‘Hunger Games’ comes to fitting end

Dystopias don’t come much darker than the one found in “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2.”

That’s literally, visually true, as significant portions of the picture take place underground in shadowy tunnels swarming with ravening humanoid monsters, in a cramped hidden basement refuge, and in a subterranean fortress under siege.

The action on the surface occurs in the rubble-filled streets of shattered cities where the ruins of war stretch as far as the eye can see.

And in terms of the emotions of the characters, it’s the midnight of the soul.

A child when she was first thrust into the homicidal games of the title, childhood is long dead for heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) thanks to the trials and torments she endured in the three preceding movies in the series. She’s now an embittered adult and a warrior with a single purpose left in her life: to kill the man responsible for her misery, the malignant President Snow (Donald Sutherland), leader of the futuristic republic of Panem.

In this, and virtually all other aspects, “Mockingjay — Part 2” is ultrafaithful to the Suzanne Collins best-seller from which it is derived. Indeed, the movie is practically a transcription of the novel, with its situations and large chunks of dialogue lifted directly from the pages of the book. That’s also true for “Part 1,” released last year. (The screenplays of both are credited to Peter Craig and Danny Strong.)

The heart of the story remains the strange triangular relationship between Katniss, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) and Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth). Gale loves Katniss but she considers him just a good friend. Katniss loves Peeta and has spent the early movies trying to protect him, but as a consequence of extensive torture and brainwashing by Snow’s minions, Peeta hates and wants to kill her. It’s all very complicated.

And, thanks to the depth of feeling the three principal actors bring to their performances, it’s undeniably powerful. Over the course of these movies, the stars have grown into their roles, giving them weight and a growing steeliness. Their characters have suffered greatly, and the toll their suffering has taken is evident and believable.

Director Francis Lawrence, who also directed the previous two “Games,” has developed a grandiose visual style well-suited to the story, with looming protofascistic architectural cityscapes seeming to oppress the humans in the frame, emphasizing the odds against them in their fight.

There are few smiles in evidence other than those of Sutherland, silky smooth as Katniss’ quietly taunting nemesis, and of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman (in his final screen appearance), whose character Plutarch Heavensbee takes quiet delight in creating and exploiting the image of Katniss as the face of the revolution against Snow.

The series ends on a bittersweet note, with survival the only victory.

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 4:05 PM with the headline "‘Hunger Games’ comes to fitting end."