The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Spoiler-Free) review: A Thrilling Companion Piece

Based on the Suzanne Collins prequel book to The Hunger Games, this story takes us decades before the events of the series to a young Coriolanus Snow, showcasing his rise to power, deepening the totalitarian and classist themes explored in the original series, and giving us another opportunity to explore the depravity and opulence of the games.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Directed by Francis Lawrence, Starring Tom Blythe, Rachel Zegler, Viola Davis, and Peter Dinklage

Runtime: 2 hours, 37 mins

Synopsis

In the aftermath of war between the Districts and the Capitol, Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blythe) is fighting to save his family legacy as they face near poverty and social relegation. However, just as he expects to win an academic prize and scholarship that would bolster his fortunes, the 10th annual Hunger Games forces him into a new role as mentor, helping the talented and electric tribute Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) stay alive in the games, while navigating the conflict between his desires and morality of the games.

Blythe, Zegler, and Davis Shine

Tom Blythe is a revelation in his role as the future President Snow. He doesn’t attempt to affect any of Donald Sutherland’s mannerisms and the film is certainly better for it. However it’s easy to see how this character could become the ruthless, even-tempered leader of the Capitol that Sutherland so effortlessly portrayed. Blythe is able to showcase the same textbook intelligence and cunning that made us admire Sutherland’s performance so much. His performance gets dragged down a bit by the final act, but that’s largely a narrative problem affecting everyone.

I’m so excited that Rachel Zegler had an opportunity to shine here compared to earlier this year with Shazam: Fury of the Gods. With Shazam‘s large, under-utilized ensemble, she gets buried despite sharing time with one of the leads. Here instead, she’s front and center as Lucy; her back and forth’s with the Capitol establishment and Snow is perfect. It emulates much of what we’ll come to expect from Katniss and Snow later on. As her character is also a musical performer in District 12, her singing range is showcased appropriately and her country twang feels adequate (seems like she was going for a rural Tennessee / Virginia style) though occasionally a bit over done. Both elements make Zegler feel right at home in District 12 in a way that Lawrence wasn’t given time to.

What can I say about Viola Davis that hasn’t already been said other than continually amazing. She really lets loose on this role and just hams it up, which is perfect as the Capitol’s head gamemaker Dr. Gaul. There’s plenty of actors who can get hammy and lose perspective, like a Nicolas Cage, so their exaggerated parts take you out of the experience. However, there’s also actors who use their cache of skills to full effect – that even when exaggerated, their performance lands better (surprisingly Nicolas Cage also works for this analogy). Davis showcases that in abundance and it reminds me fondly of Melissa McCarthy’s role as Ursula in The Little Mermaid live action earlier this year; both portrayals found a striking balance between the cornier elements of their universe and bringing some weight to the powerful traits in each character.

Also a small shoutout to Jason Schwartzman’s portrayal of Lucretis “Lucky” Flickerman, who many audience members may consider to be Caesar Flickerman’s father (Caesar was portrayed by Stanley Tucci in the original series). It’s never confirmed in either the books or film if this is the case or another relative in the family, but it’s a safe assumption they are related in some way. You can definitely see where there’s some inspiration from Tucci’s performance, Schwartzman’s own flair, and elements that might have inspired the later Flickerman to become the host he would eventually flourish as.

Sadly, I can’t say the same for Peter Dinklage as Dean Highbottom; as the narrative shifts, Flickerman and Gaul are seen much more and his role isn’t as necessary to the story. But there are some major moments from the book, like a key interview between Flickerman and Highbottom, that might have given Dinklage more to do. So while his moments are solid, they are unfortunately too far and few between to have a major impact or showcase his arc appropriately.

Less YA Nonsense, More Totalitarian

To be clear, there’s certainly some young adult story contrivances that occur in this film. Like the near constant sneaking out and never being caught (though to be fair, when do adult characters ever get caught in more serious fare unless it’s the third act). Thankfully, we don’t have to endure a weird love triangle element in this film that threatens to bog down certain scenes (looking at you Gale). While there’s a backstory between Lucy and Billy Taupe (played by Dakota Shapiro), it’s thankfully a short diversion from the main story.

When the story shifts to the presentation and conversation surrounding the games however, the movie hits it’s stride. If you haven’t read the book, I won’t spoil specific deaths that occur in the film, however they are used to great effect in ways the original series didn’t accomplish.

To be clear, that doesn’t mean the previous series wasn’t successful in it’s aims. Simply put, Ballad does a better job early on tying the classist issues (money protecting the rich and famous in the Capitol) and how the poorer folks in the Districts are effectively being punished by their social status. The original film series discusses this and the analogy becomes pretty clear in Catching Fire as you get better glimpses of different Districts as Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) travel for the Victor’s Tour.

This prequel succeeds in class comparison early on, as Snow’s various classmates can be seen championing different causes (either debating with Snow or in general as they attempt to aid their tributes) and have access to different levels of social capital. Since the games at this point don’t have the pomp and circumstance that future editions would have, it’s easier to witness these elements of class working against one another. There’s no glamorous show to cover up how toxic the situation is; the characters are much more raw or free to express their dissent on the games (especially since the Capitol hadn’t become the hammer of President Snow quite yet).

For example, Snow and his classmates are able to freely debate the point of the games, a conversation topic that seems impossible in the original series. This setups an important exchange between head gamemaker Dr Gaul and Snow as she asks him “What are the Hunger Games for?” He gives a stock answer at first but as the movie progresses, this device will be important to showcase his state of mind near the final act. If you’re a fan of the film series, this moment also showcases the problems in their society and while even the best intended leaders, like President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) in the original series, can still engage in systemic oppressive behavior.

A Messy Final Act

Where the movie falters most notably is towards its final act, as our characters shift scenery into the districts. While it’s interesting to get more context with different elements at play, like the Peacekeepers (the military arm of the Capitol) and the Romanian-inspired Coveys, neither element feels particularly baked enough to spend time there. To be clear, it makes complete thematic sense with Snow’s journey and makes his final scenes that much more impactful, but the execution leaves much to be desired. Viewers are left to fill in the gaps with our previous series knowledge about various characters, which does a disservice to the casual fans in attendance.

Conclusion / Recommendation

Fans of the Hunger Games series, casual and diehard, will find plenty to enjoy in this latest team up from series director Francis Lawrence as he explores the complicated nature of President Snow. Bolstered by superb performances all around and only a small lull towards the end, this prequel justifies its inclusion into the overall series.

Definitely recommend for fans of the series and while casual audience members may miss a few elements if they haven’t been invested in the series lately, the narrative explains enough for you to catch up and understand. Certainly worth catching in theaters if you’re able to; I know there’s a few 3D versions of this, I only saw the 2D version and can’t speak to those elements (though there’s a few obvious “filmed this scene for 3D” moments I could track).

Score: 8 out of 10

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