The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Review
“Sunrise on the Reaping” returns to Panem on November 20, 2026, so I went back to the film that shows how the whole story starts: “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.” It follows a young Coriolanus Snow, the man who later becomes the villain of the series, and it works because you feel and root along with him even though you know where he is heading. I give it a strong 9 out of 10.
The film was directed by Francis Lawrence, with a screenplay by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt, based on Suzanne Collins’s 2020 novel. It had its world premiere in Berlin on November 5, 2023, hit US cinemas on November 17, 2023, and runs about 157 minutes. It is the fifth film in the series and a prequel set during the 10th Hunger Games. Here is my full breakdown across our five categories (2 points maximum each).
Table of Contents
What Is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes About?
Spoiler-light: Panem is still scarred by the war, and the Capitol is rebuilding. Coriolanus Snow is a student at the Academy whose once-powerful family has fallen on hard times, and he sees the 10th Hunger Games as his chance to restore its name. He is assigned as mentor to Lucy Gray Baird, the tribute from District 12 and a singer who belongs to the traveling Covey.
What follows is not a simple arena story. It is the story of two people thrown together by a system that wants them to be enemies, and of the choices a young man makes when he has to decide what he is willing to do to get ahead. If you know the later films, you know who Snow becomes. The question the film asks is how.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Story – 2/2
Good Points: A Story You Feel and Root Along With
Exciting From Start to Finish
The story is exciting and keeps its tension up across the whole runtime. The Games are only one part of it. The time at the Academy, the scenes in the Capitol and the life in District 12 all push the plot forward, and I never felt the film was stalling.
Characters Who Act in Gray Zones
What I like most is that the actions of the characters are often in moral gray zones. Snow does things that are clever, desperate or selfish, sometimes all at once, and you understand each step even when you do not approve of it. That makes you feel and root along with the characters instead of just watching them.
Fits the Established Story
The film fits well into the established story. It answers questions fans have had for years, and it plants details that make the older films look different on a re-watch, without turning into a checklist of cameos.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Cast – 2/2
Special Praise: A Fantastic Cast
Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Picture Source: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes / Lionsgate)
Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow
Tom Blyth has the hardest job in the film: playing a character we already know as a villain and making you want to follow him anyway. He shows ambition, charm and doubt in the same scene, and it is the reason the story works.
Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird
Rachel Zegler gives Lucy Gray warmth and unpredictability, and she sings the songs herself. The chemistry between her and Blyth carries the emotional side of the film.
A Deep Supporting Cast
Peter Dinklage plays Casca Highbottom, dean of the Academy, and Viola Davis plays the head Gamemaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul, both with a wonderful sense of menace. Hunter Schafer as Tigris, Josh Andrés Rivera as Sejanus Plinth and Jason Schwartzman as the TV host Lucky Flickerman round out a cast without a weak spot.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes World – 2/2
Good Points: Panem, 64 Years Earlier
A World That Fits
The film is set during the 10th Hunger Games, 64 years before the first film, and it shows a Capitol and a District 12 that are recognizable but rougher and less polished. The arena, the Academy and the Capitol Zoo give the world new corners to explore, and everything is consistent with what we know from the other films. It was shot in Wrocław, Berlin and Leipzig, and the locations give the Capitol a heavy, scarred look.
The countryside near District 12 in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Picture Source: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes / Lionsgate)
A Younger, Hungrier Capitol
Because we see the Capitol before it became the polished machine of the later films, the world feels like it is still deciding what it wants to be. That gives the story weight and explains a lot about the regime Snow later leads.
Music Score and Effects – 1.5/2
Good Music, Songs Included
The music is good. James Newton Howard returns to score the series, and Rachel Zegler performs the songs of Lucy Gray herself, with an Appalachian folk sound produced under executive producer Dave Cobb. “The Hanging Tree,” the song fans know from “Mockingjay – Part 1,” appears in Lucy Gray’s version. Olivia Rodrigo’s “Can’t Catch Me Now” is part of the soundtrack.
The Small Deduction
The music supports the film well but never steps in front of the story and the cast, which is why it gets 1.5 out of 2 from me.
Originality – 1.5/2
A Fresh Angle on a Familiar World
Telling the story from the perspective of the future villain is a fresh idea, and the gray-zone morality gives the film its own identity inside the series.
The Small Deduction
It is still a prequel in a world with established rules, and the Games remain the center of the plot. The angle is new, the structure is familiar, so it gets 1.5 out of 2.
What’s Next After The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?
The next film in the series is “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” scheduled for November 20, 2026 in US cinemas (release dates may differ by country). It is directed by Francis Lawrence again, with a screenplay by Billy Ray and Michael Lesslie, based on Suzanne Collins’s 2025 novel. The story takes place 24 years before the first film and follows the 50th Hunger Games, the Second Quarter Quell, with Joseph Zada as a young Haymitch Abernathy. Ralph Fiennes plays President Snow, and the cast also includes Jesse Plemons, Elle Fanning, Kieran Culkin, Glenn Close, Whitney Peak and Maya Hawke. James Newton Howard scores the film again.
We covered the latest trailer and Haymitch’s plans for a rebellion in a separate article.
Gamersuniverse Score:
9 out of 10 stars⭐
| Category | Points | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Story | 2/2 | Exciting, with characters who act in moral gray zones. |
| Cast | 2/2 | Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler lead a fantastic ensemble. |
| World | 2/2 | A rougher Panem that fits the established story. |
| Music Score and Effects | 1.5/2 | Good music and songs, supporting rather than leading. |
| Originality | 1.5/2 | A fresh angle, inside a familiar framework. |
| Total | 9/10 | A very strong prequel that makes you feel and root along. |
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes scores a strong 9 out of 10 from me. It tells an exciting story with characters who act in gray zones, it has a fantastic cast and good music, and it fits well into the established story of the series.
If you want to be ready for “Sunrise on the Reaping,” this is the film to watch first. Where to stream it depends on your country, so check your local services.
Score Summary
- Story: 2/2
- Cast: 2/2
- World: 2/2
- Music Score and Effects: 1.5/2
- Originality: 1.5/2
Total: 9/10
Who Is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes For?
- Hunger Games fans who want to see how Snow became who he is.
- Anyone heading to “Sunrise on the Reaping” who wants to refresh the world first.
- Fans of morally gray characters who like to root for people who are not simply good.
- Maybe skip it if you are looking for a fast action film: this is a slower character story with a long runtime.
Did you root for Snow in this film, even though you knew where he was going? Tell us in the comments.
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Picture Source: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes / Lionsgate
