Watch TrailerThe Hunger Games The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Review: It took director Francis Lawrence eight long years before he could return with yet another Hunger Games film on the big screen. Having concluded the events of the two-part The Hunger Games: Mockingjay in 2015, the filmmaker decided to explore the origins of The Hunger Games with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Although he succeeds in most parts, the Lionsgate film wasn’t what I had expected.
Based on the 2020 novel of the same title by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a dystopian action prequel that explores the events of the 10th Hunger Games and everything that unfolded thereafter. The film introduces us to Coriolanus “Coryo” Snow (Tom Blyth) who emerges as one of the mentors of the 10th Hunger Games and eventually becomes the President of Panem. His tribute is a District 12 girl named Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) who is a singer from a travelling group. The 2 hours, 38 minutes film explores the games that they engage in, letting viewers invest in the bond that they create during the process and the real-life Hunger Games that take place thereafter.
Warning: Mild Spoilers Ahead:
To begin with, I have not read the book the film is based on and my primary expectation from the film when the titled was announcement had me believing that The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes would explore the origin of The Hunger Games and how it originally came into being. Instead, the film brushed past the origin to directly focus on President of Panem. No complaints there, just thought of putting it out there.
Anyway, returning to the review, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes starts off on a powerful note. The film successfully establishes the hook point of the film Coryo and Lucy Gray’s bond, surrounding which the story revolves. The director opts to divide the film in three chapters, a smart move that helps viewers follow the story. With the screenplay written by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt, and edited by Mark Yoshikawa, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is tight and to the point in the first two chapters. Director Francis Lawrence establishes the connection between the viewers and each character from the word go, making us not only invested in the game and the potentially blooming love story but also rooting for them.
Lawrence intertwines their growing bond with each death in the game, making it poetically beautiful. The crisp screenplay, storytelling and editing makes the first two chapters of the film thrilling. You never want to miss a beat in the first two parts. Every subplot is kept limited to not more than 20 minutes. This helps the viewers to focus on growing storyline instead of spending time in connecting the dots. The dialogues also standout in the first two chapters.
However, the film starts foraying into the unknown with the third part. With the director and screenplay writers re-establishing the game outside the arena, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes begins to loose its grip. This results in slow storytelling and the length of the film reflecting on the screen. The film should have been layered a little more, especially in the last 20-odd minutes. The stakes don’t appear as high as they did in the first half. This robs the film of its high ending.
What works in The Hunger Games The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ favour is the impressive casting. Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth shoulder the film brilliantly. They light up the screen everytime they are together. However, there are a few scenes in which Zegler overshadows Zegler. I wish Zegler shared a scene or two with Peter Dinklage and Viola Davis. It would have been interesting to see them together.
At this point, it goes without saying that Davis and Dinklage were phenomenal in their respective roles. Davis gave the film the much-needed push from time to time while Dinklage supports her perfectly. Despite the limited scenes in the film, Hunter Schafer leaves a mark with her performance.
Another drawing factor of The Hunger Games The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is the cinematography. Jo Willems does a phenomenal job at present the grandeur of the dystopian past, the up close and personal experience of the games and the gorgeous outdoors in the second half.
Bottom line: The Hunger Games The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes serves as an interesting prequel. The film can be watched by even those who have not seen the Hunger Games franchise and wish to embark on the journey.
