The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Spoiler-free Review

The Hunger Games was an important part of my childhood. I read the books with my then best friends, and waited for premiere day of the film adaptations. I even have my own mockingjay pin! Something that really stuck with me in those films is how it puts on display some of the most harrowing parts of humanity: how easily power can consume and blind people. Humans will survive, and if they can, aim to thrive, and that is exactly how Coriolanus Snow came to be President. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) explores Snow's original story with a rule-breaking, attention-grabbing brunette from District 12, and suddenly so much is cleared up about Panem, and the film does so without trying too hard to be like the original series. This is a can't miss exploration of desire and values. 

They say don't hate the player, hate the game, but what about those who make the games? When The Hunger Games (2012) first came out, it showed us just how horrifying people can be treated to keep "order," but how exactly did these games come to be? The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes aims to answer that question through the lens of none other than Coriolanus Snow (Played by Tom Blythe). Suzanne Collins takes a risk, giving us the prequel perspective no one asked for; then adapting it to film no less! The film's direction was entrusted to Francis Lawrence, who directed all of The Hunger Games's sequels, which was a brilliant choice to ensure that the film universe is consistent in tone and portrayal. Lawrence showcases just how much of a fan of the franchise he is through how he is able to depict what is going on in a character's mind without the convenience of narration. This is the hardest part of book-to-screen adaptations, along with making sure the audience is just as mystified by the story as a reader is while reading the books. Lawrence has shown a mastery in this here, showing us only as much as Coriolanus knows. What I found the most effective in the directing was aligning our emotions with that of Coriolanus', fully immersing into his perspective like we would in a first-person-perspective book, and exemplifying the mystery and allure of his mentee, Lucy Gray Baird (Played by Rachel Zegler).  

I enjoy how much there is to pay attention to in this film. Everything is intentional, like chess moves being calculated by a player. I appreciate that everyone's actions are disguising their true ambitions, reminding me of the political themes throughout. This is made effective by the incredible cast. I must give props to our two leads, Tom Blythe and Rachel Zegler. Blythe is a relatively unknown actor, and honestly that's the way it should be for adaptations. He was able to fully immerse into the character, and it was impressive to see someone who was able to keep the scary, calculated intrigue of the character while also allowing room for us to even root for him a little. How icky! And, successful. This worked well alongside the bright-eyed Zegler, who played a mysterious free spirit who was born to perform. She did a good job of holding her cards close to her chest, and making her own choices, while still showing her heart on her sleeve. Zegler was able to show the subtleties of this type of character with incredible tact, and I am excited to see her in more projects. I also want to note the acting of Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gaul, gamemaker. Davis's acting prowess is no stranger to audiences, and it was expected to see a great performance out of her. While she is highly famous, she is able to seemlessly become any character she is assigned, and this makes her an expected, but effective standout. On the other hand, there is Hunter Schafer's Tigris. Everytime Schafer was on screen, I couldn't help but just see her and not the character. This might be due to the limited screen time of the character, but I was hoping for something a little more here. Regardless, the acting was overall superb, and worked to make the film the success it was.

But without an incredible script, the actors could only do so much. Michael Arndt and Michael Lesslie come together to write the screenplay based off of Suzanne Collins' novel of the same name. They do well to "show not tell," and it is an appreciated divergence from the handholding of recent blockbusters. I think this was a smart choice, as it continued to incorporate the themes of discretion into the story through more than just characters' lies. There is no villain, or big bad; no world ending threat. Just people and their desires in a messed up world. I found myself thinking back to how the characters acted and reacted to things, and I just loved how much was up to interpretation. Naive people might not understand some characters, while skeptical people might not understand others. This film sticks with you, begging you to ask what can you question in your own life. Not only is this story entertainment, it is a warning. People have agendas, and only rarely might you find someone genuine. A snake versus a songbird. 

Speaking of songbirds, the music of the film was astounding. Lucy Gray's songs were beautiful and sincere, and what made it so was that Zegler performed each song live, allowing for so much emotion to be incorporated. I was worried her accent may annoy me after a while, or that the bluegrass style may make me cringe, however that did not happen. I was more enthralled by the stories being told by the songs, and that is exactly what it was meant to be. We also hear the return of common tunes, as James Newton Howard (the original composer for The Hunger Games series) also returns to produce the soundtrack. Again, this brings us back into the world of Panem, and was a smart choice for consistency.

Something I wanted to note was the styling of this film. We see a much more primitive Panem, and The Capitol is only just forming its culture. However, they kept the charm of the retrofuturistic Panem we know, while showing us just how The Capitol came to be the way it was. I think this worked so well with the theme of discovering self; as Coriolanus came to understand himself, The Capitol started to form itself too. 

I can tell so much love was poured into The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, and it was fruitful. This was one of the first films in a while that I found myself really taking away a lesson, and I think that is the meat of the movie-going experience. You want it to stick with you! You want to go back home, and Google what others may  have thought, and what theories people have. That's how you create a sensation, and man did they do it here!