It seems that it was just a few years ago when our humble book-club of sorts in the office was going crazy over 'The Hunger Games' series. I enjoyed the Young Adult Dystopian books by Suzanne Collins, which has then soared to become a force to be reckoned with in the box office.
The first three instalments of the global blockbuster Hunger Games franchise have grossed more than $2.2 billion at the worldwide box office and counting. The last two installments of The Hunger Games franchise (Catching Fire and Mockingjay – Part 1) have become the highest-grossing releases at the domestic box office each of the past two years, the first time ever for back-to-back sequels. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire also holds the record as the 10th highest-grossing domestic release of all time.
The franchise has also helped cement it's lead actress Jennifer Lawrence to Hollywood royalty and who at 25 is an award winning actress and is the highest paid action-actress of 2015.
The movies have also attracted veteran actors and actresses such as Donald Sutherland, Julian Moore and the late Philip Seymour-Hoffman to be part of the phenomenon.
Early reviews for the last installment of the franchise have been positive, claiming it to be "the best one yet" and as someone who has read the books I know thta there is a lot of juicy material for them to work with.
Says director Francis Lawrence: “In this film, Katniss takes the action back into her own hands and goes after Snow personally. The movie really opens up as we go deep into the streets of the Capitol, coming full circle from Katniss’s journey there in the first film. There’s more action, more scope, more emotion and most of all, this film brings the story to its moving conclusion.”
“This is the chapter when Katniss really starts to believe in the impact that she can have,” Lawrence comments. “She’s always been so reluctant and has always found herself in situations where all she can do is try to survive, but now she’s turning the tables. I was excited for her to finally take her place as a leader. At the end of Mockingjay – Part 1, she was kind of numb, and genuinely unsure if she wanted to go on. In Mockingjay – Part 2 she starts seeing the bigger picture. She’s looking beyond her own personal losses and gains to focus on making a better future.”
Now, Katniss’s concerns are being channeled directly into action – taking the character for the first time into all-out combat beyond the controlled confines of an arena. Raising the stakes, Katniss’s little sister Prim, long her motivation to fight against the Capitol, is now a medic in the battle zone.
“The action scenes in Mockingjay – Part 2 are incredible,” Jennifer says. “Some of it was difficult – shooting in wet tunnels, in and out of the water and doing fight choreography with 20 pounds of waterlogged gear – but it was totally worth it because it is going to look fantastically real for audiences.”
It all brings Katniss to the denouement of her world-changing tale. Concluding the series is bittersweet for Jennifer Lawrence, but she is intrigued to leave Katniss at the most promising juncture of her life. “She’s started to see the beauty in humanity in this film,” Jennifer observes. “In the beginning she had a short view of the way things are because of her upbringing. She did not have much hope then, and she felt alone for a lot of her life. During everything that has happened – in the Games, in District 13, in the Capitol at the end of this story – she found herself more and more connected to people.”
Jennifer has tremendous gratitude for being granted the chance to embody Katniss. “I have loved being a part of a film that sparks some really cool conversations,” she concludes. “It’s been an incredible chapter in my life, and the way the films have resonated with people has been amazing.”
In an interview, "Producer Nina Jacobson says she hopes the final film will motivate young people worldwide to become political activists". She says: 'What I find hopeful in these books and in these movies is that you can create change and you can refuse to play the game...I think for young women, they can see their power to change the world.'
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” blasts in cinemas nationwide this November 18 from Pioneer Films
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