The Hunger Games prequel film was so close to greatness.
The Big Picture
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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
suffers as a stand-alone film, lacking time to fully develop complex characters and darker aspects. - Splitting the story between the Games and Coriolanus’ time in District 12 would have allowed for a more in-depth exploration and a dramatic finale without such a jarring tonal shift.
- Coriolanus’ character arc is rushed, lacking the development needed for a compelling descent into villainy.
Eight years after the original series ended, the Hunger Games franchise returned with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which follows President Snow (Donald Sutherland) as a young man known as Coriolanus (Tom Blyth), depicting the tenth Hunger Games, and introducing the only previously unknown District 12 victor, Lucy Gray (Rachel Zegler). This is a tall order for a single film, but Francis Lawrence decided against splitting the story into different installments. After The Hunger Games: Mockingjay was divided, it seems odd not to do so with the prequel, but Lawrence has since admitted that he regretted his choice to make two films out of the single book by Suzanne Collins. Reluctant to make the same mistake, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes became a stand-alone prequel and suffers for it. The difference is that splitting Mockingjay interrupted the momentum of the story. Katniss’ (Jennifer Lawrence) arc had already developed over the first two films, making it possible to fit the necessary parts of Mockingjay‘s story into a single (admittedly long) film.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is different. Giving the backstory of a complex character, the film is Coriolanus’ only chance to be the lead. As Coriolanus becomes more like the President from the Hunger Games, it takes time to show the process of his descent into villainy, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes doesn’t have that. In addition, characters like Lucy Gray and Dr. Gaul (Viola Davis) get less focus than they should because the film is pressed for time. This is also true of the horrific game, which shows a different side to the tradition before it was turned into a spectacle by the government. With a clear divide in the story when the tenth Hunger Games ends, it would make logical sense to split the story. Though a single book, the novel has multiple parts providing a natural break as it changes settings from the Capitol to District 12, but the film does not take advantage of this. The Hunger Games and the events leading up to it would easily fill a movie. Meanwhile, the conspiracy in District 12 and Coriolanus’ final descent into villainy would be a dramatic finale, completing the character’s arc without dragging out the plot unnecessarily.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) – the last hope for the once-proud Snow family – who is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12 for the 10th Hunger Games. Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will become a songbird or a snake.
- Release Date
- November 17, 2023
- Director
- Francis Lawrence
- Cast
- Rachel Zegler , Hunter Schafer , Viola Davis , Tom Blyth , Peter Dinklage , Jason Schwartzman , Burn Gorman , Fionnula Flanagan
- Runtime
- 165 minutes
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
- Writers
- Michael Lesslie , Michael Arndt , Suzanne Collins
- Production Company
- Color Force, Good Universe, Lionsgate
Coriolanus’ Development Needed More Time in ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’
As the central character, Coriolanus goes on a journey throughout the film, developing from a starving orphan with trauma from living through a war to a cold and manipulative leader who doesn’t care how his actions impact others. Certainly, Blyth plays the part well as the film details this transition, but it must be rushed to fit within the roughly two-and-a-half-hour time constraint. Coriolanus’ character arc isn’t simple as he goes from being in it for himself to making friends to betraying those friends and accomplishing his original goal. His disadvantages at the beginning develop sympathy, which has run out by the end. Coriolanus may have the family name, but the Snows are out of money and rely on his cousin, Tigris (Hunter Schafer). Coriolanus hides this fact, dreaming of getting the prize money from the Hunger Games mentoring program to pay for continued education so he can improve his family’s life. This all seems noble and completely unlike the President, who is Katniss’ antagonist. This trend continues as he befriends Sejanus (Josh Andrés Rivera), who is looked down on by the Capitol families for being born in District 2. Sejanus’ compassion pushes Coriolanus in the right direction, as does the influence of Lucy Gray, whom he begins to love.
Yet the story not only includes him developing these friendships but destroying them as well. He betrays Sejanus to earn favor with Dr. Gaul and tries to kill Lucy Gray (although the jury is out on whether he succeeds). It’s not until the end that he shows signs of villainy. In fact, at first, his move to District 12 seems to push him to be better. While Katniss didn’t need two Mockingjay films to reach her final realization about corruption, Coriolanus could have used more time to be corrupted. He essentially undergoes multiple character arcs as he first chooses Lucy Gray above everything, helping her cheat in the Hunger Games, and then chooses himself by planning to kill her to hide his association with the murders in District 12. Splitting these into separate films would benefit the character, giving the audience the chance to learn more about him and empathize with him before he succumbs to his own selfish desire for power.
‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ Easter Eggs
‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ references the other films in the series constantly despite the large time gap.
‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ Could’ve Expanded About Much More
With a cast made up of talented actors such as Viola Davis and Peter Dinklage, plenty of characters could have shown up more. Davis’ Gaul is a prime example, as her terrifying character is responsible for much of the titular games. But the character whose time is lacking the most is Lucy Gray. Though secondary only to Coriolanus, Lucy Gray does not reach her full potential in the allotted time. The character is the first Hunger Games victor to gain the attention of the Capitol citizens, like Katniss herself. She may not be a particularly skilled fighter, but her determination helps her survive the arena. Showing many talents, Lucy Gray is the natural hero of the story. But the film speeds through many elements, and our Victor doesn’t get the attention she deserves. One of the many changes from the book is Lucy Gray’s victory, making it the snakes that kill the runner-up rather than Lucy Gray manipulating and poisoning him, taking away from her cleverness and determination to survive, which are vital to the character. Lucy Gray needed more time to develop her relationship with Coriolanus and show what she was really capable of when it came down to it.
Like Lucy Gray’s victory, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes brushes over some of the darker aspects of Collins’ book. While every other Hunger Games film that throws the characters into an arena spends the majority of the time showing the Hunger Games itself, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes does not. And this isn’t because it’s centered on Coriolanus, who isn’t a tribute, but because there is too much story to focus on the Games. This is the first glimpse audiences have at the early Games before the spectacle of the event was used to hide its brutality, but the film doesn’t highlight that aspect of the story as much as it could have. Reaper (Dimitri Abold), the Tribute from District 11, takes the time to line up the fallen tributes, giving them respect, similar to how Katniss treated Rue (Amandla Stenberg) in her first games. His monument stays the whole time, as do the bodies of the dead children. This act is dangerously close to rebellion, something the film did not have more time to explore, yet it proves that others tried before Katniss. The entire concept is dark, especially without the Capitol doing everything it can to turn the Games into something they’re not. The brutality during the Hunger Games didn’t have the impact it could have if the storyline and the characters had more time in the spotlight.
‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ Has a Natural Division
While The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes tells one story, there is a natural place for the film to be split: when the Hunger Games end and Coriolanus is banished to the Districts. Every other Hunger Games film, besides Mockingjay (which doesn’t feature the Games), ends with the climactic conclusion of the Hunger Games, but not The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Instead, that is only the first section of the plot. After Lucy Gray’s victory, there is a shift in the story. The film transitions to Coriolanus’ life as a Peacekeeper after his illegal assistance of Lucy Gray is discovered. Not only is this a completely different journey for Coriolanus, but the tone seems to change as he enjoys life with Lucy Gray’s Covey family, causing a distinct and abrupt shift in the middle of the film. This would provide a perfect place for one film to end and another to begin if they had split the story in two.
Not using this division is a missed opportunity. The Hunger Games and the events leading up to it, where Coriolanus promoted Lucy Gray to better her position in the arena, would have filled a two-hour movie without issue. This would have given the story the freedom to better explore the events and the horror of the Games. Likewise, Coriolanus’ life in District 12 has plenty of material. From the introduction of the Covey to the rebel activity, there is much to include as Coriolanus’ arc completes, and he decides to be the ruthless man we were introduced to in The Hunger Games. Even without the Games, this would have more than enough action, as Sejanus is hanged and Coriolanus kills Mayfair Lipp (Isobel Jesper Jones). And it would allow for a more in-depth exploration of Lucy Gray’s history, which gets in the way as she and Coriolanus begin their relationship. While making Mockingjay two different movies made little sense, keeping The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes together wasn’t ideal either. The prequel contains too much story to fit into a single film, proving there are reasons to divide a book, but it won’t work for everyone.
The Hunger Games:The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is available to stream on STARZ in the U.S.
This article was originally published on collider.com