The Hunger Games series continues to be one of the most prominent representatives of the young adult genre, that is, somewhat primitive but catchy and interesting stories about “almost adult teenagers.” In the early noughties, this peculiar adaptation of Battle Royale made a splash and spawned huge armies of fans. In 2023, the fire of fan love subsided somewhat, but the authors did not forget about the franchise. That’s why the prequel movie The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, based on the book of the same name. In our review, we tell you how the movie turned out.
The events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes take place a few decades before the beginning of the original Hunger Games. The echoes of the war are still alive in the hearts of many, and some rebel groups pose a serious threat to the Capitol. Young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blythe) is desperate to survive among the gloss and hypocrisy of the Capitol, striving to restore greatness to his family. To do so, he becomes a mentor at the tenth anniversary Hunger Games. He sees potential in one of his mentees, a girl named Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler). And he intends to use her to realize all his ambitions. However, the path to victory is accompanied by many ambiguous decisions that gradually reveal Snow’s true personality.
Films that ask “how?” rather than “what?” are always more difficult to make. After all, they work in halftones and with complex human emotions. In addition, here we have a prequel that should neatly merge in symbiosis with the original films, and ideally reveal them from a new angle. Yes, it’s a book adaptation, which makes it a little easier to work with the script in terms of thoughtfulness. But otherwise, the work is still tangible.
And the prequel coped with its main task. Yes, you should always remember that this is still young adult, so don’t expect much moral ambivalence. There are plenty of empty but pretentious phrases, and the emotional spectrum of the characters is not very wide. Many of them are reduced to a single archetype. Therefore, in terms of halftones, you should lower your expectations.
But it’s all the more surprising how well the movie handles its characters, accents, and moods to build a clear story of the villain’s rise. Coriolanus’ goals and motives will be clear to everyone, and his encounters with the Hunger Games and the real world gradually shape his final character. In the end, you won’t start justifying him, which is also important for stories about villains. After all, many similar stories try to evoke sympathy for someone you hated until recently. There is no such thing in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but Coriolanus will still become a more ambiguous figure in your mind.
They are mostly colder and more aloof, because the stakes are not so high for them. This, by the way, is another missed opportunity for the film, as the backstage intrigues revolve only around Coriolanus, and the other mentors are mostly in the background. But this doesn’t really interfere with the main ideas of the movie.
Especially when the third act of the story comes, which stands out sharply in its tone against the background of all the other scenes. It seems more adult and serious, because it is the culmination of Coriolanus’ formation. Even if it is somewhat confusing and fussy, this does not diminish its significance and its sad poetic beauty.
Perhaps the third act will prove to some that The Hunger Games has matured along with its readers and viewers. It is still a beautiful movie from a technical point of view, but in terms of its content, it definitely takes a step forward. It still retains a bright naivety and faith in the future, but dilutes it with the unpleasant truth that the future is always about losses, overcoming them, and ambiguous decisions.
“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is able to influence even people who did not like any of the Hunger Games installments. This proves that the franchise came back to us for a reason. And it definitely exists for a reason.
Verdict
“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is a good movie about a far from perfect person. Some people will be impressed by its ideas, others by the very attempt to interact with these ideas with the chosen target audience. Fans will obviously watch it without any extra advice. But even if you’ve never heard of The Hunger Games, the prequel will be a great entry point into the series for you – and a worthy movie.
