Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
Thanks to Australian Timezones, I got to watch The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes really early. As someone who watched the original films and have read to books (exept the Prequel due to reasons, but I have read the first few chapters of it), I have some thoughts.
Note: spoilers ahead. But here is a TLDR version via Letterboxd
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes really pays homage to the original films and their source material. While it was set many years in the past, we got to witness a different side of Panem’s capital city – The Capitol, from a glimpse of what it was like during The Dark Days to its progress of it being restored.
Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler did an amazing job playing Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray Baird. This District 12 Tribute has more personality compared to Katniss and is more manipulative in my opinion. She surely did swoon the hearts of the capitol, especially Snow. As expected, her fate remains a mystery and everything about her feels like the basic foundation of what Katniss ends up being.
Snow, meanwhile, is a young and innocent boy, but we get to watch him change during his time in The Hunger Games and his time at District 12 as a Peacekeeper. Also, we are introduced to his remaining family – Tigris and his Grandma’am and how these two family members view the Capitol and Panem based on their interactions with Snow.
I would also like to give praise to Viola Davis and Peter Dinklage, who played Dr Gaul and Casca Highbottom, respectively. Seeing these renowned actors play these compelling characters in this YA Dystopian is amazing and based on what I’ve read so far and heard about these characters, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
What’s cool about this film are the easter eggs. Unlike other films, where references to its predecessor are just there to pull off that one Spongebob or Leonardo DiCaprio meme of them pointing to the screen, the references somewhat play a role in Snow’s development as a character, why he holds so much resentment on certain things, etc, etc. You wouldn’t believe my shock when the word “Katniss” was uttered, but it was referencing the plant, not the person. Although, it also meant that, for what, 50+ years, President Snow held a grudge against a tribute he helped mentor and win The Hunger Games.
However, there were some issues I had about this latest Lionsgate picture that, it’s not really a huge issue but I do question these choices.
For starters, the film was divided into three parts. It’s one whole movie, but contains three chapters, something that I wasn’t expecting. NGL, it felt like I was watching Part 2 of Part 2 of The Final Season of Attack on Titan. While I have heard rumours that this film was originally planned to be split into multiple parts, I’m glad that wasn’t the case. While some thought the film felt rushed, I didn’t think that was the case. Although, I did wish we got to see adult President Snow as a cameo. All we got was that one line that was uttered during Mockingjay: Part 1 on a blank screen.
Also, there was so much singing in this film to the point where I was like “Is this a musical?” I get it’s because Lucy Gray Baird is part of the Covey (a nomadic singing group), but throughout the film, there are at least 2 songs in each “Part” or “Chapter.”
If there is one thing that I like about Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes, it’s that it opened doors to showcase the world of Panem through a different lens. In the original films, we saw it as a country under dictatorship and how everyone was fighting for democracy and ending the games. In the prequel, we see it as a nation rebuilding itself and figuring out how to punish the districts. This just means that later stories about different Hunger Games eras (if there will be one) could showcase more of the world of Panem. And while I kinda understand why Coriolanus Snow’s backstory isn’t something that many fans ask for, it is a launch pad for different possibilities.
I want a sequel where we get to see Snow’s development under Gaul and how Mags won her games, which led to the success that we see in the main film. I want Lionsgate to take inspiration from the existing fan videos and give a full adaptation of Haymitch’s games as a way to give more context to the Quarter Quell. I want to see a film about Finnick or Johanna’s victories and how it focuses on how the Capitol treats its victors after the victory, how they’re exploited due to their looks, and how one went through with it, and the other rejected it, which led to punishment.
However, I also hope that this doesn’t open doors for The Hunger Games franchise to be milked to the point where it’s terrible (looking at you Harry Potter).
Overall, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes gave an interesting view of Panem, what the country was like during its restoration period, and how the games were yet to be a spectacle. We got to witness what the people in the Capitol are like and their prejudices against the districts stem from such a young age. At the same time, it opens doors for future possibilities in telling Panem’s story.
Now if you excuse me, time to finally give the book version a proper read.
Leave a Reply