The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes

This review may contain spoilers!

 

The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes is an adaptation of Suzanne Collins' book The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and a prequel to the original film/book: The Hunger Games. This film takes place during the tenth annual Hunger Games, and follows a young Coriolanus Snow who is desperately trying to retain the status of his Capitol family name. All of his future hinges on mentoring the reaped District 12 girl, Lucy Gray Baird, for the Games themselves. Yet when his own feelings for Lucy Gray turn to romance it will be down to Coriolanus to choose between status and love.

I actually read the book this film is based on earlier in the year and as of writing this review it is currently my favourite book of the year, and quite possibly my favourite in the Hunger Games series. The strength of this novel is just how much is has to say thematically. On the surface there are some broad themes about the fallout of war, and how both sides are impacted by conflict but also how are views are shaped before and after conflict. This film very pointedly looks at how in these moments of conflict, humanity is stripped away and we are left with this tooth and claw push for survival. The narrative posits the question of if this is what humanity is at its core or if we are better? But I liked the more personal thematic narrative here around Coriolanus Snow, a young man who is presented as a protagonist we want to root for because he is falling in love and often does actions we feel are good. But there's another side to this; it becomes more and more apparent that Coriolanus Snow is a selfish individual guided by his own ambitions. He does good deeds often for his own benefit, while his love for Lucy Gray is a sense of ownership or entitlement. Snow often feels that because he is helping Lucy Gray survive the Games that she owes him in response. Watching him fully break down and reject love to become the man who clutches at power we see in the earlier films is one of the most well-rounded character arcs in film this year. More than this, the way the film bolsters worldbuilding with a deep dive into District life, the Jabberjay/Mockingjay backstory, how the Games came to lean further into the spectacle, Lucky Flickerman and Snow's perception of Katniss and 'The Hanging Tree' song is quite impressive.

Having Francis Lawrence back directing a Hunger Games feature means there are some incredibly significant visuals that hearken back to the originals while also spotlighting the themes of this series strongly. The framing can be very grandiose and bold at times, often illustrating the story as strongly as the written script tells it. The visual effects are up to the challenge too, the arena sequences look stunning and the design for the Jabberjays and Mockingjays was really well captured. The score is powerful and dramatic, bearing a lot of power to the dramatic tension of the games and the events after. The real musical strength of the film is Rachel Zegler's singing as Lucy Gray Baird; there are some serious ballads here that cut to the core of some character relationships or foreshadow the events of this film and future (past?) films.

 

Tom Blyth's work as central protagonist, Coriolanus Snow, shows an incredible range and capacity to lead a production like this; Blyth keeps all of Snow's vulnerabilities a fraction away from breaking through which I found fascinating. Josh Andrés Rivera, who played Sejanus Plinth, is a wild performance who really demands justice at every turn; the way Rivera portrays Sejanus as growing more hollowed out by the Capital and disgusted by the actions he is witness to is wonderful. Viola Davis, who played Dr. Volumnia Gaul, feels like one of the most impressive antagonists to come out of the Hunger Games series; Davis brings a really dark menace that depicts Gaul as a sort of shadowy puppet master. Peter Dinklage, who played Dean Casca Highbottom, gives one of his finest performances in a decent while; Dinklage crafts a man consumed with righteous hatred and a guilt that has destroyed him years ago by the time the audience first meets him. Mackenzie Lansing, who played Coral, is one of the more compelling minor antagonists of the film; Lansing depicts a rageful Tribute who is violently intent on winning the Hunger Games. Dimitri Abold, who played Reaper, is a character with not a lot of screen time but his impact is very profound; watching Abold grieve and stoically portray defiance was extremely moving.Jason Schwartzman, who played Lucky Flickerman, gives Stanley Tucci's Flickerman a run for his money; Schwartzman has masterful comedic timing unlike anything else in this film. Burn Gorman, who played Commander Hoff, plays the foul-spirited militant type well; Gorman's portrayal of support out of spite was a moment I thought really stood out.

However, the best performance came from Rachel Zegler, who played Lucy Gray Baird. This is the role I was most excited to see in some ways, she was the most unique and fascinating character in the books. In a year in which Zegler really didn't bring much to her Shazam: Fury of the Gods antagonist, I wasn't sure what to expect; this is a performer who still feels like a relative newcomer. But almost immediately Zegler becomes Lucy Gray in a way that captivates and surprises. I have already mentioned the power behind her singing ability; Zegler is a natural when it comes to ballad performance and lends a haunting quality to her more melancholy numbers. Yet what I loved was the ferocity she brought to this character, Lucy Gray is a young woman who rarely openly shows weakness and often portrays herself with a fiery and boisterous temperament. Zegler walked those moments where she had to let her character's fear creep past her facade very finely. I loved that this character felt so embattled, yet full of life. She was shining and bright, but also surprisingly cunning. She was a performer but a survivor. She fell in love, but she couldn't trust that love. Zegler played that last part probably best of all.

This is a very tricky character-driven narrative that loses some of the subtlety you need in such a feature. The film struggles in the first act with making the audience really fall for Coriolanus Snow, we get the sense he's not the prospective protagonist the movie wants us to believe he is. This does mean the final betrayal in the third act, while very well orchestrated, lacks the gravity or surprise of the moment. There are a lot of central characters and a few background narratives do get lost in the scale of everything; Sejanus could've been examined more early on alongside some of Criolanus' other peers. 

While I really loved Francis Lawrence's style of visual storytelling, I did find the more dialogue intensive scenes to be a little ugly, particularly when it came to close ups. The close up shots often felt poorly framed and pushed in uncomfortable close in a way that rarely served purpose.

Fionnula Flanagan, who played Grandma'am, really is quite a muted presence in this film; Flanagan doesn't get to make the lasting impression you'd expect from a Snow family member. Hunter Schafer, who played Tigris, is quite a one note performance; Schafer brings the doting quality of Tigris to life in a way that feels quite artifical and insincere. Ashley Liao, who played Clemensia Dovecote, is framed as a classmate who is close to Blyth's protagonist but her screen time is really wasted; the film poorly utilises Liao who is really propped up with potential. Lilly Maria Cooper, who played Arachne Crane, really struggle with her line delivery; Cooper whispers or chokes out most of her dialogue which really undercuts her role's presence in the film. Nick Benson, who played Jessup, is a role that fades into the baackground a bit too simply for all the importance placed on him by the script; Benson's portrayal of his character falling to sickness feels a bit unconvincing at times.

 

A strong reminder why The Hunger Games series took the world by storm with its incredible storytelling and talented cast. I would give The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes an 8.5/10.