Tag Archives: Panem

THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES movie review

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Starts strong, ends off-key. Return to the gritty world of Panem in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. What we have here is too much story crammed into a single movie, which results in poor pacing and forced character and plot development. Despite the uneven screenwriting, there is no doubt that you will be completely enthralled by Rachel Zegler’s (West Side Story) charismatic and courageous Lucy Gray! Moreover, you will also be charmed by her excellent chemistry with Tom Blyth’s (future President) Snow. But the performance that stands out the most is Viola Davis’ campy, delightfully ruthless Dr. Gaul (Game Maker)! In contrast to the struggling third act, the first two acts are well-written, but the third act desperately tries to keep your attention. Ultimately, there is enough material both presented and hinted at, in the film, to support two or even three films. Perhaps audiences were hungry for more Panem, but this movie leaves audiences feeling overstuffed, with little room to breathe and digest the story.

Years before he becomes the tyrannical president of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow remains the last hope for his fading lineage. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow becomes alarmed when he’s assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird from District 12. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and political savvy, they race against time to ultimately reveal who’s a songbird and who’s a snake.

Come for the event-like movie, but stay for Davis’ and Zegler’s performances. I don’t know if Zegler’s Lucy Gray felt like she came from District 12 or not, but her command of the character is fantastic! And how could Zegler be cast in the Hunger Games and not take advantage of her beautiful voice? If she ever wants to switch careers or add to her entertainer resume, she can add country singer to it, because her country singing should be opening for the likes of Dolly, Reba, or Shania. I am confident that she could own that country stage for an entire set, and audiences would be ecstatic! Beyond the singing, her Lucy Gray feels human. And by that, I mean both strong and vulnerable, with deep convictions for how she treats others. While many will be drawn to her character’s confidence and independence, I am drawn more to her flaws and vulnerabilities, because it is that with which we struggle that makes us most human.

Viola Davis’ Dr. Gaul steals every scene in which she appears. I cannot think of this role belonging to any other actor after witnessing her bring this sinister character to life. I know nothing of this character from the book, as I have not read it, but it feels like a role that was written for Davis. Even though there is a significant element of camp in her performance and physical appearance, she isn’t always over the top–in fact–there is a great deal of emotive nuance to her character. And that’s in part of what makes her character great–she strikes a perfect balance between camp and playing it straight. As diabolical as President Snow is in the original trilogy, her character is far more terrifying and dangerously sly. She doesn’t simply enjoy the Hunger Games, she is the Hunger Games. Suffice it to say, she slays with this role, and the film benefits greatly from her immense screen presence.

Not to be overlooked, Blyth’s Coriolanus Snow is a complex character, with whom the audience will empathize. Granted, the character isn’t quite as likable as he should have been, to achieve the full effect of the struggle of empathizing with him now with the foreknowledge of whom he becomes, but he does connect with the audience. Blyth’s performance is mildly uneven, but not so much so that it isn’t sufficiently compelling. It’s really in the third act that the performance is hit or miss, but that blame is partly laid upon the poor screenwriting in the last act. When he is on screen with Zegler or Davis, his performances shines best. The chemistry he shows with Zegler is solid, as is his interactions with his closest friend.

Since we are familiar with the games from the original trilogy, this movie is more of a character study and origin story for future President Snow than it is about the history of the games. After the prologue, which takes place one year before the first Hunger Games, the rest of the movie takes place during the tenth anniversary of the games. Ever since Disney’s Maleficent, there has been a trend to give villains origin stories so we can understand why they are how they are. And I am on the fence about this, as I believe that some people are born predisposed to sociopathy or psychopathy; and some system is not to blame, but rather it is a heart and mind struggle within that individual. But I digress. It is established that Snow comes from a once proud, well-to-do Capital family, but in the wake of his General father’s death, the family struggles to keep their house and food on the table. Coriolanus Snow struggles with needing to provide a future for his cousin and grandmother, but not lose his humanity in the process. Unfortunately, we’ve seen the original trilogy, so we know what happens. Lucy Gray and Dr. Gaul may steal steal the scene, but no mistaking it, this story is about the emotional and psychological development of future President Snow.

And I’d be remiss not to mention that it was a treat to see that Peter Dinklage still “drinks and knows things” (for my fellow Game of Thrones fans).

If you’re interested in returning to Panem, definitely catch The Hunger Games: the Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes on the big screen. I saw it in Dolby Cinema at the screening. As I honestly, could take or leave the exhausting YA genre, I do feel there could be another movie or two in this Hunger Games saga. I’d like to see more of Dr. Gaul and future President Snow.

Ryan teaches Film Studies and Screenwriting at the University of Tampa and is a member of the Critics Association of Central Florida and Indie Film Critics of America. If you like this article, check out the others and FOLLOW this blog! Interested in Ryan making a guest appearance on your podcast or contributing to your website? Send him a DM on Twitter. If you’re ever in Tampa or Orlando, feel free to catch a movie with him.

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“Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” movie review

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Mockingjay 2Audiences witness a franchise and world-wide phenomenon come in for a mostly smooth, however anti-climactic, landing. The final installment in the Hunger Games franchise Mockingjay Part 2 over-promises and under-delivers. Despite that, the continued plot from Part 1 is carried out well enough and has many poignant moments and a few exciting sequences. You will also get to watch two of the best-written scenes in the entire franchise. Instead of a continued goodbye to Philip Seymour Hoffman, his few appearances in the film actually remind audiences that the majority of Part 2 was actually filmed in early 2014 and all the actors have long-since moved onto other projects and left the dystopian world of Panem behind. The first act of the movie begins abruptly and may bore you, but Acts Two and Three will deliver some impressive scenes and generate a great deal of excitement and anticipation. At the end of the day, The Hunger Games is one of the best examples of a cash grab with only Disney’s Frozen leading the pack for the ultimate superficial, absent of any critical value, cash cow.

Pick up right where you left off with Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) having just survived the vicious attack from Peeta (Josh Hutcherson). By now, Katniss, President Coin (Julianne Moore), Gale (Liam Hemsworth), and Finnick (Sam Claflin) all realize that the stakes are incredibly higher than they ever thought. For now, they are on a mission for the survival of the rebellion and to keep Panem from imploding on itself and falling into complete chaos. Ignoring President Coin’s orders, Katniss stows away and joins a special operations team on the front lines with one goal in mind–assassinate President Snow (Donald Sutherland). With the end in sight, the rebellion infiltrates the capital and continues to press on toward the presidential estate in order to bring the thoughtless deaths and dictatorship of Snow to a close.

Over all, the movie does a good job of bringing the high-concept plot to a close. It also finishes its run on top as other films try to be a Hunger Games but fail to deliver the same value. You know you did something right when there are half a dozen other big-budget films and parodies that are based on similar concepts made popular in the franchise. The most prominent disappointment in Mockingjay Part 2 is the abrupt start and fairly anti-climactic denouement. This film cannot be entirely held responsible for the rough first act because Part 1 should have ended with Peeta strangling Katniss before we witness her in the neck brace. Starting Part 2 with Katniss in the neck brace without having seen her in it, in the previous installment, would have been a much better choice. Her recovery from the acute neck trauma was also a little rushed. It would have been more appropriate and added to the emotional power of the film to see her slowly recover as she makes her way towards Snow’s mansion. The chemistry between Katniss and Peeta is not as well played out in this chapter as it had been in the previous movies. Not having read the books, I am unsure if that is how it is supposed to be or the writers and director just didn’t feel the chemistry was important.  There are a few tense moments between Peeta and Katniss that show a quality of writing not often found in the rest of the franchise.

Although the writing throughout the films has not been a strong point–not that is has been bad–just that it is not as strong as it should be, there are two scenes from Part 2 that are emotionally powerful and very well written. Without giving anything away, there is a scene with Katniss and Peeta lying awake at night talking. The exchange of dialog is some of the best writing in the entire series; however, just when the writers were about to hit a homerun, it ends suddenly at the buildup. The emotional highs and lows of the relationship between Katniss and Peeta are seen in this brief portion of the movie. Towards the end of the movie after the capital has been won over and Snow is being held captive in his own estate, Katniss approaches him for what would be one of the last times. She finally comes face to face with her oppressor turned prisoner. If there was one scene selected for its contributions to the film in both acting, writing, and directing, this scene would be it. The tension felt between Snow and Katniss is so think that it could be cut with a knife. Truths are told and secrets revealed that are a game changer that comes out of left field (for those of us who have not read the books). In many movies, a scene like this may not contain much in the way of class, but Sutherland brings that sense of the notorious paired with high class that he is known for.

This is it! We finally get to the capital. Wait. It is already in ruins??? Despite the fact that some of the best scenes from the Hunger Games franchise take place in this last installment within the walls of the opulent, garish, lavish capital of Panem, the audience does not get to witness the decay and destruction of the city that flourished on the backs of those who begrudgingly took from their lands to support the lifestyle of the 1%. Where is the forced transition from, what amounts to, heaven to hell? The gold and silver lined streets, turning into ash??? There would have been some critical and intrinsic value in watching the city destroy itself amidst the house of cards that it build. Instead we get thrown in to the post-war Panem. Even for our characters, there would have been immense satisfaction in watching the capital pay for the shattered lives and broken families that proved the resources for their glutinous lifestyle. Just before the war comes to an end, there is a death scene that is handled quite poorly. There is no emotional windup or climax–it is just a quick death that you could miss by looking down at your popcorn or that text message. Audiences leave the world of Panem with some degree of hope for the once dystopian society that finally has a chance at a fair, democratic, and bright future.

It is definitely evident that this franchise fought hard and valiantly to stay relevant and alive for the past few years. From what I can gather, this last installment in The Hunger Games plays it closely to the book, with some exceptions that definitely could have been visually told better. It does what a final chapter should do and brings the narrative to a close by providing a degree of resolution. Even though there are many elements of the movie that could have been treated with more finesse and better developed, it is probably the best in the franchise. Whether you only watch the movies or you are among those who read the books and then saw the movies, this film should appeal to both audiences.