The fact that Jennifer Lawrence is as seemingly baffled by her own real life rise to stardom as Katniss is flummoxed by her own status as a revolutionary symbol in Panem shows just how perfectly suited she is for this role. Her suitability was immediately evident in the opening scenes of the previous film. She acts as though she’s carrying the weight of her entire district, or at the very least her entire family, on her shoulders. There is not a single moment where she signals any awareness of her importance to the public hungry for revolution, and her obliviousness to many things, from politics to personal relationships, is one of her endearing qualities.
Even after we’ve all had a bit more exposure to Lawrence’s work, most notably Silver Linings Playbook, it’s still almost immediately a forgone conclusion that she is wholly and completely Katniss. It’s not so much that Jennifer Lawrence disappears as it is a kind of morphing her traits into this similar yet entirely different character. I think of (as many will, surely) the scene where Johanna confronts them in the elevator, taking off her parade costume with Peeta’s assistance and Haymitch’s elated eyes. Katniss’ eyes have a different reaction, and it takes the abundant expressiveness of Lawrence and channels it in a subdued Katniss way. She’s very good.
Continue reading on the next page…
