As someone who wasn't particularly excited to return to "The Hunger Games" franchise, I was completely taken aback by how much I enjoyed this prequel. I am usually apprehensive about prequels, especially when they turn the antagonists into protagonists. I always fear that the new story will essentially undo some of the original films' narratives and potentially make them less compelling on rewatch. However, this story captivated me almost immediately because I could see that it wasn't just a President Snow origin story, but rather a perspective on Panem from someone who grew up in the Capital. It's a completely different world from District 12, with its own hierarchy and social ladder. After watching the film, I credit Suzanne Collins for crafting an engaging story that genuinely deserves a return to the world of Panem.

The young Coriolanus Snow, played by Tom Blyth, is an outstanding academic in the Capital and a hopeful for the Plinth Prize (a substantial monetary award for academic achievement). He sees the prize as a chance to redeem his family's reputation, which has fallen from grace in post-war Panem. However, the deck appears to be stacked against him, as the Dean of the Academy, Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage), has a personal vendetta against Snow. Casca has altered the conditions of the prize to be dependent not on academic achievement but on the success of their mentorship of the tributes in the 10th annual Hunger Games. To make matters worse, he has assigned Snow to mentor the dainty songstress, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) from the lowly District 12. It will take tremendous cunning and strategy to come out victorious and return the Snow family name to honor.

Kudos to the casting director on all counts. As Coriolanus Snow, Blyth has the perfect look and is excellent at portraying the tremendous range required of the role. Zegler, once again, gets to showcase her incredible vocal talent. I was not expecting a Hunger Games film to feature so many musical performances, but I am thrilled that someone as talented as Zegler is performing the songs. I understand that the vocal performances were captured on set and not dubbed during post-production, which helps to ground the musical performances in this world. Because the film is not a "musical," over-produced musical numbers would significantly detract from the experience. Lucy Gray Baird is part of a nomad musical group, the Covey, that is only part of District 12 by default. As such, her colorful dress and country accent intentionally set her apart from the rest of the drab and downtrodden 12th district.

The head Gamemaker, Dr. Volumnia Gaul, is played by the incredible Viola Davis, and my goodness, she is my favorite casting. She is deliciously sinister and menacing and completely commands every frame she occupies. My only gripe is that she is not in this more, but I'm willing to delay gratification if her role becomes more substantial in future entries. The last name I want to mention is Jason Schwartzman as Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman. This is inspired casting of the highest order. He evokes so much of that Stanley Tucci energy and smile. His performance is hilarious, as he has substantially all of the comedic dialogue in the film, and it is one of my favorite parts of the film.

On the negative side, the film felt longer than needed. After the conclusion of the 10th annual Hunger Games on a climactic story beat, the film's pacing comes to a screeching halt, and it takes some time to pick up the pace again. Eventually, it does pick up, but it's hard not to feel the pacing drag in that moment. The film looks and sounds excellent, particularly in IMAX. However, unlike the previous four films, this one relies less heavily on VFX. The games themselves take place in a single gladiator-style arena and aren't as cinematically exciting or varied as the "future" Hunger Games. I appreciate the narrative consistency of having a more primitive take on the games, but it does make the event itself feel a bit underwhelming. No time or development given to the other tributes in the games outside of learning their names. I would calibrate expectations accordingly if you're hoping for an action spectacle on par with the original films. 


Overall, I'm very impressed. Snow is a compelling and complicated protagonist with contradicting ambitions. On the one hand, he is enamored by his alluring songbird and tribute; on the other, he's driven to restore his family name to glory. While this is not quite the same level of action spectacle as the original films, its incredible cast and wonderfully engaging story are well worth the trip back to the world of Panem.

— 4 / 5 ⭐