IR Film Review: THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES [Lionsgate]
The context of creation and eventuality is at the core of "The Hunger Games" prequel: "The Ballad Of Songbird & Snakes". Smaller in scale in certain ways than its predecessor, its essence of its love story per se is what drives the humanity of what it shows. There are leading metaphors and details to be sure of what is to come. The Mockingjay and Katniss references do not go unnoticed but what is interesting here is the throwback of what it plays to, especially the 50s, in sugarcoating what The Hunger Games really is, which is the lesson of the entire film. The perspective of the film rests on Tom Blyth as Cornelius Snow. When watching the new film, this reviewer didn't realize that he played "Billy The Kid" which Inside Reel talked to him for the first season. It creates more depth in understanding what he as an actor did. The essence of Snow rests in the idea of not trying to be what people expect him to be or what his father created but that is a hard hill to climb.
The essence of Billy and Snow as parallels is interesting because it has to do with the idea of what creates the common good. The soul though that makes the film work though is Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird both in her emotive performance but also in how director Francis Lawrence optimizes what brought her to fame (in "West Side Story") and builds it into the structure of the story. While still also paying reverence to the other movies, it gives this movie its own identity. The act structure makes sense instead of splitting the film into two despite its longer runtme though in terms of pacing it throws it off just slightly. It also speaks to reasoning in quieter moments. In the arena, Lawrence does create some iconic images again, specifically one on a pile of rubble involving some snakes. Some adjacent characters are underused, some overused, some just right. Viola Davis creates the essential pitch in Dr. Gaul, both protector, foreseeer and instigator with just the right amount. Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom is effective but almost really underused.
Jason Schwartzman as Lucky, the onscreen commentator of The Hunger Games almost seems to overplay the hand he is dealt and he is the only aspect that takes one out of the movie. The thing the movie does do in its 2 hour and 45 minute runtime is show cause of action without having to resort to widescreen set pieces. The violence is intimate. The decisions pondered. And the human behavior in many elements is realistic although offset as mythic. The reality is that events don't always turn out as one has hopes for. Hunter Shafer (known from Euphoria -- who plays Tigris Snow) understands that ultimately the name of the game is trust and what one is willing to give to ensure that. "The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes" knows this in spades without overplaying its hand, being too preachy or losing touch with its characters. A-
By Tim Wassberg
