The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes review: Light and shadow in the return of The Hunger Games

Between Mockingjay: Part 2 And The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. But in the end The Hunger Games They are back. The iconic teen fantasy saga returns with a prequel that ditches the story for the first time Katniss. But there is a famous character. The main character of the new part is Coriolanus Snowwho was the Machiavellian villain of the originals.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Focuses on the first years of public life Snow. At the time, he was just an ambitious young man wanting to make a name for himself and lead his family out of the ruin they had found themselves in due to the war. Because the film goes back more than 60 years, to the tenth edition The Hunger Games. In it, the main character will be a mentor Lucy Gray, a tribute to District 12 that year. Together they must try to win in the arena, but, above all, put on a worthy show.

Which The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes makes it clear that this is a project created for fans of the saga. For them this room is extremely attractive. Not only to see the emergence of a brilliant, disgusting character, but also to see what everyone in the world was like. The Hunger Games last year. The changes in Panem are significant. A bloody show takes place in a small arena, tributaries are treated like animals… And the inhabitants of the Capitol are not the least bit interested.

A film for fans

In the film we reveal the embryonic spectacle of this terrible festival. The aggrieved aristocrats want to restore the spirit of the games, at once punishment, fun and a portrait of humanity. This is precisely the central axis around which the morality of the film tends to revolve. It is not new, it has already been explored in the first parts The Hunger Games. That’s why anyone who even remotely likes them will have no problem at least getting a little excited about the film.

In this aspect, in addition to his own Snowthey also become more relevant Highbottom and doctor Volumnia Gaulcharacters Peter Dinklage And Viola Davis. Both are minor, but with their own scenes The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes wins a lot of integers. Their performances, as always, lift the spirits of the ensemble. And their stories are also very revealing precisely because of everything they offer, because of the way adults remake the world as they see fit until they find themselves in the post-apocalyptic ecosystem that fans are familiar with.

Snow, Lucy Gray and games

Because The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes This is a story of transition from adolescence to adulthood. Snow. How a person forges his own destiny and discovers that being a good person in the circles in which he moves is not an easy task. Of course, actor Tom Blyth deserves special mention. The film is over two and a half hours long, but he carries it on his shoulders the entire time. Having the camera constantly on him doesn’t depress him, and his performance perfectly captures the ambiguities and internal debates he faces.

Next to him is Rachel Zegler How Lucy Gray. The actress has a very short career in the world of cinema. She made her debut in the film industry as a leading lady West Side Story from Steven Spielberg. This was followed by an internship in the world of superheroes on the loose. Shazam! Fury of the Gods, where she is unremarkable. Moreover, it will Snow White in the game remake Disney and will take part in the long-awaited Paddington 3. But is this The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes This is only his third film. And while there are times when the script doesn’t help, when it’s given a chance to shine, it’s impressive. He oozes charisma from every angle and devours the screen. He is a rising star with plenty of talent to make his mark if he follows the right steps.

The last major element in its favor is the games themselves. Two films about Mockingjay They focused on something other than preparation and the fight itself in the arena. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes gets back to the heart of the saga with an interesting excerpt Lucy Gray for them. Quite different than Katniss Completely voluntary, in order to avoid comparisons, the young woman will have to win over the audience, her mentor, and do everything possible to survive without giving herself away. The result is as simple and predictable as it is effective. A very decent popcorn blockbuster.

Crazy ending The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The film runs at a good pace for an hour and a half. There’s nothing particularly surprising or exciting about it, and it has its ups and downs. The first is his starting point, since anyone who has seen the other films or read the books will find it very difficult to empathize Snow, no matter how hard the film tries and no matter how flashy it looks on paper. But it does its job of entertaining well. However, suddenly Part 3 appears. And everything becomes a tedious and eternal disaster that never seems to end. The Hunger Games end and story Snow keep going. And in doing so, what was a plot about survival and maturity becomes simultaneously too many things that make no sense and lead to a significant decrease in pacing.

On the one hand, the story of rebellion and the desire for freedom is presented. On the other hand, it’s romance. At the same time, there is a subplot about the workers’ revolution. There are betrayals, tense moments, but there are also happy ones. And a lot of songs. But it is in this extended finale that it is revealed that in fact the last third The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes This should have been a different film. They tried to cover so many things that in the end they didn’t treat any of them well. Scenes transition into each other in a disjointed and clumsy manner, suggesting very crude editing and editing. Bullets in the air. Half of the things don’t matter, and the other half have a catastrophic development. Probably, with more time of footage, the result would have been completely different. Especially because of the drastic change from the first two parts.

In the end, this bittersweet taste in the mouth significantly spoils and weighs down the film, which could have been a good revival of the franchise. The Hunger Games. The public will be the judge, as the potential for a new saga exists. But bigger isn’t always better, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes he had to settle for caution. The first proposed film is attractive and interesting. Second, forget. But they must be tried together.