Review of "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes"
Coriolanus 'Coryo' Snow (Tom Blyth) doesn't always act like he showed in the four Hunger Games films. This time in the Review of "The Ballad of Songbirds &; Snakes" it was conveyed that Coryo was a student with high determination. While Coryo is indeed a bright and adaptive student, she has a moral responsibility to carry the family name to look resplendent. One need not know that he and his family (his mother and cousin, Tigris, played by Hunter Schafer) have not paid rent and will soon be evicted. Or the fact that he was like the people in the district who were starving. What one needs to see is Coryo, an exemplary student who will take his surname to the top. As his family motto, 'Snow always lands on top.'
That day Coryo hoped for the Plinth Prize, something that could bring his family to the center of light. But it turns out that principal Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage) has other plans. Together with game maker Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis), each student now has the task of mentoring each selected child in reaping. Coryo, with all her misfortune, gets Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a quirky singer who can't compete. May the odds be ever in your favor.
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| Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler in 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' (Photo: Lionsgate) |
Of the many dystopian young adult films released last decade, the Hunger Games quadrilogy does look the most striking. Not only because this series is amazingly entertaining and presented with the best technical and acting, but because Hunger Games has a clear statement. The presence of this prequel (still using the title The Hunger Games so that ordinary audiences do not forget) on paper looks like a Hollywood action looking for dollars. But in reality, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes has a lot to sharpen the thesis they delivered in the previous four films. So successful, this film even made the previous four films shine even more.
Interesting Details of "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes"
At 157 minutes, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes does seem too long for a prequel. But all those minutes were not wasted. Aside from Mark Yoshikawa's extensive editing by dividing the film into three parts, the script written by Michael Lesslie and Oscar winner Michael Arndt is pretty solid. The first part explains in detail what gambles Coryo must make to get to the point he wants to reach and the second part is a game that appeals to both on-screen and off-screen audiences.
Also, read: Trailer “Madame Web”.
Of course, with the setting decades before the first Hunger Games movie began, there are many differences in the game of children who are forced to kill. For Hunger Games fans like me, what's in the film is fascinating. Seeing how this game used to look very simple.
One thing that may be worth noting is how director Francis Lawrence presents the game in this movie more painfully. Visually, the attraction may not be as exciting as what Katniss felt in the first four films. But emotionally, the effect is much more sad. Francis Lawrence put an actor who looked like a real boy in the arena. One of them is even played by Sofia Sanchez, an actress with Down syndrome. Compared to the previous four Hunger Games films where the actors look somewhat more mature, this arena has a scary effect.
The third part of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes might feel like a drop in tension. But precisely in this part, the film becomes very interesting. Francis Lawrence deliberately recorded this part with the most soothing visuals throughout the film. Spacious meadows, green trees, and mouth-watering lake water. Two handsome and beautiful teenagers sat by the lake, planning for their future. This romantic visual is a necessary emphasis when we see how Coryo transforms into the President Snow we know.
Of course, like all previous Hunger Games, this film is presented with brilliant audio-visual and acting techniques. Peter Dinklage was able to give a ray of regret from the look in his eyes. Jason Schwartzman enjoys hosting a lot. And no one has more fun than Viola Davis who in this film shows her sick laughter. Rachel Ziegler certainly has qualified acting skills. But in this film, Zegler has enough charisma to make his character easy to love.
But it is undeniable that The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes belongs to Tom Blyth. Blyth swallows all the scenes easily, even when she has to deal with savage actor Viola Davis. The most impressive part is how Blyth shows her transformation from a human being 'forced' to do heinous things to survive to a human being 'willing' to do these things for the crown on her head. It was easy to portray this character theatrically but Blyth chose a more subtle but patient path. The result was a darkness that was so suffocating.
Many films discuss the origin story of a villain. In The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Francis Lawrence recorded Coryo's changes not to suggest that as evil as this character is, he is human. Instead, Lawrence made this to show that all the bad things done by this character, are done by humans. Not monsters, not demons, but humans.