I am not the biggest fan of the Hunger Games franchise. I don't hate it, but I've never found anything all that likeable about it. It was, and still is my opinion that the Hunger Games are the weakest execution of the battle royale concept in all of film and television. So naturally, I didn't really have high hopes going into this movie.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is split into 3 parts: the first, an introduction to Coriolanus Snow and his friendship with Lucy Gray; the second, the actual Hunger Games; and the third, the aftermath. I have to admit that I did find the first two parts somewhat enjoyable, albeit the obvious lack of any serious character development. It still had some charm and some wit about it to keep me interested, despite it feeling like the writers didn't really put in the effort to lay the foundations to make these characters live up to their full potentials.
But all of that was nothing compared to how unbelievably disappointing the final part was. If you thought the character development in the first two parts were rushed, you're not ready for what the third has done. Characters are going through serious mental and philosophical transformations within periods that make it almost comical to watch, and through actions that just make no sense given the context of what has already been established. It was jarring and felt like it needed its own movie to flesh the action out to be consistent.
This movie does nothing to change my opinion on the franchise. Maybe makes it slightly worse, but I could ignore it on a good day. For the fans of the Hunger Games and for those who care a lot about the series however, this movie could be a fun 150 minutes.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is split into 3 parts: the first, an introduction to Coriolanus Snow and his friendship with Lucy Gray; the second, the actual Hunger Games; and the third, the aftermath. I have to admit that I did find the first two parts somewhat enjoyable, albeit the obvious lack of any serious character development. It still had some charm and some wit about it to keep me interested, despite it feeling like the writers didn't really put in the effort to lay the foundations to make these characters live up to their full potentials.
But all of that was nothing compared to how unbelievably disappointing the final part was. If you thought the character development in the first two parts were rushed, you're not ready for what the third has done. Characters are going through serious mental and philosophical transformations within periods that make it almost comical to watch, and through actions that just make no sense given the context of what has already been established. It was jarring and felt like it needed its own movie to flesh the action out to be consistent.
This movie does nothing to change my opinion on the franchise. Maybe makes it slightly worse, but I could ignore it on a good day. For the fans of the Hunger Games and for those who care a lot about the series however, this movie could be a fun 150 minutes.