The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Review Roundup

We are just a week away from the release of the Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, and after the cast and crew had their world premiere in London last night, reviews are flying in.

Debuting at 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, which has since dropped slightly to 66% from 41 reviews, the origin story of President Snow seems to be receiving high praise.

Starring Tom Blyth as a young Coriolanus Snow, we see how the seed was planted for him to become the infamous president, with Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird, his mentee from District 12 during the 10th Hunger Games.

Here's what the critics made of the adaptation of Suzanne Collins's novel.

Review Roundup

• Mashable: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is captivating through and through, capturing the magic that made The Hunger Games such a sensation while delivering a darker, more nuanced look at the corruption at the heart of Panem.

• Digital Spy: It has retained the impact of the other Hunger Games movies and the setting invigorates certain aspects to bring a fresh take to this world while still delivering everything fans would want.

• Polygon: It’s a sharp, exciting movie — one that finally gives YA dystopias the ending the genre trend deserves.

• Collider: By focusing on the gray between the good and the bad, and with a scale and scope that the other films never quite had, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes might just be the most engrossing film in this series.

• Variety: Feels like a natural extension of the saga, balancing bloodsport, endangered young love and a heightened level of political commentary that respects the intelligence of young audiences as only Collins can.