User reviews

As someone who read the book days before seeing this film, I can tell you it should've been in two parts. I did thoroughly enjoy it! However, there are so many things that they left out that I felt were integral to the story. In order to properly see Snow for who he is-a spineless boy who only does things that look good to others-I think they needed to spend more time with the character. I'm not usually a fan of two parters, but this one really should've been. The characters fell flat to me because we didn't get great looks into them.

My boyfriend, who didn't read the book, really liked it and said he felt he understood the characters well enough though. So maybe it's just a me problem.

Because so much of the book is Snow's internal monologue, I know it would've been hard to capture that properly on film, but I think they could've. Also, it's SO much darker in the book, and I think that was necessary for the audience to see.

I understand that many people highlight how faithful they were to the books. That's brilliant but this is a movie made for the mass audiences now.

First of all, there's way too much of singing, it gets cheesy and annoying. Secondly, they've tried too hard to remind us our "Katniss Everdeen" it's does not feel natural. I don't like Rachel Ziegler's performance at all she is way too theatrical her accent is too comedic. They have tried to make her Katniss.

There must be a Part II for this movie as well I suppose because it left many questions unanswered. I don't want to include spoilers so I will skip those questions.

I will start by saying I don't think it's an 8, maybe a 7.5-7.7 so I rounded up.

However, I went in with low expectations, expecting a big budget movie with a poor storyline but otherwise reasonably watchable. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself hooked! And I daresay it was one of the better Hunger Games movies.

The bad reviews I've read seem to miss the point. This is not a story about the origin of the games, it is not a story about 'Lucy Gray" (even though her name is said about 1000 times)... It is a story about Snow and why he became the psychopath we know from the original stories. I found the not-so-happy ending refreshing and if you enjoy and understand social economic/philosophical dilemmas in terms of human psychology then it adds a notch of appreciation.

Viola, Tom and Peter were excellent in their portrayals. Zegler was fine, a little theatrical but given her background I suppose understandable.

I don't understand the hate. Especially the 1-3* reviews. Like, what were you watching!?

I've struggled before with finishing a movie or a TV show I've started because they were boring and lackluster, but I've been struggling with this one for 4 days to finish it and I don't think I have it in me to do it.

It's incredibly long and boring. The characters are bland and most of them annoying , especially Lucy Gray who starts singing out of the blue every step of the way.

I think the only likeable characters are Tigris who has little to almost no screen time and Sejanus who acts like a moral compass throughout the movie and who was done dirty. Otherwise I wasn't rooting for anyone .

I kinda regret starting the movie but I wanted to give it a try. Now I want to finish it on principle because I hate living movies and shows unfinished not because I like it in any shape of form.

It's a pity because its such a downgrade compared to the previous Hunger Games. The only good thing in this movie is Viola Davis who is spectacular as always ... other than that nope, nothing.

Moves at an unnaturally fast pace and had visibly been condensed, nay, tortured, into a 3 hour film, leaving no time to convey any kind of emotional complexity to any of the characters nor connect with them. As a result, a relatively boring movie. It felt as though there was so much context to provide there was no time to make it enjoyable. Some exciting parts but this was only attributable to Suzanne Collins' writing; I believe the directors heavily relied on the plot already written for them. Rachel exaggerated jaw acting made this not only a boring watch but a difficult one. Lucy Gray was a textbook manic pixie dream girl - I thought cinema would be more self aware by now.

The latest Hunger Games installment introduced a captivating concept, but its execution left much to be desired. Unexpectedly, certain scenes carried a whimsical Disney musical vibe, a stark departure from the series' gritty tone. The depiction of arena deaths fell disappointingly flat, lacking the visceral impact that defined the franchise. Moreover, the CGI work was subpar, failing to immerse the audience effectively.

However, the film wasn't without its merits. A standout feature was the commendable ensemble cast, with each actor bringing a nuanced performance. Yet, some talents were sadly underutilized, leaving viewers wanting more from characters who had the potential for greater depth and development.

One major flaw that overshadowed the positives was the rushed pacing of the narrative. The movie struggled to explore the intricacies of its intriguing concept thoroughly. A more deliberate approach, possibly as a two-part installment, could have allowed for a more immersive and satisfying exploration of the dystopian world.

Despite its shortcomings, the film managed to maintain a semblance of the franchise's essence. The core themes of rebellion, survival, and sacrifice were present, but the execution failed to capture the intensity that fans expected. In essence, the latest Hunger Games installment had all the ingredients for success, but its hasty execution prevented it from reaching the heights of its predecessors.

Once you notice how they feel the need to say « Lucy Gray » all the time, you won't be able to unhear it, it's painful. Lucy Gray this, Lucy Gray that... Viola Davis is excellent, atmosphere and setting are ok, but all in all it feels like you're watching 3 different movies in one, scenario is - again - the main issue. Main actor lacks charisma and just isn't good enough to be a lead. The singing is really annoying, I don't care if it's like that in the book, they could have integrated it in a much better way. The guitar thing at the tribute presentation... is it X-Factor? And I really wanted to like this movie...

I came into this movie with low expectations hoping to have my socks knocked off. But they are still very much on. Ziegler's acting and accent was bad no other way to put it just plain bad. The story was hard to buy into. The chapters almost felt like loosely connected but widely under developed stories that to do properly could have each been a movie on their own. It's a very basic see it once and say you have seen it. Several parts of the movie felt like they wanted to be rated R but were dumbed down to make a pg13 movie I'd also give a parent warning my daughter wanted to see it which is why we went and it was VERY dark for PG13.

No matter how faithful a movie is to the book, it can't save itself from the fact that it's unneeded. Backstory to snow is fine if it adds something new to the universe, however nothing new is added here, we get taught everything we knew about the world and get tiny little snips of backstory of the origins of the Hunger Games. For the movies insane long run time, the final act of this film seems like a race to get to the end of the story. The slow paced world building it creates in the first two acts is immediately thrown out for the purpose of reaching that finish line. Unlike the last Hunger Games movies being split into two, this is the Hunger Games movie that should have been split into two. We don't get to the motivations and reasonings behind characters other than a line or two then we arrive at them. Another hour and a half of story telling could have fleshed these characters out and made the ending more meaningful. However we're left with a film that doesn't seem to ever end, masked with good acting, set design and great cinematography. But a film that is messy, long and drawn out only to be shot into a moc 10 speed at the end. Leaving this movie feel completely unnecessary.

The book was solid , not great , but solid . Coming in with the extra character development in mind I think really helped in the enjoyment of the movie . The story itself was good and it for sure was entertaining. You wanted to finish , you felt nervous at the appropriate parts and you were cheering for the right people . It fits into the Hunger Games world well , the same feel , same cinematography, and an appropriate number of references to make it all work and for fans to get excited about. I liked it - if you don't think too hard about it - you like it .

Rachel Zegler is so talented , she really does have an incredible voice and a natural charisma. The singing at times felt a bit forced , but she is good enough to make it worth it .

My main complaints here come in with the chemistry and relationship development between not only Gray and Snow , but between everyone . The first third did a good job of helping the audience see and understand people's actions and relationships to each other , but come the second part and all the sudden it's all very murky - and not in a "people are complicated " type of way , but in a way where things seem to happens only to move a plot along and not for any other seemingly good reason . You are confused by motivations and romanticism and you go from point A to Z but missed at least L-P.

It's fine , they did a fine job and I did enjoy it , just not great writing.

I had very high hopes for this film. The book was great, but the movie was horrible. Only Tom Blyth does a good job acting in this film, the rest of the cast... not so much. Rachel Ziegler just isn't a great actress, granted she is a very talented singer and has a great voice, which is put on display in this movie. However, she just isn't a great actress. The film has the worst cast I have ever seen for a spin off of such a successful original series. I put blame on the casting director for that. The movie also came in a bit longer than most of the other movies and kind of felt a little dragged out. Overall, I'm very disappointed.

I couldn't wait to see this. I read the book & loved it. But It was honestly the worst movie I've seen in a while. It was so choppy, didn't explain why anything was happening really (everyone with me who hadn't read the book, was so lost - esp towards the end). I was so frustrated. I knew what was going on because I read the book. But I still got confused watching this movie. There was NO chemistry between Snow & Lucy - they didn't spend enough time on developing their relationship. The ending was a rushed mess. Truly Very disappointing. The Only bright spot was Tom Blyth as Snow - he was excellent.

I can see, coming from the original franchise, how some could have expectations around this film. That said, this film told a complex story eloquently with excellent acting and creative parallels to our own past. This was Snow's origin story; the actual games were not the main story. What I enjoyed most was the aesthetic, comparable to our 50/60s the wardrobes, customs and even technology were inspired yet uniquely Panem. I'm hoping the next film will pick up with the 70's, I expect the costumes and people to be wild. Zegler and Blyth's chemistry and acting were spot on. Always a fan of Peter Dinklage. Looking forward to more in this series.

While the movie is almost 3hrs long, it still feels too rushed. If it was broken up in half it would have been more enjoyable and the character development would have been better instead of what we got. I did enjoy it with my wife, but Hollywood needs to slow it down in order to gain another motion picture hit.

Snow's character doesn't feel like he's getting darker as in the book but feels more like a crying child who isn't getting his own way with no major change in his mindset to life with the hunger games. There are some additions in the movie that has nothing to do with the book so anyone claiming its faithful needs to reread it again.

Enjoyable for a one-time watch but that's all.

Greetings from Lithuania.

I haven't read any of the books from the series, but i did watched all previous movies and enjoyed them all except for that Part 2 movie. I wasn't looking to watch "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" (2023) but i'm glad i did - this movie was way better then i though it will be. Without going into any spoilers or plot details, in my opinion the 3rd chapter of this movie elevated it to being better then i could have. The hunger games themselves in this movie were the most boring part for me.

Overall, with very solid acting, good story and good directing job by a veteran of the series, this movie actually was way better then expected. Better then previous one for sure. Wouldn't mind to watch a sequel to this one.

7.6/10

This is my first time being introduced to the world of "The Hunger Games" and I will say that I was pleasantly entertained. I don't know what to expect from here on out, but I hope to be as entertained, if not more, by the original movies of the series.

The story was engaging and separated into three parts that made it enjoyable. Everything from the introduction of the Games to evasions to conclusions were well executed. Despite the film being violent prone it still comes across as tense and deadly without showing anything too gruesome to maintain its PG rating.

The acting was strong. The actors were well suited for their roles, and only based on trailers, I found the young Snow builds well for the original movies, but unknown for certain. I loved the chemistry between Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth.

The music was terrific. Zegler has an amazing voice, and her songs obviously work well into the film. The visuals are mostly incredible. There's a few spots where it's very obviously screen acting. Part of me hopes they did have physical sets cause there were portions that felt genuine.

Overall, you don't need to have seen the previous films to understand what's going on, but it may help to better understand who the characters are. Acting is strong, music is great, and the story is amazing enough to make me want to see the rest of "The Hunger Games".

That's all for now. Thank you for taking the time to read my review. Until next time.... Enjoy the show!

In my opinion, there are two major issues with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. First of all, the timing and momentum of the movie are too slow, and the acting is not on par with that of the original series' cast. While the original movies had a lot of fine acting and characters that I cared deeply about, I did not relate to any of the characters in The Ballad. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is not a total disaster, but it is mediocre at best, with some parts being too lengthy and others too short. Having read the original books and being mostly satisfied with both the books and the movie adaptations (despite their flaws), I cannot say whether the mess in storytelling is due to the book or just the movie's script, as I have not read The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Also Songbirds & Snakes reminds me of that bad last Star Wars trilogy - they copied everything from the original source but failed to catch the soul, charm and grandeur entirely, everything just felt formulaic, even dead.

As someone who has read the book, seeing it come to life on screen was incredible. It's always interesting to see how certain things from the book were adapted on screen, adding a new experience to the story I've read.

The production value, scene locations, and overall ambiance were simply amazing, capturing the essence and aesthetics of the book properly.

The music, especially "The Hanging Tree", that Katniss sang in the original trilogy, was a highlight, linking this prequel to the original trilogy nicely. Also, the song that Olivia Rodrigo did for this movie "Can't Catch Me Now" fit the film's mood and themes well.

Admittedly I went in blind, having not read the book and I was pleasantly surprised! Being a big fan of the original books and movies, I had been curious about this one for a while, but hadn't got round to seeing it in cinema as I was on the fence about watching it due to the mixed reception it has received...Ended up finding it free on Neon and found I quite enjoyed it! It isn't perfect by any means as there were plenty of interesting plot points that felt slightly rushed in parts regardless of the films looong run time of 2.5ish hours, so it may have worked better as two movies, combining parts 1 and 2 and fleshing them out more in one film and part 3 also more fleshed out in another, but overall was perfectly serviceable and an effective deep dive into what made Corianolus Snow go rogue and what influenced the later games style. I'm looking forward to the next entry if it's anything like this one!

I was looking forward to seeing this but it really has no redeemable qualities. The writing and acting are so over the top, it's impossible to truly take it seriously. There are legitimately good actors in this film and they can't even come close to saving it.

There's no likable characters, making it difficult to feel invested in them. Some of the production design is nice, but it's not enough to overcome all the other issues the movie has. The whole thing is a slog, the same scene repeated over and over again with slight variations. Very strange pacing.

I'm truly upset that I spent $20 and a couple hours of my life to watch this dumpster fire.