hunger games review 2023

Well, well, well, folks, I tell ya, this year’s “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” sure did make quite a stir. I was sittin’ there watchin’ it, and I couldn’t help but think, “What in the world is goin’ on?” But, I guess if you’ve been followin’ the Hunger Games saga, you know what to expect by now, don’t ya? There’s the good ol’ fightin’, survival, and betrayal all wrapped up in one big mess. But let me tell ya, this one, it’s a bit different from the rest.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad. No, no. But it weren’t the same as the old ones either. This here movie’s a prequel, set before Katniss Everdeen came along, back when Coriolanus Snow, the future big bad, was just a young whippersnapper. They try to show how he turned into the ruthless man we all know. But it don’t hit as hard as those earlier films did, I’ll tell ya that much.

First things first, the movie’s got a lot of heart. You got them themes of rebellion, survival, and sacrifice—just like the good ol’ days. But somehow, the whole thing didn’t quite capture the same energy. It’s like you’re sittin’ there, watchin’ everything unfold, but it’s like waitin’ for a kettle to boil—it takes its sweet time. The build-up is there, but the payoff just don’t come quick enough. You’re just waitin’ and waitin’, and you’re like, “Come on, get to the good stuff!”

But here’s the thing: this movie did just fine in the box office, despite a bit of a slow start. Made over $300 million worldwide, which ain’t too shabby. And, well, it is a Hunger Games movie after all, so folks are gonna go watch it no matter what. But, I gotta say, if you’re lookin’ for that same thrill you got from the first movies, you might not get it here.

One thing that was real interesting, though, was how they focused more on the political side of things. Now, I ain’t no expert on politics, but it was somethin’ to see how they tried to show Snow’s climb up the ladder of power. You can see how he got to where he was, all the little choices he made, and the people he stepped on to get there. It almost made you feel sorry for him—almost. But you know how the story goes. Once someone starts down that dark path, there ain’t no turnin’ back.

The movie’s long though, I’ll tell ya that much. Two hours and forty-five minutes of sittin’ there. By the end, I was ready to get up and stretch my legs! They could’ve maybe cut some of that filler out and sped things up a bit. But again, it’s a prequel, so I suppose they had to set things up for the later films. Still, a little quicker pace would’ve been appreciated.

The best part of the movie, in my opinion, was when it wasn’t even about the Hunger Games themselves! Now, I know that sounds funny—ain’t the whole point of these movies the big fight to the death? But in this one, the real gripping moments came after all that. Once the Games were over and the true nature of power and control started to show, well, that’s when things really got interesting. They spent a lot of time buildin’ up the suspense for the big ol’ power struggle, and that’s where you could see the tension between the characters. All that backstabbin’, all that plotin’—it was like a game of chess, just without the board!

One thing that struck me, though, was the way they handled the violence. Now, in past films, you had blood and gore and all that. But in this one, it was more about the idea of violence than actually showin’ it. They kept things PG-13, with most of the deaths happenin’ off-screen or in a way that wasn’t too graphic. It’s a little jarring at first, but after a while, you get used to it. You don’t need all the blood to understand that these folks are in a real bad spot.

Some folks are even talkin’ about how this movie’s a bit like “Star Wars” with Anakin Skywalker. You know, how he went from a good boy to a bad man, turnin’ to the Dark Side and all that. Well, Snow’s a little like that. He starts off with dreams of glory, but it all gets twisted up as he gets closer to the power he wants. In the end, you can see it—he’s just another pawn in a game that’s much bigger than him. And that, my friends, is where the tragedy lies.

Now, I’m not gonna say this is the best Hunger Games movie, because that’s a tall order. But it does have its moments. It’s worth watchin’ if you’re a fan of the series, or if you’re just curious to see how things started for ol’ Snow. But if you’re lookin’ for that same rush you got from the first couple of films, you might be left feelin’ a little disappointed. Still, there’s enough there to keep you watchin’—even if it’s just to see how it all plays out in the end.

So, that’s my two cents on it. What do you think? Ain’t no right or wrong when it comes to how you feel about a movie. You watch it, you take what you can, and you move on to the next one. But for what it’s worth, I’d say give it a go if you got the time. Maybe you’ll love it, maybe you won’t. Either way, it’s a piece of the puzzle in this big ol’ Hunger Games world.

Tags：[Hunger Games, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, movie review, 2023 films, Snow prequel, survival, rebellion, movie analysis, Hunger Games series, PG-13, political power, sacrifice, film review]