The newest installation of the Hunger Games movies, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, has officially been out for over a week, and is already making waves, with over $100 million made in the box office.

The film follows Coriolanus Snow, the villain of the original trilogy, in his youth as he navigates the 10th annual Hunger Games as a mentor for the female District 12 tribute, Lucy Gray Baird, a traveling performer unlike anyone the Capitol has seen before. Snow must contend with twenty-three other mentor-tribute teams, as well as face challenges that Hunger Games fans have never seen before from the Dean of Students at his academy, Casca Highbottom, and head game-maker in the arena, Dr. Volumnia Gaul.

Overall, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was a fantastic movie, smashing audiences’ expectations on several fronts.

The pacing was extremely well done, especially for a book-to-movie adaptation (a style of film that tends to struggle in that regard). The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie followed the lead of the novel, and broke itself into three separate parts with varying focal points which ultimately worked in its favor. This allowed the flow of the film’s plot to feel more connected and complete.

In addition to the masterful pacing, the visual cinematic elements were an overall mixed bag. The makeup and costuming blew me away, but the cinematography was just average.

The phenomenal casting, however, made up for this in spades. Not only did the main cast— with Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow, Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird, and Josh Rivera as Sejanus Plinth— look practically identical to their book descriptions, but they also embodied their roles fully.

Where The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes really shined, though, was in the audio elements. The original songs had a bluegrass, Appalachian twist to them that I have never seen in a film before; they absolutely took The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to the next level. The score was just as fantastic, and really took the emotional tension up a notch.

Arguably most importantly, the film also kept audiences engaged, despite the 2 hour and 45 minute watch time. Much like the novel, there was never a dull moment. With various fight scenes and plot twists, tensions were high for nearly the entire film, leaving audiences at the edge of their seats.

Even further, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes toed the line between action packed and heartfelt, succeeding in both aspects. The film not only extended the message of hope that underscored the original trilogy, but it added more depth to the original series.

As a book-to-movie adaptation, the elephant in the room will always be whether or not The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was accurate to its novel, and personally, I found this to be one of the most major shortcomings of the film. The first two sections were decently similar to the novel, with only a few noticeable differences, but the third part almost felt like an entirely different story. However, if you aren’t a book purist, this won’t have much of an effect on your watching enjoyment.

Ultimately, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes raised the standards for book-to-movie adaptations. It easily became a well-loved classic for Hunger Games fans everywhere, outshining even some of the films based on the original trilogy. All of these factors made The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes deserving of a 4 knight head review.