The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - 6.5/10 (Event Cinemas)

I read all the Hunger Games books back before the movies were even a thought, and I enjoyed them.  I also read the book that this movie was based on, well before the movie was announced.  I thought at the time that it was a book that answered a question I never really asked - how did (President) Coriolanus Snow get that way?  I never asked it because the character of President Snow isn't the most interesting character in the series.  I also had an issue with the book, which gave me whiplash with the treatment of the main character in the final scenes.  It struck me as one of the more grievous examples of "plot before character", made even more galling by the fact that this was essentially a character backstory/prequel.  In essence, the problem was created by the very existence of the book, for which I never saw the need.

So when the film came out I was only mildly interested, but decided I wanted to see it on the big screen and managed to catch the last local screening before it got bumped in favour of more in-demand titles.  I would describe it as a reasonably faithful adaptation of the book - by which I mean it hits all the main plot beats, even if it does gloss over many of the characters (again, weirdly for a film which is supposed to be an exploration of the backstory of a character.  We see Coriolanus Snow as a young boy - very briefly - before seeing him as a young man.  References to his impoverished state are inferred and strongly suggested, but never really explored, which puts his motivations somewhat to the background.  Many characters from the book (Dean Highbottom, Dr Gall) are there, but it feels like everyone is given only a light touch.  It makes the movie feel rushed and superficial.  I wouldn't go so far as to suggest it needed to be a trilogy in its own right, but even the somewhat long run-time feels like it cramps the story.

I think the actor portraying Snow did a good job of foreshadowing Donald Sutherland's presence, but he still feels a bit empty.  I don't think this is a fault of the movie, but more the source material.  The film has the same problem as the book.  The main characters seem to abandon all the build-up for a bizarre 180 switch-up at the end.  Talking about it with my partner afterwards we tried to contort things to justify their actions, but it doesn't really scan for me.

Overall - it's a bit of a damp squib.  It doesn't really add anything to what came before, or set up anything to take forward.  Ultimately, it feels just like it was made for "completeness".