So fascinating were the films that the plots had cinema fans wanting to know more. Questions like how did a spectacle as macabre as the ‘Hunger Games’ themselves ever become something people would tune in to and how did the people of Panem generate such anger against the residents of the Capital?
Then there were the questions about the character of Coriolanus Snow, played by Donald Sutherland in the original films, and how he became a character so filled with hate that he was often likened to The Emperor in Star Wars.
Now some eight years since the last Hunger Games film some of those major questions have been answered as director Francis Lawrence again takes audiences back to Panem with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Set 60 years before Katniss Evergreen enters the games, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes introduces the audience to a younger version of Snow (Tom Blyth – Billy The Kid) – one who has been made an orphan during the war and now lives in poverty with his Grandma’am (Fionnula Flanigan – The Guard) and his cousin, Tigiris (Hunter Schafer – Belle).
Snow dreams of one day rising to prominence like his father, not for power but so he can help build the Capitol to its former glory and make sure that its people are no longer starving. In order for that to happen he is studying on the tutelage of Dean Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones), who is one of the men that began the now-annual Hunger Games.
Despite the games dropping in popularity, Snow becomes involved with the games as a mentor in order to try and win some money and make a name for himself. He is put in charge of a tribute named Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler – West Side Story), who makes a stir when she breaks into song when she is selected to represent District 12 in the Games.
While Snow believes that he can train Lucy to win and reach his goal, he is soon introduced into the cruel game of twists and turns that the Game Master, Dr Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis – The Help), has dreamed up for this year’s contestants.
There is no guarantee that because you loved the original films in the franchise that you will like The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes because to be honest there are both strengths and weaknesses in the differences that set this film apart from the previous installments.
On the positive side is the fact that just like the difference between Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter, this film feels a little more adult-orientated than the original films. Watching the character arc of how Snow goes from being a caring young man to where he ended up in the original films has a dark element to it that works amazingly well on screen.
That darkness is also reflected in the screenplay by Michael Lesslie (Assassin’s Creed) and Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3), who have developed a world that feels like Nazi Germany and introduces us to characters such as the emotionally destroyed alcoholic that is Highbottom and the cruel and vindictive Volumnia.
The kills within the actual games also seem to be harsher, but the games themselves also feel a little tripped up by the fact that Lucy is not the kind of character that audiences can easily warm to in the same way they warmed to Katniss. Most true Hunger Games fans will probably find it hard to admit, but they will feel more empathy towards Snow in this film than they will to Lucy. It feels like liking Darth Vader over Luke Skywalker, but that is the way the characters are portrayed in the screenplay.
Part of the audience liking the character of Snow also comes from the acting performance of Tom Blyth, who is sensational throughout the film. The only lowlight of that is the fact that the film feels rushed at times so we don’t get to see his character grow over two or three films.
Blyth is well supported by the likes of Viola Davis and Jason Schwartzman (The Darjeeling Limited), who plays flamboyant host Lucky Flickerman. The two together steal every scene they are in. Davis seems to relish playing an evil character and goes above and beyond to make the character memorable. Rachel Zegler and Joshua Kantara (Girl You Know It’s True) are also credible in their roles, and while they play important parts in the story it is often felt that their characters haven’t been developed the way they should have been.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a great film that answers many of the questions that the original franchise left fans with, but there is a distinct feeling throughout that the story would have worked better if it had been spread out over two or three films. Still, it is certainly worth a look and will open up the franchise to a whole new audience.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes is currently screening in Phuket and is rated ‘18’
3/5 Stars
David Griffiths has been working as a film and music reviewer for over 20 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. He is also an accredited reviewer for Rotten Tomatoes. You can follow him at www.facebook.com/subcultureentertainmentaus