Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Image credit: wynposters.com

So, for a little bit of context: I never actually finished watching The Hunger Games series. I read the books and then gave up after the third movie. Not sure why, I guess I just grew out of it. As far as dystopian sagas go, there are more interesting works out there. But I recently got free tickets to the new Hunger Games film, Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and I thought why not? So, I got a group of friends together and we had ourselves a little movie night. All in all, it was very enjoyable, and I even rather liked the film.

Young Coriolanus Snow thinks himself a sure win for the Plinth Prize, academically outranking the rest of his class despite his poor home circumstances. But his hopes for the prize money and a better life are thrown into turmoil when his class his given a new last-minute assignment: mentor a tribute in the Hunger Games and come up with a way to get the public watching again. Coriolanus is paired with an outcast songbird from District 12 and as they work together, he starts to develop feelings for her. But the Capital is just as harsh a world as the outer districts and Coriolanus quickly learns that there might not be a way for him to have the life he wants and the love he wants.

The film is a disturbingly fascinating rise to power story of Coriolanus Snow, later President Snow; rising from humble beginnings with a moral and hopeful attitude that gets warped by ambition into power-hungry madness. Sort of a villain’s origin story, as most villains begin life trying to do what’s best for those they love and getting scorched in the process. The story is filled with betrayals, manipulation, and chapters of horrendous physical and ethical conflict and violence.

The Hunger Games have yet to become the great spectacle of Katniss’ time, here there is merely an empty arena dotted about with rusty pitchforks and axes and the ‘thrill’ of the game is seeing people commit savage brutality to stay alive. But the Hunger Games themselves only make up half the film. The remainder fills in the blanks of how Coriolanus became the heartless and evil person we know from the series. And there are heaps of terrible trials and betrayals that really leave you silent and staring.

Image credit: thathashtagshow.com

The performances are all brilliant, with Tom Blyth very alarmingly beginning the film a little wooden as the upstanding Capital citizen and falling into mad and savage frenzy during the third act. His performance in the second half really comes alive as his circumstance begin to reveal his true character. Rachel Zegler is instantly admirable and loveable as Lucy Gray Baird, from the first moment you see her, you’re instantly on her side. But I was all about Viola Davis as the delightfully twisted Dr. Gaul; she’s the type of villain you just want more of.

Hunger Games: Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes is a disturbing character journey, but a pretty enjoyable film filled with action, violence, hope, a whole lot of drama. It might even have got me considering revisiting the series again and finishing it this time…

Director: Francis Lawrence, 2023

Cast: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, Fionnula Flanagan, Viola Davis, Ashley Liao, Josh Andres Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, & Peter Dinklage