Revisiting the Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

A decade after the first Hunger Games movie graced theater screens, Lionsgate presents The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023). Set 64 years before the main trilogy, it explores the tyrannical President Snow’s backstory and delves into the history of the Hunger Games. 

Divided into three parts, the film reintroduces Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), a studious young adult whose family has lost its wealth in the violent rebellion leading to the formation of the Hunger Games: a death match where children (known as tributes) from poorer districts are selected by lottery to fight to the death; only one emerges victorious. In an attempt to earn the money required for university tuition, Snow competes for the Hunger Games prize money by mentoring a tribute, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler). Lucy proves to be more than what meets the eye, and throughout the film, Snow is torn between his selfishness and his love for her, and he is forced to choose between wealth and a simple life with Lucy in the districts.

The Hunger Games is a rich and interesting series that explores class dynamics, capitalism, and society at large, entertaining a primarily young adult audience. It defined media in the 2010s and sparked an increase in the popularity of dystopian YA novels. The three original Hunger Games books—The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009), and Mockingjay (2010)—and their subsequent movie adaptations defined a generation. In comparison, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes falls short. Nostalgia aside, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes feels like a cheap copy when compared scene by scene to the original movies. In The Hunger Games (2012), protagonist Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to compete in the Hunger Games in place of her sister. This emotionally chilling scene is perfectly adapted on screen by Lawrence. Contrastingly, when Lucy is reaped in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, she performs a song expressing her anger at the division, defiantly claiming that though the capital may have chosen her fate, it will never control her. While Zegler is an undoubtedly talented vocalist, the scene comes off as cringey, with the vocal performance feeling random and misplaced. Though the scene works in the book, the on-screen adaption just seems silly.

In part two of the film, the Games—which pale in comparison to previous films’ representations—begin. The other competitors are barely fleshed out; the main antagonist in the arena is Coral, a one-dimensional character who serves as a stereotypical villain. In the original books, it is clear that the “evil” competitors were raised to take pride in the Games without realizing that the upper-class capital is the true enemy. This provides more nuance to the characters and helps the viewer truly grasp the evil of the capital. However, the violence and deaths in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes are lackluster and pointless. Every death in the original trilogy pushes the plot forward and causes new problems to arise. Meanwhile, the deaths in this film have no emotional impact because of how little is revealed about the characters. In the trilogies, the music, acting, and sets all contribute to the rising tension, but that is not the case in this film. Held in a very small arena with a few tunnels, the Games are far less terrifying than the massive forest from the original trilogy. With the exceptions of Lucy and the tribute Reaper, who gives a touching performance while laying dead tributes to rest, the rest of the cast falls short of bringing any emotion to the scenes. At the same time, Snow clashes with his friend and mentor Sejanus Plinth (Josh Andrés Rivera), whose family bought their way out of the districts. Sejanus feels a sense of guilt and responsibility; he is the only one who recognizes the true horror of the Games. His small rebellions and outbursts as he tries to stop the Games prove to be challenging for Snow to control. In comparison to the arena scenes, this part of the film is incredibly intriguing and provides insight into a new side of the Games. 

In part three, the film’s quality deteriorates even further. In an attempt to recreate the rebellion of the third book and last two movies (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and 2), Snow is sent to the districts after he is caught cheating to ensure Lucy’s victory in the Games. The brewing tension over the poor condition of the districts creates a dilemma for Snow: he must choose between returning home and helping his friend Sejanus, who came with him from the capital to insight real change, or clearing his name. This plotline feels extremely rushed. It is as if the writers attempted to squeeze every plot detail from the books into the movie, leaving the rapid conclusion confusing with its jarring shift in subject matter. 

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is a film that, while nostalgic for hardcore Hunger Games fans, fails to capture the essence of what made the original trilogy so impactful and interesting. It serves as a reminder that not all stories need to be extended beyond their original scope, especially when the addition does not contribute significantly to the overall narrative or further character development. The original Hunger Games series remains a powerful story, despite the shortcomings of this latest addition.