The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) Movie Review NO SPOILERS: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman, Peter Dinklage

Plot

Welcome to the 10th annual Hunger Games! The Capitol is struggling. The games are boring, people aren’t watching, and the city is still recovering from war. A young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) — long before he became President Snow — is a top student fighting to restore his family’s fallen legacy. His assignment: Mentor the female tribute from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler). She is not a warrior like Katniss; she’s a performer, a singer, and a ‘Songbird.’ Together, they have to turn the games into a spectacle and WIN. But Coriolanus has to decide if he is the man of the people or if he has BLOOD-LUST, like everyone in the Capitol.

Review

• Tom Blyth is a Revelation: It is incredibly hard to make people root for a future dictator, but Blyth pulls it off. Snow is HUNGRY for POWER. His chemistry with Zegler is electric, but there’s always an underlying sense of mistrust that keeps you on edge.
• Viola Davis as Dr. Gaul: She is pure nightmare fuel. With her mismatched eyes and her lab of mutated snakes, she represents the cruel philosophy of the Capitol. She doesn’t want to kill tributes; she wants to prove that everyone is PREY.
• The Music: Unlike the original trilogy, music is a weapon here. Rachel Zegler’s live vocals bring a ‘folk-horror’ vibe to the Hunger Games that makes the world feel older and more grounded. It gives a 1960s vibe when Bob Dylan and Joan Baez were the King and Queen of folk music.
• The Length: The movie is divided into three distinct chapters. The first two are high-octane arena action. The third act moves to District 12 and slows down. It feels like a different movie, and for some, the 2-hour-and-38-minute runtime might feel too long. And they did that for a reason, because….
• Not Much Action: This one doesn’t have as much action as the original Hunger Games. The movie is more of a political thriller/psychological drama than a battle royale. If you’re looking for action, this ain’t it.

Summary

This is a story about Human Nature. Dr. Gaul asks the central question: “What are we when the rules of civilization are stripped away?” Lucy Gray believes we are fundamentally GOOD. Snow eventually decides that we are animals that need to be CONTROLLED and REMINDED. And that is why The Hunger Games shall CONTINUE.

Budget: $100 Million

Box Office: $349 Million

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