Film Review: "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" (2023).

"You're invited to return to the games" with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This dystopian action film directed by Francis Lawrence, adapted by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt, and based on the 2020 novel of the same title by Suzanne Collins. It serves as a prequel to The Hunger Games (2012), and is the fifth installment in The Hunger Games film series. Experience the story sixty-four years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem. The film follows a young Coriolanus who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray's charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.

In August 2011, Lionsgate expressed interest in spin-offs of The Hunger Games film series, with intentions to form a writers' room to explore the concept. In June 2019, it was announced that the company was working with Collins on an adaptation of her 2020 novel. By April 2020, Collins and Lionsgate confirmed that plans were underway for the film's development. Lawrence was later confirmed to return to direct, after doing so for the prior three films in the series since The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Collins, Arndt and Lesslie were hired to pen the adaptation. Concerned over the book's length, Lawrence briefly considered to split the film in two parts like he did with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, but desisted due to his regrets over that decision. By early July, Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Josh Andrés Rivera, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, Hunter Schafer, Fionnula Flanagan, Burn Gorman, and Ashley Liao were cast. In addition, James Newton Howard confirmed that he would return to score the film. Cody Fern, Lucky Blue Smith, Michael Ridley, and Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen were considered for the role of Coriolanus Snow. Maiah Wynne, Thomasin McKenzie, Andrea Chaparro, and Kaylee Bryant were considered for the role of Lucy Gray Baird. At the same time, principal photography commenced and wrapped in early November. Filming took place throughout Germany and Poland.

The fim stars Blyth, Zegler, Rivera, Davis, Dinklage, Schwartzman, Schafer, Flanagan, Gorman, and Liao. The strength of Coriolanus Snow as a character and Blyth's performance is what makes the film so compelling.

Even by blockbuster standards, this is some heavily recycled material, and it's pretty long. But it's well done and will spirit away a cold Saturday afternoon nicely.

Simon says The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes receives:

Also, see my review for Slumberland and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2.