THE HUNGER GAMES : THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES - Tuesday 5th December 2023.

I finally got around to seeing the M Rated 'THE HUNGER GAMES : THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES' at my local multiplex this week following its release in the US and here in Australia on 16th November. This American dystopian science fiction action film is Directed by Francis Lawrence, is based on the 2020 novel 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' by Suzanne Collins, serves as a prequel to 2012 film 'The Hunger Games' and is the fifth instalment in 'The Hunger Games' film series. Francis Lawrence Directed the last three films in the franchise with 'Catching Fire' in 2013 and 'Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2' in 2014 and 2015 respectively. Those first four films in the series grossed close to US$3B at the global Box Office off the back of combined production budgets of US$493M making this eventual prequel a no brainer. This film has so far grossed US$247M off the back of a production budget of US$100M and has generated mixed reviews. 

The film opens up in 'The Dark Days' three years before the first Hunger Games where a young Coriolanus Snow and his older cousin Tigris scavenge the war torn streets of Panem under cover of darkness for scraps of food. Returning home later that evening the pair are greeted by their Grandma'am (Fionnula Flanagan) who tells them that their father Crassus Snow has died. Fast forward thirteen years and Coriolanus (Tom Blyth), now eighteen-years-old, is one of twenty-four Academy students selected to mentor a tribute in the 10th Annual Hunger Games. Coriolanus determines to restore his family's prosperity by earning the Plinth Prize scholarship to Panem University. Games creator and Academy dean, Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage) advises mentors to focus on entertaining viewers rather than tributes winning the Games, as viewership has waned over recent years, and for the Games to survive it needs to re-establish a strong audience. 

During the reaping ceremony, in which Coriolanus is assigned to mentor the District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), she first slips a snake into Mayor Lipp's daughter Mayfair's dress and then charms Capitol viewers by breaking into song. Coriolanus earns Lucy Gray's trust, by riding with her to the Capitol Zoo in a train carriage with the other chosen tributes, and helps her win Capitol citizens' sympathy, much to Highbottom's chagrin, as he paired Coriolanus with a District 12 tribute so he would fail. 

Coriolanus proposes a sponsorship scheme to Head Gamemaker, Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis), where Capitol viewers donate supplies to tributes via their mentors during the Games to increase viewership. Coriolanus' classmate, Clemensia Dovecote (Ashley Liao), takes the credit for the scheme. Gaul meanwhile has placed the proposal document into a tank of genetically modified snakes that do not attack familiar scents. Gaul has Clemensia retrieve it. Not recognising Clemensia's scent, the snakes critically wound her, but Gaul's assistants are on hand to administer an anti-venom, thus confirming it was Coriolanus' proposal all along.

During a Games-arena tour the day before the games are due to commence, several rebel bombs explode causing much damage to the arena and killing several mentors including the President's son, Felix Ravinstill, and tributes. Lucy Gray saves Coriolanus when he is pinned under falling debris, and so as a gesture of thanks he gifts her deadly rat poison to use as a weapon, contained in his mothers silver make-up compact. 

The Games begin the next day as planned, with Host Lucretius 'Lucky' Flickerman (Jason Schwartzman) presiding over the event. Several tributes perish in the initial bloodbath. Lucy Gray is able to escape through an explosion-caused hole in the ground hiding in a service tunnel beneath with fellow District 12 tribute Jessup (Nick Benson). Coriolanus' wealthy friend and fellow mentor, Sejanus Plinth (Josh Andres Rivera), resenting the Games' cruelty and everything it stands for, sneaks into the arena and mourns next to his fallen tribute Marcus, a former District 2 classmate. Gaul persuades Coriolanus to retrieve Sejanus from the arena. When tributes turn on them, Coriolanus kills one by clubbing him to death.

To avenge Felix's death, Gaul releases her snakes into the arena, killing every tribute except Lucy Gray, as Coriolanus had secretly put a handkerchief containing her scent into the snake tank. Gaul refuses to declare her the victor until Capitol viewers pressure her into doing so. After the victory celebration, Highbottom confronts Coriolanus with the handkerchief and poison and sentences him to serve twenty years as a Peacekeeper for cheating. Sejanus is similarly punished for entering the arena. Coriolanus bribes an enrolment officer to transfer him to District 12, where he and Sejanus begin their Peacekeeper training.

Coriolanus and Sejanus visit the Hob bar where Lucy Gray performs with the Covey, a nomadic band, and they rekindle their friendship in secret. Coriolanus overhears Sejanus helping rebels planning to escape, and so he uses a jabberjay to record Sejanus' voice and sends it to Gaul. Coriolanus finds Sejanus talking to rebel Spruce (George Somner), Lucy Gray's old boyfriend Billy Taupe (Dakota Shapiro), and his girlfriend Mayfair Lipp (Isobel Jesper Jones), leading to an argument. Coriolanus fatally shoots Mayfair and Spruce kills Billy. Sejanus and Spruce are subsequently hanged for treason while Lucy Gray and Coriolanus escape. However, in the meantime Coriolanus has passed an intelligence and aptitude test with flying colours and is offered a transfer to District 2 for Officer training by Commander Hoff (Burn Gorman) and reluctantly accepts. 

Despite his offer for fast track promotion, Coriolanus and Lucy Gray flee north and decide to rest up overnight in a lakeside cabin. There, Coriolanus finds Spruce's weapons stash concealed under the floorboards. Lucy Gray runs away after realising Coriolanus betrayed Sejanus. As Coriolanus pursues her, a snake set in a trap bites him. Disoriented, he shoots his rifle blindly after hearing jabberjays mimicking Lucy Gray's voice. Coriolanus is unsure if she was shot after her footprints in the mud disappear on a path, leaving her fate a mystery.

Coriolanus returns to the Capitol, where Gaul reveals she had him honourably discharged and enrols him at the University. Sejanus' parents, who remain unaware he caused their son's death, make him an heir, so restoring the Snows' wealth. Coriolanus visits Highbottom, who confesses the Games were never intended to be reality. It was merely his idea one night heavily under the influence of alcohol that Crassus had stolen, and he set Coriolanus up as revenge for the bloodshed he indirectly caused. Coriolanus kills Highbottom by slipping rat poison into his vials of morphling, which he knocks back when Coriolanus has left, and is dead within minutes. Gaul later trains Coriolanus as a Gamemaker, so setting him up on his eventual rise to power.

For me 'The Hunger Games : The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' failed to ignite the interest, the level of excitement or the sense of urgency that the four original films in the franchise were able to capture, and at the longest run time of 156 minutes in the franchise outstays its welcome somewhat. That said Tom Blyth as the smiling assassin Snow, Rachel Zegler as mentee and love interest Lucy Gray, ably supported by a strong ensemble cast including Davis, Dinklage and Schwartzman do elevate this film above the also-ran, but, I can't help thinking that this young dystopian musical action drama film is enough to bridge the gap between the younger Snow and his older self as portrayed by Donald Sutherland in the original film series, so lets hope this puts an end to this franchise, particularly considering this is the most underperforming film at the Box Office in the series, and by a country mile!

'The Hunger Games : The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-