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Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping Earns Praise as Franchise's 'Rogue One'

5:18 AM ETConfirmed

Entertainment Desk

In Short: Initial reactions to 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' call it the best in the franchise and praise Joseph Zada's performance as young Haymitch.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, the sixth installment in the franchise and the second prequel, has earned overwhelmingly positive reactions from critics following its premiere.

Nikita Francois of The Nerds of Color called it the best film in the series, urging audiences to see it in theaters.

The film, directed by Francis Lawrence, follows Panem 24 years before Katniss' saga, starting on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games.

Critics have compared the movie to 'Rogue One' and 'Andor,' noting its darker, more politically relevant tone.

Joseph Zada, who plays the young Haymitch Abernathy, has been singled out for his electrifying performance, described as a star-is-born turn.

Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture praised Zada's role, saying it pushes him to his limit physically and emotionally.

Lauren LaMagna of Next Best Picture called Zada's performance heartbreakingly radiant, while Griffin Schiller of Variety dubbed him a revelation.

The movie takes place after the events of 'The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' and 24 years before the original 2012 'Hunger Games' movie.

Francis Lawrence has been lauded for his adaptation, capturing the invigorating spark of revolution and the tragedy of Haymitch's journey.

The studio's decision to allow these reactions to surface weeks before the official release signals strong confidence in the project.

When speaking to ScreenRant, Lawrence discussed the moment author Collins called about Sunrise on the Reaping and how he and Nina Jacobson first read the manuscript: " Nina and I both got a call from Suzanne [Collins] that she had written a book, but she wouldn't tell us what it was about. And so we had to drive into the valley to her agent's office and go sit in his backyard and read the manuscript for the first time," stated Lawrence.

Background

What's confirmed

• Nikita Francois of The Nerds of Color called it the best film in the franchise and urged people to see it in theaters.
• The movie is the sixth installment in the series and the second prequel, following 2023’s ‘The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’.
• The story follows Panem 24 years before Katniss’ saga, starting on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, where a young Haymitch Abernathy takes part.
• Several reactions also said it pushes the series into darker, more politically relevant territory. #TheHungerGames Sunrise on the Reaping is the Rogue One/Andor of the franchise.

What's still developing

• Others went with big comparisons, as critic Griffin Schiller dubbed it the ‘Rogue One’ and ‘Andor’ of ‘The Hunger Games’, a sobering story of loss and the cost of rebellion.
• Following its fan screening in the UK tonight, those lucky few to have already seen Sunrise on the Reaping have taken to social media to share their first reactions to the movie ahead of its release in cinemas on 20 November.
• Casting announcements were made far in advance to amp up audience excitement, and with 14 years having passed since the first movie's release, the original Hunger Games fans have grown up alongside the franchise.
• The Hunger Games franchise has always receiced largely positive reviews, though The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes left some questioning whether the series was losing steam.
• Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances.
• " It's been 24 years that they have been trying and failing until you get to Catching Fire, the 25th. But when Katniss comes around, to understand how much those characters had been through, how much they had sacrificed, and how long they had been trying to make a change and to see all of that come together on the one hand in terms of the aspirations of the resistance."
• It should be noted that, upon looking at the cast of "Sunrise," one will find that Harrelson is credited, as are original movie stars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. Lawrence has even commented on her return to the series. So, yes, this film will link very directly to the future timeline of "The Hunger Games."
• Torn away from his family and the girl he loves, Haymitch enters an arena where he believes he has been set up to lose, but begins to fight back against the Capitol’s brutal system.
• "Each of the Hunger Games have such a specific time period for fashion," Grace recently told E!
• Mckenna Grace, Elle Fanning, Joseph Zada, Glenn Close, Whitney Peak, Jesse Plemons, Kieran Culkin, Ralph Fiennes and more stars of the latest Suzanne Collins adaptation volunteered to walk the red carpet in style at the Oct.

Sources

• Comic Basicslink
• ComingSoon.netlink
• Culture.orglink
• Digital Spylink
• MovieWeblink
• SFFGazette.comlink
• ScreenRantlink
• SlashFilmlink
• The Hollywood Reporterlink
• The Independentlink
• TheWraplink
• Varietylink
• eonline.comlink
• Wikipedia — background on The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping link
• Wikipedia — background on Rogue One link
• Star Wars / YouTube — video link