Lacked the intensity and build up of the originals. None of the characters, besides Snow, are developed enough for the audience to be effected by their death or challenges.
Lucy Gray was built to be rebellious and tough in her reaping, but then cries and breaks before the games even began. She also loses her accent mid sentence, taking you out of the experience completely. The actress can sing, but it felt forced and misplaced, unlike Jennifer Lawrence, who wasn’t a fantastic singer, but only sang twice in the whole trilogy.
A prequel that will be forgotten and if the franchise wanted to be memorable, they would make a movie about Haymitch’s games.