GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★
Rated: M
Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Screenplay Written by: Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt
Based on the Novel by: Suzanne Collins
Produced by: Nina Jacobson, p. g. a, Brad Simpson, p. g. a., Francis Lawrence, p. g. a
Executive Producers: Suzanne Collins, Mika Saito, Jim Miller, Tim Palen
Starring: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera and Viola Davis.
‘Run.’
The prequel to the Hunger Games series: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follows Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) in his younger years. Before he becomes President of Panem.
He runs with his little cousin, Tigris (Hunter Schafer) through the snow searching for something to eat. The dark days. The hungry days.
His once prosperous family struggle to survive in the Capitol after his father Crassus dies in a trap, set by the rebels.
Their survival depends on Coriolanus making a name for himself in the Capitol, starting with the 10th Annual Reaping Ceremony. Only this year, Head Gamesmaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul decides to shake things up. The people have stopped watching the Hunger Games. She needs to make the Games more entertaining.
This tenth year, each Tribute will be nominated a Mentor to liven things up. Each Mentor is tasked to showcase their Tribute, to make the people love them, to want to watch them; to hope they don’t die and to then become the winner.
When each of the Tributes are introduced via the small black and white television screen, Snow sees his Tribute for the first time: the defiant, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler).
When selected, she sings then tells the world to kiss her arse.
And so begins the story of the Songbird and the Snake.
Watching the evolution of Coriolanus is set into three parts.
The end of Part II: The Prize, saw a hopeful end to what felt like a long movie.
Then Part III appeared on screen.
Did I say this is a long movie? It goes for 2 hours and 37 minutes. It felt longer.
But Part III is what pulls the story together, lifting the experience with a nod of understanding, so if you can make it to the end, it makes the rest of the film worth watching. Not a great endorsement, and I say that because it’s more than a bit cheesy. Like the film’s trying to be a musical in between the rest of what is traditionally, The Hunger Games so the tone of the film felt off.
Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray has an amazing voice, but the introduction was premature, felt forced and was far overshadowed by the lament of the Mockingjay in the previous series.
There’s still the action of fighting to the death, and aside humour from host, weatherman, ‘And smile. That’s why we have teeth,’ amateur magician, Lucky Flickerman (Jason Schwartzman).
And the villainous, Dr. Volumnia Gaul, has some twisted theories about humanity that evolve in conflict with the Academy’s dean, Highbottom (Peter Dinklage).
Peter Dinklage as the dean gives some gravitas to the superficial tone of the young adult story – but the feeling of superficial persisted.
I didn’t relate to any of the characters. And there were plenty in the film. It all felt like bit parts, even Lucy Gray felt superficial. Only the character Coriolanus was rounded-out, which was the point, to understand the origin story of the character, I guess.
But wow, this film takes commitment, all the way to the end to get any satisfaction from watching; it’s somehow bloody yet dry, until that last chapter.
