The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Review: An effective prequel

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is a successful return to The Hunger Games franchise, albeit with some of the same struggles as the original series of films.

Terrific performances by Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage and Viola Davis help flesh out this early period in the lifecycle of The Hunger Games. Tensions between The Capital and the districts are still raw. The prejudice from the mentors in the capital towards the combatants in the games is quite pronounced.

The Hunger Games are part of the story in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. However, the games take a backseat to the political machinations and the game makers in charge of putting the barbaric games together. The future president and main antagonist of the original series, Coriolanus “Coryo” Snow, is the driving force of the story. Blythe does a good job of showing trace amounts of decency while portraying the dark, cruel viewpoint he has toward the districts. The emergence of Lucy Gray (Zegler) as his mentee, challenges his views of the games.

As good as Blythe is, Zegler is astonishing. Her introduction during the lottery immediately separates Zegler’s underdog heroine from Katniss Everdeen in the original series. Gray’s lithe physique makes everyone overlook her ability to survive the games. However, Snow uses his intellect from the outside to tilt the odds in her favor. Blythe and Zegler do share some strong chemistry. Unfortunately, the romantic side of the equation which takes center stage in the 3rd act never really takes flight.

The games themselves are as brutal as ever, but surprisingly short compared to the first two films. Outside of Lucy, none of the competitors establish themselves before the games begin.

Francis Lawrence returns as director after previously helming the last three films in the franchise. He excels at building up politics and creating tension within the game. The 3rd act’s stark change in setting feel like a different movie.

Overall, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is easily the 2nd best of the Hunger Games franchise just behind Catching Fire.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the standout moments in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. The Hunger Games movies are available to stream on Peacock.

Snow Fall effect

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes begins by giving some background on Coriolanus and his family. The snow family has seen better days. Coriolanus looks like he hasn’t eaten in days. Coriolanus has a tight relationship with his cousin Tigris (Hunter Schafer). She’s the angel on Coriolanus’s shoulder. Meanwhile, his grandmother is more of the devil on his shoulder. She views the people in the districts as animals.

Coriolanus has lofty expectations. He’s a rising star within the capital and one of 24 mentors chosen to guide the tributes during the 10th annual Hunger Games. Games author Casca Highbottom (Dinklage) surprises the mentors by revealing a change. This year’s games are about more than surviving the games. He urges the mentors to help their mentees entertain the audience.

Casca despises Coriolanus. Even if Coriolanus’s tribute wins, he won’t let him succeed. However, Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Davis), the original creator of the Hunger Games, takes a liking to Coriolanus and guides him throughout the games.

Corionalus’s viewpoint of the games begins to change when he meets Lucy Gray (Zegler). She’s tiny and appears to be physically outmatched by the other tributes. However, her singing voice captures the hearts of the crowd and even supporters of the capital. Corionalus recognizes this effect and proposes some changes to the games.

Corionalus’s only real friend is Sejanus Plinth (Josh Andrés Rivera). Sejanus is rich but despises the barbaric Hunger Games. Senjanus and Corionalus share similar views, but Corionalus is much better at playing the political game.

Blythe does a great job showing how uncomfortable he is in the capital. He seems to talk the talk, but deep down he appears to understand the tributes better than his fellow mentors.

A different type of Hunger Games

Coriolanus’s first major change is to break the rules. After Lucy is selected, he meets her as she gets off the train. He explains his role is to take care of her. As the tributes are whisked away, Corionalus boards the train with the tributes. He ends up behind a cage with the tributes. Host Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman questions why he’s in the cage, but the duo of Lucy and Corionalus use this opportunity for positive publicity.

Highbottom wants to kick Coriolanus to the curb. Coriolanus proposes several changes to Gaul who accepts them all. These changes revolve around allowing people in the districts and the capital to bet on the games as well as a sponsorship scheme. In addition to betting, viewers can send supplies like food and water.

The games themselves are as brutal as ever. Most of the tributes die quickly, but Lucy can hide for most of the games. As brutal as the violence is, the games themselves never match the emotional apex found in the other Hunger Games in the franchise. However, Zegler is terrific at reacting to the carnage around her. Coriolanus’s strategic prowess is on display from the control room. He also gets his hands dirty by taking out a tribute.

The Songbird

Lucy isn’t Katniss. In the first Hunger Games film, Katniss volunteers for her sister and makes a solemn vow that moves her district. In The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Lucy attacks the person she was in the lottery with and puts on a showy performance that encourages Coriolanus to change his strategy.

There is a connection between them. However, the one big mistake is trying to turn the dynamic between Coriolanus and Lucy into a romance instead of making it a partnership of convenience.

After the games, the 3rd act shifts focus to District 12. There’s an interesting movie in here. However, containing this element of the story to the final act feels abrupt and the romance never takes flight. Interestingly, this is also when Blythe and Zegler shine in these roles, but their different views on life and Coriolanus’s dissent into darkness that shines.

There’s never a moment in this film where I was rooting for Lucy and Coriolanus to get together.

Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes final thoughts

When The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes keeps the focus on politics and allegiances it shines. However, the focus on romance keeps the film from eclipsing Catching Fire.

If you like the content on The Intersection and have the means, a donation is much appreciated. The Intersection will never have ads on the website. To expand coverage to golden-era TV shows and add new features, we need your help. You can provide a one-time donation via PayPal or Stripe below.

Liked it? Take a second to support Chris Lee on Patreon!