THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES Review
"The fact it can get you invested in so many obnoxious teens with silly haircuts and sillier names may be an achievement in itself."
I haven’t read a ton of modern young adult novels, though I did read Suzanne Collins’ original The Hunger Games books, which I loved, and I generally was mixed to positive on the four movies made out of them, at least from what I recall. The last one of those movies was eight years ago, and a lot has happened since then. It’s easy to be cynical about this prequel, because on the surface, it seems like another studio money grab, though at least this is based on something Collins actually wrote (which I haven’t read).
The general premise is that we’re going back decades in time to earlier in the Hunger Games, when Tom Blynth’s teenage Coriolanus Snow is living in poverty with his Grandmam (Fiona Flanagan) and cousin Tigris (Hunter Schafer from Euphoria), but he’s also going to the Academy in the Capitol and desperate to win the Plynth Prize, so that he can go onto university. During these early days of the Hunger Games, Academy students are assigned to mentor tributes from the 12 districts with the prize going to the tribute who fares the best (not necessarily the only survivor i.e. the winner). Corialanus is assigned to Rachel Zegler’s Lucy Gray Baird from District 12, and he’s immediately charmed by her beautiful singing voice and warm personality, giving him another reason to try to keep her alive through the violent games.
The general premise for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is to explore the early days of President Corialanus Snow, played by Donald Sutherland in the previous movies, but it does so in a way that it builds him up to be this super-sweet and good person, but then pulls the rug out from under the viewer just as they’ve grown to like him. It’s hard not to think of the Fantastic Beasts movies, which were written by JK Rowling for a similar reason, to explore the world she built up in her Harry Potter books (and movies). Even those movies eventually faltered, and the big “pull the rug out from under the viewer” twist makes Songbirds and Snakes something more akin to Todd Phillips’ Joker, though not even remotely as good.
It starts out more from the Capitol’s point of view as they prepare for what are fairly no-frills games with the tributes battling to the death in a giant concrete arena, that’s conveniently bombed and nearly destroyed by the rebels the day before the games begin. Most of the tributes are generic kids that you either root for or don’t. It doesn’t really matter since it’s all about Corialanus and Lucy Gray, although at least it doesn’t try to shoehorn a love triangle with Corya’s best friend Sejanus Plinth, played by Josh Andrés Rivera, who may give the strongest performance across the board.
Lucy Gray is no Katniss Everdeen, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes isn’t even her story in the same way the original movies were based around Jennifer Lawrence’s character, and Rachel Zegler’s attempts at channeling Dolly Parton, either through her singing or awkward Southern accent, both which wear thin almost instantly.
Who knows what Viola Davis was thinking with her outlandish performance as Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the Gamemaker who masterminded the early Hunger Games. She seems to be channelling Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove. Frankly, I’m shocked that Peter Dinklage was able to keep from snickering whenever his character’s name, “Dean Casca Highbottom,” is said, but this role seems such a waste of his talents, similar to his role in the X-Men franchise. Probably the most enjoyable aspect of the first couple hours is Jason Schwarzman as Lucky Flickerman, a relative of Stanley Tucci’s Caesar Flickerman, who brings some much-needed levity to otherwise dour proceedings.
On the other hand, Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is graced with some impressive production design, something so important to the world-building, and James Newton Howard’s score is also quite fantastic. The costumes and hair/make-up are also fun, if not quite deliberately outlandish. In other words, Francis Lawrence has a great team working with him to make a good movie, and some of the biggest problems with the movie might come from the source material.
In general, the screenplay by Michael Lesslie and a bonafide Oscar winner in Michael Arndt is a bit wonky, so the movie is constantly relying on the action and the violence to keep the viewer even slightly invested. I won’t get into how the Hunger Games end or what happens with Snow and Lucy Gray in the third act, but the film takes a sudden and very dark turn in the last thirty minutes that reminds us that President Snow is not necessarily a very good person in the “present day.”
Even if the characters do eventually grow on you, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is way too long and convoluted with ideas, at least up until the film’s last turn where it just loses you completely. Then again, the fact it can get you invested in so many obnoxious teens with silly haircuts and sillier names may be an achievement in itself.
Rating: 6/10
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakeswill open nationwide on November 17with previews on Thursday night.