still filming. So, no matter how the filmmakers wrapped up Plutarch's final scenes, fans of the franchise and of Hoffman in general were going to be let down. To be fair, having Plutarch console Katniss via a letter is about as simple and as subtle as we could have hoped for. But, damn, we really wish Hoffman had been there to say those emotional words in person.
The Rest Of The A-List Cast Is Wasted
One of the great parts about the Hunger Games franchise is the great talent it assembles; actors like Julianne Moore, Jeffrey Wright, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and the aforementioned Hoffman make the movies feel much more prestigious and important than your typical Young-Adult adaptation. Sadly, all of the names mentioned, plus many, many, more, are pretty much wasted in Mockingjay – Part II. Once Katniss' mentor and comfort zone, Woody Harrelson's Haymitch is mostly reduced to background noise this time around. Even Elizabeth Banks, who's actually given an extra scene or two in the movie, loses the creepy-awesome oomph she provides in previous movies. What a waste.
The Epilogue Is Totally Tacked On
Sometimes it's best to take artistic license with big-screen adaptations of popular books. Such is the case for Mockingjay's unnecessary epilogue, the worst of its kind since the end of the Harry Potter movies. Considering how dark and twisted some of the scenes in The Hunger Games are, showing Katniss living Happy Ever After on the big screen feels corny, almost laughable, even if it does actually happen that way in the book. Of course, it doesn't help that the actors aren't aged with makeup at all.
Mockingjay Never Should Have Been Split Into Two Movies
Sure, there's a lot of plot to cover in Mockingjay; but the previous movies do just fine handling everything in The Hunger Games and Catching Fire novels. While fans are treated to some pretty scary scenes in Mockingjay – Part II—among them, the Mutt attack in the sewers—much of the final chapter feels repetitive and downright dull. Condensing Mockingjay into a single, tighter movie probably would have helped the franchise end on a much higher note.
Tigris' Makeup Is Terrible
Tigris is one of the coolest characters in the Mockingjay novel, which is why expectations were so high to see how she'd be painted on the big screen. Sadly, our expectations were totally squashed by a makeup job that looks like it comes straight out of a regional production of Cats. And that's never a good thing.