IronWatcher’s review published on Letterboxd:
Watched in the cinema (157th visit in 2023)
It would be inappropriate to describe "The Hunger Games" as a forgotten franchise. After the conclusion of the film series with "Mockingjay Part 2", the story seemed exhausted. But when the author of the series, Suzanne Collins, published a prequel novel in 2020, it quickly became clear that the world of Panem would return to the big screen. This time not only back to the dystopian world, but also back in time, as "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" is set several decades before the first part. When you first meet Coriolanus Snow, in the prologue, he is still a child, but a child who has already experienced enough horror and suffering to significantly influence his development. This development is the focus of the prequel, although it never gets all the space and attention it deserves. Instead, the plot revolves a little too much around a love story, which is skillfully staged by director Francis Lawrence and screenwriter Michael Arndt.
Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is aiming for a scholarship, but this option no longer exists. Instead, he is left with the task of taking on the newly created role of mentor at the 10th Hunger Games. His protégé is Lucy (Rachel Zegler) from District 12, and it quickly becomes apparent that there is an attraction between Lucy and her mentor. Unlike many other films, however, "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" doesn't forget the menace and the terrible, unjust and often bleak world that exists in the story. On the contrary, directors Lawrence and Arndt manage to constantly convey the ominous sense of impending doom to the audience, even if aspects such as Lucy's love of music, some fantastical elements and Viola Davis' acting performance occasionally feel out of place and take up too much time.
Yes, "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" is (too) long. Divided into three parts, it's mainly the first and last sections that seem a little tough and occasionally long-winded. The finale, however, offers all the ingredients for exciting and multi-layered conflicts, but this is where the script fails. Although it achieves its narrative goal and gives us an insight into how an empathetic young man becomes the cold person Katniss Everdeen is confronted with in the later films, some important decisions are made too hastily. It would have been preferable if "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" had made better use of its running time. One less song here, a few extra moments of character development there, and the movie would feel more narratively rounded and polished. In fact, it seems like three movies were compressed into one here. If the splitting of "Mockingjay" was ultimately done for financial reasons, it probably wouldn't have hurt the prequel to make it two films.
This would also have better showcased the ensemble cast. Peter Dinklage plays the role of Casca Highbottom convincingly and intrigues and suffers with dedication. Tom Blyth convincingly embodies young Snow, Jason Schwartzman as Lucky Flickerman perfectly underscores the unsavory nature of the social system portrayed, and Rachel Zegler may seem a bit too slick and gushy, but she blends seamlessly into the film. Only Viola Davis seems limitless in her performance, almost as if she had auditioned for a villain role in a James Bond film. Only those unfamiliar with the world of Panem and its districts might have difficulties. The world often feels fragmented, as it did in the first films, and some elements seem out of place, as they appear to be from a different story in a different genre.
"The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" can undoubtedly be considered a successful prequel. In this context, the classification as a prequel is not of fundamental importance. The film works both independently and as an integral part of a film series. A film series that has grossed almost 3 billion US dollars worldwide at the box office, with a total budget of around 500 million US dollars. If this film can achieve similar success, the franchise could experience a renaissance. While the need for such a revival is debatable, "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" at least illustrates that the franchise is capable of creating cultural value rather than merely being a source of revenue.
