THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY (PART 2) - James Newton Howard

11/25/15
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Not sure about the bright red outfit in a war zone.
What You Will Hear:  JNH’s lush strings and big action cues.  All weaving in and out of limited use of the limited motifs introduced (in a limited capacity) in the previous films.  Limited.

Standout Tracks: Your Favorite Color Is Green, Sewer Attack, Buttercup, Primrose, There Are Worse Games To Play/Deep In The Meadow/Hunger Games Suite

Will You Be Humming Along?  No.  The themes are nice enough, but too short and infrequent to make an impact.
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Nice theme! Too bad we barely hear it.
The score this makes me want to dust off:  The Last Airbender – James Newton Howard

Will I come back to it?  No.  This entire series has been a frustrating experience.  I don’t mind that the themes are so brief; what is so bothersome is that they’re used so sparingly.  It is impossible to find a deeper connection to this score because it has no real personality.  It can be summed up rather quickly:  “Your Favorite Color Is Green” gives a very nice rendition of The Hanging Tree.  “Sewer Attack” is intensely fun.  “Primrose” is pretty.  The final suite is the only track that realizes the composer’s full potential.  But, (beyond those highlights) like each entry in the Hunger Games saga, there just isn't a lot of interesting material to be heard.  While his instrumentation is always appealing, at times it almost feels like JNH was instructed to stay away from motifs all together.  Did he have to sneak them in?  No matter what happened, this is just another missed opportunity for greatness.  Love his sound (as usual), but completely let down by how it was used.

@FILMSCOREFANS

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