The return to Panem feels frighteningly chilly given the real world horrors that surrounds us today. Helmed by Francis Lawrence, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, recognizes the key thematic extremes of its dystopian YA trilogy while mounting the events that shaped up the destiny of Coriolanus Snow (played by Tom Blyth). Here, he is young, innocent and driven; hopeful that he will follow in the footsteps of his late father. Yet, like all dystopias unravel, here the same kid might have to take a look back at his principles in order to survive the unforgiving district. Ambitious and poignant, this is one rare prequel that works (even as it stumbles at a few points). (Also read: The Crown Season 6 Part 1 review: British royal family drama returns with a thrilling and telling ride to a sombre end)
The premise
Set decades before there was Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen, the prequel begins before the tenth annual Hunger Games. Coriolanus, who lives with his grandmother (Fionnula Flanagan) and his cousin Tigris (Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer, otherwise radiant in an underwritten role)- has performed exceedingly well at the Academy, headed by Dr. Volumnia Gaul (a scene-stealing, bitingly malevolent Viola Davis), along with game-maker Dean Casca (Peter Dinklage). Alas, the rules have now changed since no one is really watching the games.
New rules, new faces
Along with 24 fellow students, Coriolanus is now assigned as a mentor to District 12’s Lucy Gray (West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler). A free spirit with a dynamic voice, she has no desire to cooperate. During the reaping ceremony, she starts to sing. Her voice invigorates the masses. Zegler is a tremendously gifted performer, and her voice as Lucy truly provides this film with a much-needed soul. From here on, Coriolanus has to make sure to stay at the safer side with Lucy as the barbaric Hunger Games begins to take shape.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes explores the incredibly charged concepts of systemic fascism and media sensationalism and takes them to dark, horrifying places. One particularly ruthless scene with the youngest member of the district had me shocked in the pitiless demands of this film. At 157 minutes, the prequel is divided into three chapters, shifting from the savagery of the death games to the development of Coriolanus and Lucy’s romance and more- with varying degrees of success.
The dynamic between Coriolanus and Lucy does feel strangely clueless as it arrives- although Blyth and Zegler try their best to inform these scenes with tenderness and insight. It is the weakest link to the film. As Coriolanus, Blyth manages to give a fierce and intelligent performance, amalgamating the shift in his interior dialogue with amazing clarity. If only, the film matched his energy in that last act. As much as the narrative tries to maintain its politics and intrigue, the design steadily begins to feel calculated and uneven.
Final thoughts
At its core, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is an original story of a tyrant; someone whose ambition grows so big that it completely shadows over their humanity. Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt’s script remains faithful to Suzannne Collins’ 2020 novel of the same name. Still, the entire Peacekeeper track at District 12 in the last hour lacks the vitality of the competition scenes. There’s no denying how the array of characters feels a little too scattered- from Jason Schwartzman’s Lucky Flickerman as the pervasive emcee to Josh Andrés Rivera who plays Coriolanus’ friend Sejanus Plinth. They speed along with unceremonious energies.
With this adaptation, director Francis Lawrence still manages to push the legacy of its franchise forward, aided with the brilliant costume design by Trish Summervile and superb casting by Debra Zane and Dylan Jury. Even as the last hour doesn’t really hold up, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is an ambitious, complex and layered film, willing to take risks and offering a terrifying vision on the corruption of power. Panem might expand in the upcoming years, but the seeds of moral decay will soon grow roots. Do choices ever lie? They always return along with consequences.
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The return to Panem feels frighteningly chilly given the real world horrors that surrounds us today. Helmed by Francis Lawrence, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, recognizes the key thematic extremes of its dystopian YA trilogy while mounting the events that shaped up the destiny of Coriolanus Snow (played by Tom Blyth). Here, he is young, innocent and driven; hopeful that he will follow in the footsteps of his late father. Yet, like all dystopias unravel, here the same kid might have to take a look back at his principles in order to survive the unforgiving district. Ambitious and poignant, this is one rare prequel that works (even as it stumbles at a few points). (Also read: The Crown Season 6 Part 1 review: British royal family drama returns with a thrilling and telling ride to a sombre end)
The premise
Set decades before there was Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen, the prequel begins before the tenth annual Hunger Games. Coriolanus, who lives with his grandmother (Fionnula Flanagan) and his cousin Tigris (Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer, otherwise radiant in an underwritten role)- has performed exceedingly well at the Academy, headed by Dr. Volumnia Gaul (a scene-stealing, bitingly malevolent Viola Davis), along with game-maker Dean Casca (Peter Dinklage). Alas, the rules have now changed since no one is really watching the games.
New rules, new faces
Along with 24 fellow students, Coriolanus is now assigned as a mentor to District 12’s Lucy Gray (West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler). A free spirit with a dynamic voice, she has no desire to cooperate. During the reaping ceremony, she starts to sing. Her voice invigorates the masses. Zegler is a tremendously gifted performer, and her voice as Lucy truly provides this film with a much-needed soul. From here on, Coriolanus has to make sure to stay at the safer side with Lucy as the barbaric Hunger Games begins to take shape.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes explores the incredibly charged concepts of systemic fascism and media sensationalism and takes them to dark, horrifying places. One particularly ruthless scene with the youngest member of the district had me shocked in the pitiless demands of this film. At 157 minutes, the prequel is divided into three chapters, shifting from the savagery of the death games to the development of Coriolanus and Lucy’s romance and more- with varying degrees of success.
The dynamic between Coriolanus and Lucy does feel strangely clueless as it arrives- although Blyth and Zegler try their best to inform these scenes with tenderness and insight. It is the weakest link to the film. As Coriolanus, Blyth manages to give a fierce and intelligent performance, amalgamating the shift in his interior dialogue with amazing clarity. If only, the film matched his energy in that last act. As much as the narrative tries to maintain its politics and intrigue, the design steadily begins to feel calculated and uneven.
Final thoughts
At its core, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is an original story of a tyrant; someone whose ambition grows so big that it completely shadows over their humanity. Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt’s script remains faithful to Suzannne Collins’ 2020 novel of the same name. Still, the entire Peacekeeper track at District 12 in the last hour lacks the vitality of the competition scenes. There’s no denying how the array of characters feels a little too scattered- from Jason Schwartzman’s Lucky Flickerman as the pervasive emcee to Josh Andrés Rivera who plays Coriolanus’ friend Sejanus Plinth. They speed along with unceremonious energies.
With this adaptation, director Francis Lawrence still manages to push the legacy of its franchise forward, aided with the brilliant costume design by Trish Summervile and superb casting by Debra Zane and Dylan Jury. Even as the last hour doesn’t really hold up, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is an ambitious, complex and layered film, willing to take risks and offering a terrifying vision on the corruption of power. Panem might expand in the upcoming years, but the seeds of moral decay will soon grow roots. Do choices ever lie? They always return along with consequences.