Directed by Francis Lawrence — Screenplay by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt.
Everything gets a prequel nowadays. There was a time when the word ‘prequel’ when brought up in daily conversation with film fans would usually be followed up by some criticism of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, which has since been reclaimed by the community that once turned its nose up at it. Now, however, prequels are to be expected. There is a whole trilogy of so-so-to-disappointing Harry Potter prequel films, the Hobbit trilogy (that often feels like it was explicitly designed to be a prequel to the Lord of the Rings films, instead of letting it be its own standalone thing), and, eventually, this trend would, of course, make its way to popular young adult fiction like Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. The original film adaptations (or at least the first two) are immensely popular as they launched Jennifer Lawrence into stardom while, at the same time, making an American popcorn version of Kinji Fukusaku’s Battle Royale. For what it’s worth, I quite liked both the original Hunger Games adaptation and the first sequel subtitled Catching Fire, but when they then split the trilogy-capper Mockingjay into two parts, I wasn’t as interested. What I will say, though, is that watching the Hunger Games prequel reminded me why I really liked the franchise in the first place.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is an adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ 2020 prequel novel of the same title, which, although it was released during the COVID lockdown era, swiftly had a major Hollywood production fast-tracked. The adaptation reunites director Francis Lawrence with the franchise that he took over in 2013 with Catching Fire and later the Mockingjay films. Francis Lawrence’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (a mouthful of a title) is set 64 years before the events of the first film, and it follows a young version of the antagonist once played by Donald Sutherland. The young and ambitious Coriolanus Snow (now played by Tom Blyth) is thrust into a mentorship during the 10th version of the Hunger Games (a far less advanced version), as he hopes to guide District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird (played by Rachel Zegler), a young female folk musician, to victory. During their time together, feelings between the two develop, and they inspire Snow to bend the games in their favor.
I think there is a lot to like about this prequel. First of all, the fact that this film looks and feels like Francis Lawrence has not at all forgotten what makes these films tick in the duration of time that the film franchise has been dormant means that what we have here is a product that visually is just as good as anyone could expect. While the film perhaps doesn’t feel necessary, it doesn’t feel like a cynical cash grab. Some moments within the actual games are transfixing and super exciting, the romance is complex in a way that is interesting to follow. Furthermore, it has a splendid cast with Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler providing solid performances to carry the film with alongside trusted veterans like Peter Dinklage and Viola Davis, who lend the film some gravitas. I thought Davis’ intentionally exaggerated and theatrical menacing character really elevated certain scenes, and I will also highlight that Jason Schwartzman is perfectly cast as the television host of the games.
However, at the heart of the film, there is a significant imbalance problem. As I mentioned earlier, this franchise once opted to split Mockingjay into two parts, and the same thing really should have been done here. This film is over 150 minutes long, and you definitely feel that runtime because once the games end, you’ve only made it two-thirds of the way into the story. A wise move would’ve been to end the film after the games (and allow more room to breathe in this first part, which may also help to make its pointed commentary on entertainment and social structures hit harder), and then expand on the extensive and very different epilogue in a second part with more room to carve out its characters’ complexities. But, as it is, this prequel is overwhelming. I also think that the decision to have the Lucy Gray character sing as often as she does is maybe a tad too much. That said, Francis Lawrence’s The Hunger Birds: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is an often engaging and exciting return to the world of Panem, even though it really ought to have been split into two distinct parts because here it often feels unevenly paced.
6.7 out of 10
– Review Written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 