The Hunger Games franchise started so strong, and then sputtered to a terrible conclusion. While splitting the final book into two parts was the Hollywood trend at the time, Mocking Jay was not a story that warranted such a decision. It would be understandable for fans to be skeptical about a prequel story at this point, but The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is much closer to the quality of the first film than the later entries.
President Snow was a towering villain, but how did he become the cold and calculating political figure he proved to be? Well, Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is part of the inaugural group of Capital students assigned as mentors to the 10th annual Hunger Games. He is assigned Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the tribute from District 12, and the two set out to figure out a way for her to overcome the odds.
Zegler is outstanding in this role. Those who haven’t read the book, but perhaps saw West Side Story, may wonder why they cast such a strong singer for an action movie. It won’t take long watching the new film to immediately understand both the casting choice and the title of the film. While not all of the songs are bops, Zegler belts them all as if they were. Her vocal talents will always make her shine – and in this complicated love story, her acting chops are demonstrated again.
Blyth has an extraordinary challenge in making this character in particular the protagonist of the story. The premise is a difficult one to begin with, making a despicable villain the “hero” of a tale. But the story manages to make it all work, and Blyth’s performance only accentuates it all. He’s charming, and the chemistry with Zegler makes all of the circumstances of their scenario work.
There are two other standouts in the cast. One is Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gual. The character is written to be over the top and eccentric, and Davis is up to the task. She seems to be having a blast, and elevates every scene she’s in.
The other is Jason Schwartzman as Lucky Flickerman. He’s cracking jokes left and right, and fans of his style will likely devour his moments in the film. There was one part that I laughed at regarding his comment at a moment where laughter probably wasn’t appropriate…but he is an actor whose dry sarcasm usually really works for me.
The problem with this film, though, is that it may have benefited from two movies. While it’s two and a half hours long, audiences familiar with the book will notice that the second half of the film gets rushed. Without going into any plot points, the second and third portions of the book center far more around the districts than the first. The film clearly focuses on the spectacle of the games, and is forced to deliver so much of the final phase of the story through shorthand. It manages to feel too long, yet rushed simultaneously.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes still manages to be overall an entertaining movie. The performances are gripping, and the story is compelling in that it overcomes many issues. However, I uncharacteristically was familiar with the book before viewing a film, and that definitely could have impacted my enjoyment. I came into this invested in the characters, and I was able to fill in gaps in the storytelling.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is in theaters on November 17.
Rating: Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy
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