The Establishment, The Relationships & The Performances

Mind you, the timeline in which Hunger Games: BOS&S has worked out for the big screen is incredibly fast. That could have meant patchiness or an undercooked screenplay. However, none of that is a concern as Hunger Games veteran director Francis Lawrence and his team set up a marvellous portrait of a prequel that works more often than not. In terms of establishing the characters, the screenplay is knit so neatly that right from a young Snow to Lucy Gray, everyone gets a mini-entry sequence, which is enough to have you intrigued. It's rustic, real and riveting. Due to its long runtime, the film divides itself into three chapters smartly so that each chapter is given enough time to work its way to a crescendo that satisfies gradually. The part where the film shines even more is the relationships that you see between the characters - be it Snow and Sejanus Plinth, Snow and sister, Tigris and, of course, Snow and Lucy Gray. Even the inclusion of Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman as the first television host of the 10th Hunger Games is delightful, even more so due to the fantastic performance from Jason Schwartzman.And that brings us to the performances - each and every actor, ranging from the principal character to the supporting cast and even an extra, is so good and impactful that it elevates the writing multiple folds. You expect legends like Viola Davis and Peter Dinklage to be as brilliant as they always are with their own nuggets of input to Snow throughout the games, and you also expect a rising star like Rachel Zegler to be amazing again, but it is actor Tom Blyth as Snow, who steals the show! Blyth is relatively new to the industry in terms of being an adult actor and has only a few credits to his name. But to be leading a mega project like this and being so effortless and fitting as he is it's an incredible feat.