Benutzerrezensionen

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 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.

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.

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'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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I saw this movie on opening night. I have not been able to stop thinking about it since... I read the original trilogy but never got around to reading the prequel but decided to just see the movie. Rachel Zegler receives hate because of a comment she made about a completely different movie (Snow White), and it's completely irrelevant to this movie. She performed more than beautifully in this role. She is a classically trained soprano, and was singing beautifully in her chest voice and with a really good twangy accent (which is more of a mezzo/alto type of singing in this case). From one classically-trained singer with a degree in music who performs for a living to everyone out there afraid to give this movie a chance because of all of this biases against this young woman- SHE IS GOOD! This girl is talented, and the hate is stupid.

This movie was by no means perfect, but it was really good. I would have thought it was a perfect 10 if the action was better paced. It was nothing on her part. Definitely not as good as Catching Fire (the peak of the series to me), but better than both of the Mockingjays! Give it a shot without a bias of this young women in your mind and you just might find yourself enjoying it ;)

I liked the movie. It was pretty true to the book, but I found Rachel Zegler's acting so distracting that I found it hard to look past. It's a personal opinion, of course, but I just find her entire disposition offputting. They could've found someone better for this role. The other actors were good This being a prequel, the technology wasn't as complex as the other hunger, games movies and so if you enjoy that aspect of the series, it's definitely missing from this one. It was very interesting to see the development of the Snow character. You also get a little background on the jabberjsys, mockingjays, though this is covered more extensively in the book.

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.

Despite the disappointing ending to the saga in Mockingjay Part 2, that did not prevent us from continuing to explore the universe of The Hunger Games further. This prequel focuses on Snow's beginnings as a humble young man who questions the methods that the Capitol uses to discipline the rebels, but throughout the film he discovers the truth about what human beings are capable of. All through his relationship with Lucy Gray hoping to regulate the methods of the Capitol. Unlike the previous films, this is a longer and more dramatic story that does not focus solely on the Hunger Games, but mostly on Snow's transmission. It is a worthy installment that serves as a prologue to the saga, even without the presence of Katniss Everdeen. It has that metaphorical characteristic that has always defined the saga with respect to capitalism, social inequality and what human beings are capable of doing by instinct. Rachel Zegler gives a spectacular performance in many ways, including her musical numbers. There is no doubt that The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is a great film that revives the saga again and is a good option for those who do not know the saga to begin to enter this apocalyptic universe created by Suzanne Collins. My final rating for this movie is a 9/10.

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!

First off, the script writer, if they read the book the movie is supposed to be based on, did not have a good understanding of the story and completely missed the character development and connections between them. There are some movies based on books where you can get away with not faithfully telling the story and still leave the viewer feeling like the story was told.... That did NOT work for this book to movie combo. While the movie was overly lengthy, it still didn't capture the essence of the story. What it captured was a lot of bad acting, particularly the female lead. Unlike the book, I couldn't get invested in any of the characters in the movie at all; didn't care who lived or died. The evolution of a marginally decent human being to a completely despot wasn't shown well by the movie at all. Maybe emotion behind that transformation is better written and read.... One thing is certain, the lead male actor just wasn't up to that kind of acting - he wasn't particularly good as it was.

As a standalone movie, it's terrible; convoluted, overly lengthy, boring. As a prequel, it falls way short.... As an adaptation of a well written novel, an embarrassment.

Feel sorry for folks who payed to see this poor adaptation.... Read the book! Unfortunately, the movie was so badly done, it likely put ppl off the book if they hadn't already read it.