Movie Review: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A good addition to The Hunger Games franchise. 

What makes this film work so well is the two main characters. Coriolanus Snow is a very complex character and one that is fascinating to watch. While we may not always like him, we do always relate to him. We see a bit of ourselves in every part of him. Because of this, we often find us putting ourselves in his shoes and thinking about what we would do in such a situation. This gives us an emotional attachment to what we are watching, in a completely different way than the average action movie. Lucy Gray is the complete other side of the coin. She is a character that we can't help but like. She simply has a good heart, and we are shown that over and over again. Because of this there is a real suspense in the Hunger Games scenes as we simply fear for her life. In many ways she functions as the heart of this film and a bright light in a dark world. The romance between the two is also very well handled and feels completely believable and real. The story line is also very intelligent here. Not only is it quite involving but the social commentary and larger points in this film are very smart and thought provoking. 

One thing that shocked me with just how much I loved it was the music. As many of you know I am a major country music fan. So, I was delighted that the songs (one of the characters is a singer) took a strong influence from country, bluegrass and folk music. Not only this but the songs were very well written, both musically and lyrically (I understand that the lyrics come directly from the book). Rachel Zegler also did a wonderful job singing these songs and was a joy to listen to. This is my taste in music and I hope this movie introduces more people to this type of music. 

Not everything here works though. Though our main two characters are great, all the other characters are either very bland or too over the top that the clash with the more serious tone of the film. The attempts at humor also often fall flat. While it is important to have bits of humor to lighten the mood in this type of film, none of it was funny here. The movie is also quite long and can drag at times (especially in the last act). 

While this film may have its flaws, everything that works is simply wonderful.