Empire Magazine Style Review — The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes

 In the Style of Empire Magazine

To survive the harsh Capital, Coriolanus Snow must invigorate the up and coming 10th annual Hunger Games, and mentor his tribute, Lucy Gray Baird.

★★☆☆☆

By F.W.C | Released on 17 Nov 2023 | Original Title:

The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes

Roger Joseph Ebert wrote, “No good movie is too long, and no bad movie is short enough.” Unfortunately, The Hunger Games: Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes overstays its welcome. Based on the 2020 prequel novel by Suzanne Collins, the movie could be best described as under-edited, featuring scenes, plot points, and sequences that grossly bloat what is otherwise a thrilling and exciting story.

The plot revolves around Coriolanus Snow, the future president of Panem and the villain of the original book trilogy. He grapples with the challenge of establishing a reputation for himself in the illustrious Capitol while dedicating his efforts to enhancing the Games, making them more captivating. Additionally, he takes on the role of mentoring Lucy Gray, this year's District 12 tribute.

The movie takes a brutal look at post-war Panem, presenting a more stripped-back version of the Hunger Games. Here, tributes are treated like animals, stripped of the idolization seen in the original series.

Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler, deliver gripping performances, portraying two individuals entangled in the midst of a nation under oppression. Surprisingly, Jason Schwartzman stands out by providing an exciting performance as the show's host, Lucky Flickerman. He injects much-needed light-hearted jocularity into an otherwise brutal and violent film.

However, the film suffers from pacing issues, with the majority of the story feeling as though it should have been split into two films or a multi-part TV series. This would have allowed the pacing of the story to feel less weighed down by its runtime.