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Photo: IMDb<br />
HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF<br />
SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES - REVIEW<br />
Alice Soleng<br />
Writer<br />
REVIEW<br />
Welcome back ladies and gentlemen to the Hunger Games, and may<br />
the odds be ever in your favour. Not only have the high-grossing<br />
film franchise returned, but it is back with new blood, and a<br />
storyline that will leave lovers of the Hunger Games universe with<br />
both glee and frustration. Suzanne Collins returns as a producer,<br />
together with director Francis Lawrence. Is this the best film in the<br />
franchise?<br />
The prequel of the beloved series is set 64 years before the Hunger<br />
Games, and we follow Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) as he is set to<br />
be a mentor in the 10th annual Hunger Games. The film starts in<br />
the dark years, the time where the districts<br />
rebelled, and the Capitol’s children were<br />
starving in the streets. The Snow family<br />
lost their fortune but refuse to give up their<br />
status in Panem. After bombing District<br />
13, the Capitol ends the war, creating the<br />
Hunger Games to punish the districts for<br />
their rebellion. However, only ten years<br />
into the future, nobody is watching the<br />
games, and the mentors are introduced<br />
to attract viewers. 24 promising academy<br />
students are chosen for the task, with a<br />
scholarship award on the line for the best<br />
mentor. Coriolanus Snow, desperate to win<br />
the award to secure his future, is given the<br />
worst of the pack. The girl from District 12,<br />
Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler). The odds<br />
are not in their favour, and Coriolanus<br />
must find a way for his songbird to survive.<br />
But at what cost?<br />
So, what did the film do right?<br />
A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes remains<br />
true to the book, with a few minor changes.<br />
The film paints the story of Snow’s rise<br />
from hungry schoolboy to dangerous<br />
unrepentant president. Fans of the books<br />
will smile to themselves when they catch references to the<br />
trilogy, and the screenwriters should receive a pat on the back for<br />
successfully adapting the book to screenplay. Another thing the<br />
film does right is the soundtrack. Lucy Gray’s songs were a huge<br />
part of the book, and James Newton Howard (The Dark Knight) was<br />
hired to bring the songs to life. Having so many songs could easily<br />
have made the film feel like a musical, but it never crosses that line.<br />
Rachel Zegler’s voice is powerful, yet comforting, and her delivery<br />
of Lucy Gray’s determination is compelling. Her performance of<br />
the song The old Therebefore is nothing short of breathtaking, and<br />
it leaves the viewer stunned.<br />
Additionally, I would also like to highlight some of the acting<br />
performances in the film. As mentioned, Rachel Zegler does an<br />
excellent job at portraying Lucy Gray’s charming wit, but the<br />
best acting performance goes to Josh Andrés Rivera, who played<br />
Sejanus Plinth. The desperation, plotting and empathy shown by<br />
the character, is as it was taken straight from the book. Altogether,<br />
the plot, the casting, the costumes, and the music makes for a great<br />
film, but I have a few nagging points.<br />
Firstly, the character of Coriolanus Snow<br />
(Tom Blyth). While Blyth is a great actor,<br />
as a book reader, it was easy to catch on to<br />
the fact that his portrayal of the character<br />
lacks complexity. Blyth is excellent at<br />
portraying the decisiveness and the allure<br />
of Coriolanus, but he fails at conveying the<br />
doubt and insecurity Snow feels throughout<br />
the plot. Certain scenes leave me longing for<br />
more depth, and it feels like his backstory<br />
was left behind.<br />
Secondly, the pacing of the film is off. As<br />
one could expect the highlight of the film<br />
is the actual Hunger Games, which takes<br />
place during the second part of the film,<br />
The Prize. My attention was kept during<br />
the first two parts of the film, but during<br />
the third, The Peacekeeper, some scenes<br />
felt unnecessary dragged out. Of course,<br />
the ending picks up the pace again, and I<br />
can’t say the third part lacks interesting<br />
events. Yet, I feel the film could have been<br />
shortened a bit, to match the other films in<br />
the franchise.<br />
So, is it the best film in the franchise? No, I would not say so.<br />
It’s a great addition to an already amazing series, and I would<br />
recommend going to the cinema and watch it. It shows us a tale<br />
of hope, desperation, and love. Most of all, it teaches us one thing<br />
about Coriolanus Snow and society.<br />
“We all do things we’re not proud of to live”.<br />
<strong>DESEMBER</strong> 2023 <strong>UNIKUM</strong> NR 10 35