Directed by Francis Lawrence and based on the book by Suzanne Collins, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follows the story of eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) years before he becomes the tyrannical President of Panem. He is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol, and he seeks to change things. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the female tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy Gray’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.
I will admit I have a rather complicated relationship with the Hunger Games franchise as a whole. I understand why it’s a beloved series for many people and I do like a lot of things from the books, but in terms of the film adaptations I wasn’t as invested in them as much as I was with some other YA fantasy adaptations, like Harry Potter for example. So when an adaptation of the prequel book, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, was first announced I didn’t have that much interest in it, but my mother, who is a major fan of the book, insisted I give it a shot and see it with her. So I did. And I can honestly say that this film absolutely blew me away in ways I did not think possible, and I think this may just be my favorite adaptation of the entire Hunger Games franchise.
It is a triumphant return to the morally intricate and dark world of Panem that is phenomenally made on pretty much every level imaginable and felt leagues above the previous installments, especially in terms of narrative quality.
I didn’t think I was going to be so deeply invested in this story but from the moment it began it had me hooked instantly with its characters, story, and technical elements. This felt like a film that was made with absolute passion and not some cash-in installment in hopes of reigniting a franchise that had been semi-dormant for eight years. This is what I wished the other adaptations were like from the start as this really captures so many elements of the books that made them so investing to begin with.
Like the book, the story is basically the origin of Coriolanus Snow, exploring his character in great depth and showing what led to his rise to power in Panem. With such an important character they needed to find the best casting possible to play a young Snow and they definitely found it with Tom Blyth. Tom Blyth is phenomenal in this role, embracing the very essence of the character as we follow him every step of the way on his dark path. We get to see everything from his perspective in this film and understand not only what made him the person he would become but also the person he could have been had he not made certain choices.
While he clearly had ambitions to obtain power in the Capitol they weren’t entirely for himself and he does appear to have a moral compass that would end up reshaping the Hunger Games in great ways, leading to what we would see later on. He was not born evil but as the film progresses and certain events unfold, either by his own making or by others, he begins to evolve more into the villain we know him as, making horrific choices that destroy the humanity he has within him piece by piece.
It is such a fascinating and compelling journey to watch, largely due to Tom Blyth’s performance and the incredible adapted writing of his character from the book. It makes you see him differently compared to before but also explains so much about him, whether it be his great intelligence or his cruel nature.
The rest of the cast is phenomenal as well, delivering highly committed performances to their respective roles and all feeling like actual characters in this fantasy world rather than celebrities pretending to be characters, which is how I felt about the cast in the previous films. Rachel Zegler is an absolute showstopper as Lucy Gray Baird, once again showcasing her incredible talent as a rising young actress. She plays an integral role in Snow’s journey that tests him in great ways as he forms a connection with her as a mentor in the Hunger Games. At first, I was afraid she was going to be treated as a love interest to Snow and nothing more, but she was much more than that to him and she also really holds out well on her own with her journey that one could say mirrors Katniss in some ways. Zegler gives her all to this role, especially when she gets to show off her amazing vocal range with several songs that she sings beautifully, songs that actually play important parts in the film narratively not just for soundtrack purposes.
Josh Andrés Rivera as Sedans Plinth also gives a magnificent performance to a character that serves as the truly moral and sane individual that tethers Snow to his humanity through their friendship. But as Snow’s ambitions grow and Plinth’s rebellious goals become more clear their friendship begins to fracture and that serves as a significant milestone for Snow’s path into the person he would become.
In the political world of the Capitol Snow encounters many faces that tower over him and also greatly impact his life for both better and worse. The first among them is Dean Casca Highbottom, played by Peter Dinklage, who is considered the intellectual author of the Hunger Games and the first political enemy of Snow. Casca is shown to have a clear hatred towards Snow throughout the film and the reasoning for it becomes clearer as things progress, making for a fascinating rival for Snow to take on. While radically different from his appearance in the book, Peter Dinklage is absolutely marvelous as Casca, playing a villain you’d love to hate and surprisingly want to see Snow be victorious over as they clash heads.
But if we are going to talk about villains then look no further than Viola Davis as the gamemaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul. We have seen Viola Davis play a villain before as the intense and ferocious Amanda Waller in The Suicide Squad, but as Viola we get to see her take on a new villainous persona that is deeply disturbing in many ways and I absolutely loved it. She brings such an immense and unnerving presence every time she comes on screen, taking the usual mad scientist role to a whole different level, as well as acting as somewhat of a deranged mentor for Snow that molds him into what he becomes with her various philosophies. She also shows herself to be someone that doesn’t take shit from anyone and will bring the most horrific of punishments on those she deems as her enemy or enemies to the Capitol. Davis was the perfect choice for this character in every possible way.
Providing the only source of levity and humor in this film is Jason Schwartzman as the eccentric television host of the Hunger Games, Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman. Jason Schwartzman’s talent in comedy is fully and appropriately utilized in this film, taking on a similar role to Stanley Tucci’s Caesar Flickerman in the previous films. Here though I will say that I actually found Jason to be funnier in comparison, with humor that felt so perfectly timed and never once felt forced in the slightest.
The book the film is based on is a relatively large one with a lot of story to cover, so the film is smartly divided into three parts that are written and executed beautifully, making this a near-perfect adaptation of the book. I say near-perfect because there are some story threads and subplots from the book that aren’t present in the film, which is something that the previous films also did. But here I felt they kept all the most necessary and important threads relevant to the story and all of it is so well crafted in a darker and more adult narrative compared to the more teen-oriented installments from before.
Right from the start this film doesn’t hold back from showcasing haunting brutality as we are shown a very archaic and savage version of Panem, compared to the more modern version we are familiar with. Even the Hunger Games event itself is shown to be far more brutal and inhumane compared to what we have seen before, especially given how the tributes are basically treated like zoo animals rather than people. We get to see how that changes mainly because of the new rules Snow introduces in his path to power, and while we get to see those new rules put in place it doesn’t completely change the vicious and unforgiving nature of the games that we end up seeing on full display in perhaps the most gruesome and violent depiction of the Hunger Games since the first film.
I do also like how we get more exploration of the inner workings of the Capitol, showing how they view the Districts and their citizens, making for an interesting perspective after having seen things mainly from the District’s perspectives in the previous installments. Yes, the society of the Capitol is politically corrupt, but not everyone within it is evil or treated equally, as evident by Snow and several other characters. Much like the people of the Districts, some of them are trying to survive in the world of Panem in any way they can, even if it means making horrible choices.
The thematic layers this film has are absolutely brilliant and it honestly makes me wish we had this much narrative effort in all of the previous installments.
On a technical level, this film is masterfully well crafted from a directing and cinematography standpoint. The action is all shown in full brutal glory, and while they do occasionally cut away from some graphic sequences there are others that they keep on screen that had a major impact and hit hard even without seeing the full extent of it. This film visually captures all the sides of Panem from the good to the bad to the ugly, featuring incredible set pieces that for the most part were practically made and felt larger than life. There are a few sequences where CGI landscapes and buildings are used and are rather noticeable but for the most part they all looked really good and definitely felt a step above some of the effects in the previous films. There were a lot of spectacular shots and sequences that will remain engrained in my brain forever just because of how powerful they felt and how they visually contributed to the story. I also have to give huge props to the makeup and costume design for everyone in this film especially for Viola’s Dr. Gaul.
When it comes to music I already mentioned the beautiful songs performed by Rachel Zegler but this film also features a magnificent score by my favorite composer James Newton Howard. Much like his work in the previous installments his score in this film hugely elevates many elements in this film, from the intense tension to the brutally emotional moments that further absorbed me into everything that was happening. My favorite aspect of all the Hunger Games films has always been Howard’s music and this film was no different, but it was great to finally have the narrative of the story strongly match with music for once.
This film surprised me in ways that I did not expect and I felt extremely impacted by the story they adapted here more than any of the previous Hunger Games films, which says a lot especially as this is a prequel. Fans of the book and the franchise are obviously going to love this adaptation but if you are someone like me who wasn’t that attached to the series I still encourage you to give this film a go because you may love it as much as I did. I am going to give The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes an A+ = 99.
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