The Sunday Mail
FILM REVIEW
Tinashe Kusema
IF I were to describe “Hunger Games: The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes” in one word, that word would be “frustrating”.
The prequel to the hugely successful “Hunger Games” tetralogy manages to achieve the impossible task of humanising one of the story’s biggest and most despicable characters in Coriolanus Snow or President Snow.
For a story that had very few memorable characters, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen were the standout performers.
One of them stood out from a story point of view (Everdeen), while the other relied more on the performance of Donald Sutherland (Snow).
Now, before we delve deeper into the surprise hit that is “Hunger Games: The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes”, I wish to emphasise my dislike of prequels, reboots and some of these belated sequels that Hollywood seems to have a fascination with.
Rarely do the filmmakers improve the original. Often than not, they are usually guilty of some lazy writing.
However, the movie under review seems to be an exception. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
Much of the credit has to go to the great writing by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt. They did a splendid job in telling Snow’s origins story.
The film takes place 60 years before the events of the tetralogy. We see a young Snow (Tom Blyth) shortly after the Snow family patriarch, General Crassus, dies in action during the First Rebellion between the capitol and 13 districts.
Crassus’ son, Coriolanus (Blyth), is among 24 academy students who get selected to mentor a tribute during the 10th Annual Hunger Games.
The student who shines the brightest earns himself the Plinth Prize scholarship, which Snow views as the first stage towards restoring his family name, money and status.
Snow is assigned a young, rebellious and headstrong tribute by the name of Lucy Gray Baird.
Baird has elements of Katniss Evergreen in her, but Lesslie and Arndt almost go overboard in their references and similarities.
Snow and Baird build a friendship that leads into a short-lived love story.
For a minute, one almost forgets this man grows up into being evil.
The actual games’ scenes are few and far between but do keep with the violent undertones while erring on the side of caution.
In short, it is all masterfully done.
While the original “Hunger Games” story lacked strong supporting acts, the prequel has them in abundance.
Here, two characters stand out.
Viola Davis stars as Dr Volumnia Gaul — the head game maker of the 10th Hunger Games and the person who first implemented them.
Peter Dinklage plays Casca Highbottom, who is dean of the academy and intellectual author of the games themselves.
Both characters play pivotal roles in shaping Snow into the evil man he grows up to be.
The two see his potential. While Highbottom tries to push him away from his fated path, Gaul decides to nurture and shape it.
Dinklage and Davis do an exceptional job.
Blyth is no slouch either, as the 28-year-old English actor does a very good job in taking the movie forward and going toe-to-toe with Davis and Dinklage.
