Casey Brandenburg

I didnt read the book but anticipated this movie hoping it would be the revival of my beloved dystopian science fiction dramas. I expected Hunger Games/ Maze Runner/ Divergent level quality and depth but it was felt more like Sharkboy and Lavagirl or Spy Kids. It felt corny and shallow, I didnt feel any sort of attachment to of the characters or their relationships. I can appreciate some of the cgi and set design but the Bold Glamor Tiktok filter they used on the Pretties was laughable. The film had some good qualities, but was unfortunately disappointing overall.

I am a HUGE fan of the hunger games films, so naturally I was seated at the theater for the opening weekend of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The positives of this movie- the cinematography, the cinematic soundtrack, and the acting of Tom Blythe. Besides the random Disney-style song breaks by Rachel Zelger (did not enjoy), the soundtrack had a very similar feel to the other HG movies. Tom Blythe was incredible in this roll, his acting made the film worth while. Rachel Zelger on the other hand was not very good. I thought her character felt unnatural, forced, and most of all- wildly unrelatable. This was not entirely her fault, this was a miss by the writers. Who would react by breaking into song upon being chosen for the games? I read in another review where someone used the word HOLLOW to describe this movie- I felt that this was a perfect description. I left the theater thinking “ok?”.