I absolutely loved the Hunger Games Franchise with Jennifer Lawerance. However, I went into this with zero expectations. This movie is exactly how you add to a franchise, it was just as good as it’s predecessors and I hope to see more of these characters.
This movie follows Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) in his youth, when he was at an academy and learning how to be a games mentor. Back then, the games are basic since technology hasn’t been created yet, like what we see in the more recent Hunger Games. Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis) is the current game maker and creator of the games. She becomes a mentor in a way, to Snow and he helps her with new ideas to make people want to watch the games. For these games all the mentors get a tribute from another district and Snow ends up with Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) they end up having a strong connection that shapes the rest of the movie.
This film is pretty intense from the get go, the stakes are high and you can’t help but root for Snow. Which is weird because he’s an awful, awful human. I think this speaks volumes to Tom’s acting and being able to show his character development.
The only negative thing I have to say is the movie is a bit long, and at some points it feels long. The games take place about halfway through the movie so there was this feeling of “ok it’s over now” but it kept going. That being said, I did enjoy it a lot and will watch it again.
THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES releases in theaters on November 17th, 2023.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Billy Joynt (Editor) - Billy has seen many movies over the years. He enjoys comedies and anything action, including the summer blockbuster movies. You can follow Billy on Twitter here.Click Here to check out Billy's Articles.