This was a prequel that I never thought that I wanted. To see the trailers leading up to this film, I was just not interested. It felt as if the Hunger Games had really been played out and did not need anything more. Certainly not a prequel focusing on Coriolanus Snow, the villain of the Hunger Games trilogy.

However, after seeing the movie, I can see the purpose behind the film, and I enjoyed it, for part of it at least.

We see Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) who becomes a mentor for one of the tributes in the tenth annual Hunger Games. His tribute was Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler). Snow was looking to advance in the society and gave ideas to change and adapt the Hunger Games to Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the creator of the games.

Trying to get Lucy Gray to be more engaging, Snow started to bond with the girl. He did whatever he could to help her survive the games.

I really liked the first hour and forty five minutes of this movie. The first two acts were tremendous and I was thoroughly entertained. Unfortunately, the third act was added on and felt totally like a different movie. The characters seemed different than they were in the first two acts and I did not like the ending near as well.

It also became very long. The second act (or split into chapters as the film does) seemed like a perfect ending for the film, but suddenly, we got another 45 minutes and, I am sorry to say, I felt it.

I think Rachel Zegler is a star. She is fantastic though the entire prequel and she did have chemistry with Tom Blyth. Unfortunately, the pairing of Snow and Lucy Gray seemed to happen too quickly for any sort of romantic pairing. Both actors did a sensational job with their performances though.

Viola Davis was great too, with her extremely creepy portrayal of Dr. Gaul. She was a great villain in this role, and turned out to be a considerable mentor for Snow.

The look of the film was great. The CGI and the action were top line and the section with the actual 10th Annual Hunger Games was clearly the standout section of the movie. I just did not like the third act. It felt out of place and dragged the movie along.

I still enjoyed the film. It just felt like I saw two completely different movies, with the first two acts being compelling and thrilling and the third act being drawn out and different than what we had seen in the first two. Still, overall, I think the movie was able to justify its existence.

3.6 stars