Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Reviews Are In – Does Hunger Games Prequel Deliver On Expanding Panem?

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes reviews have dropped online, with critics seemingly divided on the new prequel movie. Directed by franchise veteran Francis Lawrence, the upcoming film in the hit Hunger Games franchise is again based on source material by author Suzanne Collins. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ cast includes Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth, with a story that follows a young Coriolanus Snow and his District 12 mentee, Lucy Gray, during the 10th iteration of the eponymous games.

Now, ahead of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ release date, reviews for the film have started to drop. Rachel Labonte of Screen Rant lauds the film as a success, singling out Zegler’s performance and writing that she “plays Lucy Gray with a mischievous gleam and defiant stance, instantly making her as formidable as Katniss, and almost as iconic.” Emma Stefansky of IGN is similarly praising of both Zegler and Blyth, but argues that the duo “doesn’t have enough time to depict the interplay of emotions and manipulations that make up Coriolanus and Lucy Gray’s relationship.“

What The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes’ Reviews Say About The Movie

Response To The Hunger Games Prequel Is Mixed

While positive about the film, Variety‘s Peter Debrudge echoes a common sentiment that there are some missteps during the last hour, writing that “the movie struggles to convey the turmoil [Snow is] experiencing, pulled between his feelings for Lucy Gray and an even more powerful thirst for power. IndieWire‘s David Ehrlich calls the film the best Hunger Games movie, singling out Zegler for being “captivating in a ‘Wild Rose’-coded performance that’s equal part Southern pluck and wide-eyed terror… and watching her negotiate between the two as she faces off against Blyth is a marvel of multiplex acting.”

David Rooney of THR is far less enthusiastic about The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, writing that “there are few compelling reasons for the new installment to exist,” pointing out Viola Davis’ villain, who is “too campy to be disturbing but not sufficiently so to be fun,” as one of the many problems. The Guardian‘s Peter Bradshaw is especially critical, writing of the film that “the interest, dramatic momentum and energy have frankly expired, and all we have are the ridiculous outfits, the hallucinatory hairstyles, the zero-suspense action sequences, the standard-issue CGI cityscapes,” to justify his one-star review.

Collider‘s Ross Bonaime is more upbeat, praising the standout supporting cast. He calls Davis’ character “gleefully evil,” Jason Schwartzman “a delight,” and singles out Peter Dinklage’s Cas Highbottom, who “always feels like he could also burst out in rage at the Capitol at any moment,” as the best of the bunch. Ian Sandwell of Digital Spy also is up on the film, and he lists the “exceptional production design showcasing a city that strives to be the epitome of perfection but still struggles with the repercussions of war,” among The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes‘ strengths.