Die Tribute von Panem - The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

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.

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.

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.

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!?

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.