“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” did not fail to capture the hearts of dystopian lovers and Hunger game book series fanatics due to its non-stop action that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

This movie takes place 64 years before the first “Hunger Games,” following the life of young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), better known as just President Snow in the later series.

The hunger games started just ten years before this movie takes place, set as the capitol punishing the other 12 districts for its entertainment after the destruction of District 13.

From start to finish, the movie keeps you on your toes, wondering what’s going to happen next. With constant plot twists and turns of events, this is a movie for all to enjoy.

This movie follows Snow along his journey of being a mentor during the 10th annual hunger games; Snow is assigned to mentor a tribute from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), which proves to be harder than anticipated.

Throughout the duration of this movie, Snow grows as a character, going through the ups and downs that form his character in the main “Hunger Games” storyline.

Blyth really captured Snow’s emotions and small habits well, from facial expressions all the way down to small mannerisms. Zegler also really brings her character to life; with her charm and smile, the audience are sure to enjoy the show she puts on.

The movie ends on a cliffhanger as we never see Baird again, and Snow — who was once against the hunger games — is all for them as he re-enters the capital with a completely new mindset, ready for a new beginning.

From the soundtrack to the cinematography, this movie is a must watch for dystopian fans, just like its four sequel films. It faithfully portrays the book, more so than the original trilogy, so readers like myself would love to see it all come to life.

This book lends itself better to that — Collins wrote “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” in third person while writing the main “Hunger Games” trilogy from its protagonist’s — Katniss Everdeen’s — point of view.

The entire cast did a beautiful job bringing the “Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” to life and immersing viewers in the games; these made the audience actually connect with the characters during the duration of the movie.

The cast in this movie was far more diverse than the previous with actors of wide and diverse backgrounds. Due to us being able to get a look at some of the casts and characters before the 74th hunger games, we get a lot of confirmations of things that we may have not been 100% sure about before.

From when Baird first enters the arena to Snow’s final scene (cameoing the age-stricken Snow that the series is so familiar with), the videography and creative crew light it all up, smoothly capturing every expression, whether close up for subtle gestures or wide open for action shots.

Viewers might notice that, although the beginning was a big point of focus, the end seems rushed. With the movie already running for two hours and 37 minutes, rather than subject the audiences to another two-part movie (like they did with “Mockingjay”), the creative directors tampered with the ending to make a more digestible experience.

The clipped ending could be due to the WGA writers strike that took place starting in May 2 2023 all the way through to Sept. 22.

For a movie at that length, it would be nice if they would have spread their point of focus out so that no parts were rushed, it almost feels like they gave viewers the slightest bit of anxiety towards the end because of this.

Rating: 4/5