The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

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.

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.

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 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 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.