After the fall of the Capitol, it’s time for the birth of the Hunger Games! The Hunger Games: Revival: Part 2 Eight years later, the dystopian saga created by Suzanne Collins returns to theaters with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of the Serpent and Songbird, still adapted from the author’s novel, which was published in 2020. .
Directed by Francis Lawrence, the story takes place 64 years before the adventures of Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and depicts the youth of the fearsome President Snow. In the tetralogy, the role of Donald Sutherland is played by the British actor Tom Blyth, and the new hero is played by Rachel Zegler.
Young Coriolanus is the last hope of his lineage, the once wealthy and proud Snow family, now fallen from grace in the post-war Capitol. As the 10th Hunger Games approaches, he is reluctantly tasked with mentoring Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from District 12, the poorest and most hated of Panem.
With Lucy Gray’s charms captivating the public, Snow sees an opportunity to change their fate and join forces with her to turn fate in their favor. Torn between good and evil against his instincts, Snow races against time to survive and discover whether he will eventually become a songbird or a snake.
What do early viewers think of this prequel? Does the return of the event saga live up to expectations?
on Yemen The Hunger Games: The Ballad of the Snake and the Bird Receives an average viewer rating of 3.7/5 stars on AlloCiné with 318 ratings and 54 reviews, the majority of which are 4 stars. The Francis Lawrence feature is currently better than La Révolte 1 and 2, rated at 3.4 stars.
A film faithful to the novel and well done
The majority of viewers who left positive reviews appreciated the study of the origin of President Snow and the portrayal of Tom Blyth. Thus, Baptiste Ducharle writes:
“This movie is Aliens. Francis Lawrence outdid himself in the play, offering a very high-quality story of Coriolanus Snow. In every way, this movie is a success, it captured your heart from start to finish. The music perfectly fits what the director was trying to convey. In short, go see!”
Hunger games
Internet user Eli comments:The complex narrative offers a nuanced perspective on the iconic character, while the visual aesthetic and acting performances add to the cinematic experience. A fascinating prequel that delves deeper into the Hunger Games universe.“
Fans of the previous saga also seem to appreciate the different acts. For Emily Nival, “The evolution of Coriolanus’ character allows us to understand why he became this callous president who wants to perform. The musical and visual notes of the previous films are well established and have their own meaning.“
According to viewers who have read the novels, the feature film is faithful to the literary work of Susan Collins. Internet user Quentin Corbier Cook explains:
“This film is an excellent prequel! It follows the book very well, the narrative thread is very well constructed. The story is relevant and explains the youth of the antagonist of the first opus, which then makes him, unfortunately, charming, conciliatory and intelligent. This saga never ends and reflects a capitalist society, who was taught by the thirst for money, power and blood..”

Tom Blyth
Netizen Lady-blue-loup is more mixed, and even regrets that the novel isn’t the subject of several movies. “What’s pretty funny about this movie is that it’s the funny “opposite” of the book. Francis Lawrence aimed to be faithful to the story and succeeded in his own right: certain scenes are identical to the book…
But this film adapts the longest book in the franchise (over 600 pages) into a single feature film. 2:38 went by at high speed.
The problem is right there: the movie is too fast. When you read the book several times, you realize that even at 2 hours and 38 minutes, Francis Lawrence wanted to run the field as fast as a tribute: the scenes follow each other very quickly, sometimes without emotion, which is frustrating when you are. Read the book because there are a lot of pretty striking passages that could play very well on screen.“
Too many songs in the ballad of the snake and the bird?
The opposite is the opinion of Flower 0478, who gives the film a rating of 2 out of 5 and writes: “A level down from previous hunger games. The story is original, but poorly executed and endlessly long. The actor sings well, but there are too many songs, the musical is limited.“

The brand is clearly of the same mind: “It’s a musical? Disappointing but it really is, it lacks action, the movie is too long. It’s honestly disappointing”
In turn, Internet user Le D. writes: “The story is interesting, but very poorly executed. The setting is poorly constructed, the characters are not attractive, and I wish there were more action scenes. The dialogues are chaotic, but on the other hand, the scenery is quite beautiful..”
But it is best to form your own opinion. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of the Serpent and Songbird is in theaters now.
Source: Allocine

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.