Back 11 years ago, when the first episode aired, The Hunger Games immediately became a box office phenomenon with a global revenue of nearly 700 million USD, and became a stepping stone to help Jennifer Lawrence become a superstar in Hollywood. After four episodes, the franchise seemed to have ended after telling the complete story of the bloody survival arena and imbued with many human philosophies.
In 2020, novelist Suzanne Collins continued to release a book The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, continues the stories of the land of Panem and better explains the origin of the life and death arena. Hollywood filmmakers also did not miss the opportunity to make a prequel The Hunger Games Officially released in theaters on November 17.
The Hunger Games franchise returns with a prequel about President Snow’s past
The tragic past of the most evil villain in The Hunger Games universe
This script revolves around the main character Coriolanus Snow (played by Tom Blyth), who later becomes President Snow – the main villain of the film franchise. The setting is the dark period of post-war Panem and the capital’s rulers seek to punish neighboring districts through a game of deathmatch.
The audience is introduced to the past of Coriolanus, the only son in a powerful family of the capital lands. However, after his father passed away, the whole family fell into such poverty that they did not have enough to eat while still trying to rent a luxurious mansion to maintain their honor. Determined to restore his family’s position, Coriolanus studied hard in the hope of receiving a scholarship from the government to change his life.
When he was confident that he was the best candidate, Coriolanus’s plan collapsed because principal Casca Highbottom (played by Peter Dinklage) – who had a grudge against his father – changed his policy and searched for the owner of the school. scholarship by challenging students to act as mentors to contestants participating in that year’s competition. Originally an unrelated person, Coriolanus was assigned to guide Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a weak-willed girl from District 12.
Rachel Zegler as the female lead Lucy Gray Baird
During his journey to guide his “pet chicken”, Coriolanus developed feelings for Lucy. From then on, he gradually found a way to both earn a scholarship and protect his muse. However, that decision somehow pushed the ambitious young man’s life into an unexpected turn.
For fans of The Hunger Games, the story about the past of the most evil villain of the brand will definitely bring many interesting things. With Tom Blyth’s ecstatic and emotional performance, this character appears lively and colorful. The audience felt sympathy for his desire to rise in a society full of injustice and turmoil. At the same time, sometimes, they also feel creepy when they see that ambition turns him into a scheming, sinister person who is ready to take advantage of the people who love him the most just to achieve his goals.
The duration is too long but the more interesting it gets towards the end
With a duration of 2 hours and 45 minutes, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is the brand’s longest work to date. The film is divided into 3 clear chapters, told seamlessly in linear chronological order. The first two chapters revolve around Coriolanus Snow’s background and the process of him guiding Lucy Gray Baird to find a way to survive in the mortal arena.
Meanwhile, the final chapter revolves around his relationship with the free-spirited, freedom-loving girl from District 12. From there, the filmmaker also gives the answer as to why the honest young man was so cruel. can become a cold-blooded dictator willing to use human lives as political pawns in his hands.
The first two chapters of the movie remind viewers of the first episode of the movie The Hunger Games with the story of a good girl being pushed into a bloody game. However, the team The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes It is difficult to recreate the overwhelming emotions for the audience when entering a fantasy world for the first time but imbued with the color of realistic social criticism.
The highlight of the film is in the last chapter, when the story escapes the motif The Hunger Games familiar to expand into the world of districts outside the capital. The love story between Coriolanus and Lucy is full of poetry, reminiscent of extremely emotional stories about the Gypsy people that people often only hear about through words in books.
Like previous works, the strengths of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes comes from the weight of the original novel. Writer Suzanne Collins continues to create a convincing story about President Snow’s past. The filmmakers conveyed those things to the screen to the fullest in nearly 3 hours. This approach may win over enthusiastic fans of The Hunger Games franchise, but it somehow makes other audiences feel too wordy, especially when the best part of the movie is pushed to the end of the work.
The acting is well-rounded but there are still minus points
Another highlight of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes comes from the cast’s ecstatic transformation. Tom Blyth has a memorable role in his career as the lead role of Coriolanus Snow. He successfully expressed the metamorphosis of a guy with a good nature, but the turbulence of life turned him into a man with malicious and extremely cruel intentions. The process of changing the character’s psychology is extremely reasonable, with contrasting scenes showing this character’s corruption.
Strong actors like Peter Dinklage and Viola Davis also had impressive performances in the film. The “Dwarf King” of Game of Thrones has a role that is like tailoring his shoes. Playing the role of principal Casca Highbottom, he excellently completed an extremely intelligent character, good at speaking but always acting based on his emotions. However, this person always knows his own shortcomings and mistakes, leading to the fact that his life, although extremely illustrious, is not lacking in frustration and sadness.
Meanwhile, Oscar-winning star Viola Davis incarnates Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the initiator of the life-and-death game. The character is extremely cruel, not influenced by emotions but extremely loyal to his own life ideals. She is also the one who constantly sets challenges for Coriolanus in the hope that this will be her successor, continuing to pursue the ideal of a bloody game that can bring hierarchy and order to the land. Panem.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes has a seasoned supporting cast
Disappointing person in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Unfortunately, the female lead is Rachel Zegler, one of the most potential stars in Hollywood today. Despite accepting a role that is extremely suitable for her abilities, combining both acting and singing, Disney’s new Snow White is disappointing with her somewhat ridiculous and ridiculous performance. The scenes showing off her voice in the film were heavily tinged with theatricality, unable to escape her previous role in West Side Story. Zegler’s way of expressing this is somewhat out of tune with a film with a script rich in philosophy and social criticism like The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
Scoring: 3.5/5
General, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes which will not disappoint fans of the brand. With a tight script and well-rounded performances from the majority of the cast, the film recreates the most attractive features of the cinematic universe revolving around the life and death arena for the audience. However, if you are a passing viewer, you will need a lot of patience to sit in the theater to enjoy the end, which is also the best part of the movie.
