What was always strikingly impressive about The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins' three novels turned smash-hit film franchise, is that it always felt far smarter and more mature than the 'Young Adult' mantle would have you believe. Shocking in how dark it was willing to go, and devastating in how realistic it felt, The Hunger Games was a watershed moment in blockbuster filmmaking and still resonates with audiences who grew up with the story of Katniss Everdeen and the rebellion she led, even as the sub-genre has struggled to burn as brightly ever since. Now, almost a decade after the screen quadrilogy concluded, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes returns us to a new arena with different games to play.
A rule change thrusts a young, studious Coriolanus Snow into a position that would allow him to climb the ranks within the Capitol and escape his own misfortunes: mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the conspicuous Lucy Gray Baird. A pivotal year for the games and what it means for its audiences, ten years after the Dark Days ended, their future will be determined by the success of the 10th annual Hunger Games. Francis Lawrence returns to the franchise to direct this prequel from original author Suzanne Collins, which stars Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman, Peter Dinklage, Josh Andres Rivera and Viola Davis.
With such depth to the level of worldbuilding in the original Hunger Games series, a return to Panem felt inevitable and exciting. While Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' focus felt like a peculiar direction to travel, it made sense given that the material thrived in exploring and existing within the grey area. Dissecting the former years of Snow's rise to infamy as Panem's tyrannical leader, this new chapter once again prospers through a richly layered and carefully rendered understanding of the world it unfolds within, one that continues to bear prominent resemblances to our own and so carries a sense of urgency that propelled the original series to greatness.
A refreshingly safe pair of hands to carry this next chapter with, Francis Lawrence's reliably sturdy work continues to balance the demands on the film: while, of course, people enjoy the more action-packed, adrenaline-fuelled moments of the games and the arena, such a lust for bloodshed and violence has always been directly questioned and critiqued by the Collins' tale. As a result, Lawrence strikes a fine balance: the games are a secondary feature of The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes, as the action was in the overarching The Hunger Games features, placing a greater focus on the narrative and character work, appeasing all tastes and satisfying the various needs of blockbuster filmmaking without seeming to contradict its own messages. Lawrence fuels Ballad with excitement, emotion, savagery and tension, evoking the story's tragic endgame in a way that feels both surprising and devastatingly inevitable.
Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt adapt Collins novel for the screen, approaching Ballad predominantly as a character drama, exploring the sacrifices made in the scramble and pursuit of power at any cost. On the whole, it's a worthy translation of the source material but its hefty nature is its biggest stumbling block: one man's descent into evil is a substantial undertaking, particularly one as richly detailed as this, and it already clocks in at 157 minutes - but it still feels like there's untapped potential. Maybe it's our modern, in-built expectation for the cinematic universe, but the content here is so well-presented that you yearn for more despite being billed as a self-contained story. It's worth questioning whether this story is more suited to another format, a television miniseries perhaps, that would expand the runtime and remove the stuffy air that occasionally hinders and bloats the overall picture.
Tom Blyth is superb casting as a young Coriolanus Snow, of course correlating aspects of his turn elements of Donald Sutherland's performance in the quadrilogy but still imprinting his own take on the future ruler to be. So much of the performance lies in his eyes, drawing you in while conveying so much with the smallest, knowing glance and quietly calculating rumination that compel us towards a character we already know we come to loathe. It would be so easy to overplay this role, led by knowledge of a life not yet lived, but Blyth's intricate work avoids the pitfalls less talented actors who fall into.
Rachel Zegler's musical flair helps bring the free-spirited Lucy Gray Baird to life, cultivating a strong chemistry with Blyth despite the romance that develops being one of Ballad's least compelling elements. Threatening to steal the film completely however, Viola Davis' deliciously deranged turn is the very epitome of an actor having the time of their life, registering a wicked little performance that oozes unwavering evilness, while Jason Schwartzman provides as refreshing levity as Lucky Flickerman who imbues an amusing air into an otherwise thematically grim feature.
Complete with impressive production and costume design, a catchy bluesy soundtrack and James Newton Howard's score which smartly nods to the future, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a successful return to one of the most reliable film franchises of the modern age, continuing the story and deepening the lore with an impressively mature storytelling and strong filmmaking from Francis Lawrence. Somewhat overstuffed, bursting with so many ideas that it may be better suited to another format, Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is nevertheless one of the year's most exciting, thoughtful blockbusters and a return to one of cinema's most fascinating universes.