20s Movie Review - The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Director: Francis Lawrence
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Drama
Runtime: 157 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Viola Davis, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman, Peter Dinklage

Description: Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) mentors and develops feelings for the female District 12 tribute (Rachel Zegler) during th 10^th Hunger Games.

Review: “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is the fifth movie in the Hunger Games franchise, based on the 4-part book series written by Suzanne Collins. The story is set many years before “The Hunger Games”, before we meet Katniss Everdeen.

In this film we see a world recently torn apart by war. there were many deaths, but above all there was hunger. A lot of hunger. Therefore, the instigators of the war, the districts that must listen to the autocrat in the Capitol, must pay. Every year 24 children, two from each districts, are drawn by a lot and thrown into an arena. They have to fight each other to the death, only one can come out alive and will be the winner. And the whole event can be followed on TV.

The “The Hunger Games” books, was one of the first series I absolutely loved. And I believe they did a fantastic job with the movies. This prequel came 10 years after the last book, “Mockinjay”, was released. In 2020, so not that long ago. We jump to the 10^th Hunger Games, which seem to be waning in popularity. Dr. Volumnia Gaul wants the games to continue at all costs. It is up to the students of the prestigious Academy to turn the children of the districts into a spectacle. They are all assigned one, and must coach them.

One of those students is Coriolanus Snow, the 18-year-old son of a deceased war commander. To the outside world, his family still has a lot of prestige, power and money, but in reality he is emaciated, broke and living on soup and cabbage. If he wants to continue his studies after the Academy, his tribute must win. Lucy Gray Baird is the poor girl from District 12 that he has to mentor.

Coriolanus Snow is of course the same person as President Snow, as we met him in “The Hunger Games”, the relentless, merciless leader of Panem. “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” shows you his backstory, of how he went from a hungry schoolboy to a ruthless tyrant. He falls in love with his tribute, Lucy, which should show us that he ones had feelings and heart. But somehow, I can never get behind it, I never feel respect, compassion or sympathy for young Coriolanus. Because I know who he will become. And although you are rooting for Lucy, her character didn’t do anything for me. I also didn’t like all the singing, it felt out of place. Rachel Zegler is a great singer, but you don’t have to use this quality every moment you get.

Viola Davis plays Volumnia Gaul, a pretty disturbing character. Loved her. And Peter Dinklage play Casca Highbottom, the brilliant mind behind the Hunger Games. It’s just a small role, but he steals every scene just like in “Game of Thrones”. He really fits into this world. Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman is portrayed by Jason Schwartzman, the presenter of the Hunger Games. And he has a link to Cesar Flickerman, Stanley Tucci’s character in the original “The Hunger Games” films.

“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is a long sit, with over two and a half hours of runtime. But when you want to give a character depth and also show a lot of world-building, it’s necessary. And I didn’t mind, it didn’t feel like more then 150 minutes. And the actual Hunger Games is also a big part of the movie, which was really well-done. And it felt like a “Hunger Games”-movie, it fits in with the other four films. But the movie doesn’t stop right after the Hunger Games. For we see, and this is very well portrayed, how Coriolanus Snow changes from that schoolboy into a power-hungry, ruthless man, who will pulverize anything and anyone in his path towards his goal.

Overall, “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is a good film, I enjoyed it, but didn’t care for the characters as much as I did with the other films.

Rating: 3,5/ 5