A film dedicated to the youth of the big villain from the previous four installments? The challenge was bold, but The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes met it beautifully. So much so that it is considered the best in the series.
Updated at 7:30am yesterday.
Published at the start of the pandemic, Suzanne Collins’ book “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” tells the story of 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow as he tries to reposition his family on the Capitol chessboard, which is still being rebuilt years later War against the districts. True to the novel, the script by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt quickly reveals the main character’s desperation-driven ambition. Played with vulnerability and conviction by Tom Blyth (Billy the Kid), Snow is currently a far cry from Donald Sutherland’s tyrannical president.
The Hunger Games were created to remind the districts who is in power, but the popularity of these cruel games is declining. Coriolanus Snow and the other promising students at the academy where he studies will each receive an honor on the occasion of their 10th lecture so that they can help make the televised games a real spectacle. Snow is assigned to Lucy Gray Baird from District 12, the same district where Katniss Everdeen will volunteer in her sister’s place 64 years later. Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) plays the exuberant musician with strength and confidence.
The dynamic between the two actors is excellent: the initial discomfort, the power relationship that turns into passion, the questions that follow. The rest of the cast is also convincing.
While some brilliant actors from previous films are underutilized, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer and Jason Schwartzman all get the chance to showcase their talents.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LIONSGATE
The arena of the 10th Hunger Games
Lots of twists and turns
The feature film by Francis Lawrence, who directed three of the four previous Hunger Games, is divided into three different acts: the meeting between Coriolanus and Lucy Gray, the games and the meeting between the two in District 12. The final act is “Stretch “. , but there’s no shortage of action to get there. The twists and turns are varied and unexpected. We were skeptical about some of them, but they all serve the story.
Another strength of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is its ability to evoke the cruelty of the games and the totalitarian regime of the Capitol, albeit less important at this point in history. Despite the violent premise of The Hunger Games series, the films starring Jennifer Lawrence have never quite managed to live up to it. We weren’t expected to show young people killing each other in “family movies,” but “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” does it better with fewer violent scenes. And the ones that are have more impact. However, we wonder why we still don’t show the citizens of Panem watching the games on their televisions.
Costumes, sets and special effects are all remarkable, as is the music by James Newton Howard. Rachel Zegler’s version of “The Hanging Tree” is a highlight – it is one every time she sings.
Songbirds & Snakes’ ballad is not flawless. Apart from a few lengths, he takes himself very seriously and tends towards the theatrical. Despite all the time we’ve spent with Coriolanus and Lucy Gray, what amazes us is how they end up feeling for each other. If the film is a success, there will certainly be a sequel.
Inside
adventure
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
(VF: Hunger Games: The Ballad of the Snake and the Songbird)
Francis Lawrence
With Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Viola Davis
2:38am