Years before he becomes the tyrannical president of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow remains the last hope for his fading lineage. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow becomes alarmed when he's assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird from District 12. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and political savvy, they race against time to ultimately reveal who's a songbird and who's a snake.
Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Viola Davis
Release Date: November 17, 2023
Genre: Action,Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi,Thriller, War
Rated PG-13 for strong violent content and disturbing material.
Runtime: 2h 37m
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is a pleasant surprise on multiple levels from the quality of the direction and impressive performances from its cast. This prequel avoids multiple pitfall that franchise expansion packs usually fall into by taking time and care with the story and characters presented. Francis Lawrence delivers a wonderfully shot film which is aided by familiarity with the franchise and setting as he leans more into the art deco design. He delivers some big sweeping moments even if some shoddy CGI kills the effect of a few action set pieces but the film works best when it focuses on its character. Luckily, the film is blessed with an inspired cast that makes the film far more engaging than it should be. English actor Tom Blyth takes on the role of a nascent Coriolanus Snow years before he becomes a dictator. Blyth turns in a nuanced performance which is engaging enough to draw you in before he reveals bits of simmer rage and anger as the film moves on. His committed performance makes it easier to overlook some of the more bombastic and melodramatic bits of dialogue that the script throws at him. The chemistry he shares with Rachel Zegler is the engine that keeps the whole thing moving even during some of the lulls in the pacing during the film's runtime. Zegler is just as committed throughout as the film takes full advantage of the multi talented artist which includes her singing talents, who knew there were so many hootenannies going in Panem, on top of her acting skills. They are blessed with wonderful supporting cast made up of established stars whose characters give the film a sense of respectability. Peter Dinklage is appropriately mournful as the accidental co creator of the Hunger Games while Jason Schwartzman is a perfectly preening predecessor to Stanley Tucci's character but Viola Davis leaves the biggest impression with a deliciously twisted turn which has her manically chewing up scenery to great effect. The film though isn't without some issues with pacing being the most glaring. There are noticeable lulls that pop up throughout the film's runtime making it feel far longer than it's 2 hour and 37 minutes length. While there are plenty of moments in the first two acts that could use some trimming, the final act is strangely overstuffed and rushed so much so that you get the sense this story could have been broken up into two films. Those issues aside, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, manages to be one of the more carefully crafted and enjoyable prequels in recent memory.
B
