After eight years of the beloved Hunger Games franchise seemingly ending, a new movie has hit theaters leaving long-time fans surprised. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was released last Friday, and it was met with much excitement and anticipation. 

The movie grossed almost $100 million worldwide and has been met with a 91% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite this, it is sincerely unpopular with critics, scoring 61% and receiving reviews which call its ending “rushed” and “not fully developed.” 

The film, which is directed by Francis Lawrence, serves as a prequel to the previous movies and expands on the backstory of the main villain, Coriolanus Snow, played by Tom Blythe. The story, which is divided into three parts, follows him as he grows up in the dystopian country of Panem and depicts the events that lead him to become a malignant ruler. The central plot line is established around the relationship Snow develops with one of the Hunger Games tributes, Lucy Gray Baird, played by Rachel Zegler. 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, while an extension to a series, does excellent as a stand-alone film for which no previous experience with the franchise that is provided. It has a compelling story to tell which can be enjoyed without being a fan of or having seen the prior movies.

Despite its ability to be watched without preceding information,  The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes skillfully adds to the already established world of Panem and furthers the story that has continued to capture audience’s attention. 

Unlike the vast majority of prequels and sequels, the movie does an outstanding job at building onto The Hunger Games without becoming a redundant  “cash grab” addition to a long dead series. The movie is successful in providing substantial content that  genuinely contributes to the story and messaging of the overall franchise.

Furthermore, it is an exceptionally well made adaptation of a beloved novel and has been praised by fans for being highly accurate. It is evident from the outstanding quality and success of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes that the cast, crew, and director were all committed to making the project the best they could.