Review – The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

The Hunger Games saga continues; only this time, we start at the beginning with an 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) before he became the president of Panem. He is not the rich and regal man we know him as from the series. He lives in poverty with his cousin Tigris (Hunter Schafer) and their grandmother. He still holds the facade of someone with money, but most of his peers see through it. Snow made sure to be the top student in The Capitals academy to be granted money to care for his family. This year, the top student will not receive a prize. With the Hunger Games’ ratings down in the dumps, Dean Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage) and Head Gamemaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis) brought a challenge to the students. The students will each mentor a tribute, and whoever has the most popular one will receive the prize. Fortunately for Snow, his District 12 tribute, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), stuns the audience as her name is called with a song. As Snow mentors her, he’s torn between giving in to his feelings and leaving his life in The Capital or chasing power.

Coming back with a new addition to a well-loved franchise after almost a decade is difficult. Even more challenging is centering the story on the saga’s antagonist. What’s wonderful about this film is it doesn’t try to justify his later actions. Instead, it shows his descent into a power-hungry menace. Although, as the film shows early on, Snow has always had a touch of evilness. The challenge is how do you make an audience care about the villain without making him sympathetic? The answer: Intrigue the audience with cunning actions that show just how power-hungry he is, and cast two people who completely enthrall and capture your attention from the beginning.

The story is well-written. It’s sliced into three parts that tell the whole story (thankfully, there’s not a part 2 that we’ll have to wait a year for). There are a lot of moving parts, but they flow seamlessly together. It has a good and steady pace that keeps you on the edge of your seat even after the games are over.

As mentioned, the two leads are stunning. Tom Blyth had the daunting task of taking on a character we know while also competing with Donald Sutherland’s portrayal of Coriolanus Snow. His mannerisms were careful and calculated, perfectly emulating Sutherland. But what sets him apart are his eyes. Blyth’s eyes can tell a story without saying a single word. They’re loving and terrifying at the same time. Using actions, Blyth was able to give a performance on par with Sutherland and set himself apart from him, making the character his own.

Rachel Zegler had a similar challenge. She’s playing a tough girl from District 12, much like Jennifer Lawrence in her role as Katniss. Although the characters are wildly different, you can’t help but compare the two. The difference is Lawrence had to play a fighter who was forced to learn to be likable, while Zegler is a sweetheart pretending to be tough. Her sweetness sets her apart and captures Snow’s heart and the audience’s. While Lucy Gray sugarcoats things, Zegler brings cleverness to the character. As an audience, we never fully trust Snow, and for a moment, we think Lucy Gray may be blinded by his charm. But it’s in small looks and quirks of an eyebrow that tell a different tale from Zegler, and that is what is truly masterful. On top of a charming performance, we’re also treated to multiple songs from Zegler. We knew she had pipes from “West Side Story,” but the way she tells the stories through folk music and a beautiful voice is a whole other level, leaving you in awe of her talent.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a well-written story that depicts the life of the antagonist of The Hunger Games. It may have a long run time, but plot points are told in a well-rounded manner that keeps the story moving and doesn’t leave any stone unturned. Because of this, fans of the book will leave the theater, for the most part, happy. A few characters could have been a little more fleshed out, and a little background that could have been provided, but for the most part, it was true to the book and was entertaining.

While The Capitol is still the wealthiest part of Panem, Director Francis Lawrence really got to play with the grittiness that came before the lavish city we now know. The colors and textures bring you into a new world and set this story apart from the original films. This is more of a political movie rather than a popcorn action flick. While this story may be one-sided, you do get more of an understanding of how the country is being run. The two stars are captivating to watch and have you fully enthralled in their journey together. Side characters like Lucky Flickerman, a cheesy host who’s also a part-time magician and weatherman played by Jason Schwartzman, and Viola Davis, as the over-the-top villainous game maker, bring you further into the world of Panem. As Dean Highbottom, Peter Dinklage also gives you a glimpse at how the consequences of the war affect those who lived through it. Josh Andrés Rivera, as Sejanus Plinth, had the tough job of standing out from Blyth’s shadow. He brought sincerity to the role but struggled to pull focus. They all bring the vital flare of the Capital and the severity of the games to the movie. Some nods and moments provide context to events later in the series that will also excite fans.

There is a quote from John Steinbeck I thought of during this film.

Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts… Perhaps the fear of a loss of Power

John Steinbeck

This perfectly sums up Snow’s origin story. He was always afraid of being at the bottom. Once he felt power, true power, he didn’t want to lose it. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes tells the tale of what corrupts man. And it tells it beautifully. It displays that we’re all the same if you strip titles and money away from everyone. Some see this and treat others with kindness and respect, while others can’t handle it, which drives them to madness. The film’s stars and surrounding characters perfectly portray these two perspectives. Each person is given a moment where you can see which side they are on; some even fall in the middle. You can’t compare this prequel to its predecessors because it’s a different story. The Hunger Games is about the powerless rising up and defeating those who keep them down. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes displays the lengths someone is willing to go to to gain power. The Original series may be about defeating the villain, but in this ending, Snow lands on top.