The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)
Director: Francis Lawrence
Screenwriter: Michael Lesslie, Michael Arndt
Starring: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andres Rivera, Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, Viola Davis
Origin stories have enduring appeal, but not every one justifies its existence. The Hunger Games franchise, however, has proven resilient: its themes of power, oppression, rebellion and the complexities of love remain timely, and its films benefited from consistent performances, careful writing, and high production values. After more than a decade since the original installments, Hollywood’s interest in nostalgia and revisiting established worlds made a prequel inevitable. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, based on Suzanne Collins’ 2020 novel, arrives as that prequel—and it largely succeeds on its own terms.
The film takes place 64 years before Katniss Everdeen’s nightmarish entry into the arena. Panem is rebuilding after the war; the Capitol’s victory celebrations and insistence on the Hunger Games continue, but the country remains raw and fragile. The Games are only in their tenth iteration, and Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis), Head Game Maker, is searching for ways to keep audiences engaged in a cruel spectacle. Meanwhile, a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) struggles to rescue his family from financial ruin. Years before he becomes the authoritarian leader seen in the original series, Coriolanus is haunted by his family’s fall from grace after his father’s suspicious death. He lives with his grandmother (Fionnula Flanagan) and his cousin Tigris (Hunter Schafer), both coping with the harsh realities of life under the Capitol.
As part of his final year at the Academy, Coriolanus and his classmates are told they will serve as mentors in the upcoming Games. Dean Highbottom (Peter Dinklage) bluntly instructs them, “Your job is to make them into spectacles, not survivors.” Coriolanus is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a charismatic tribute from District 12 and a member of a traveling performing group called the Covey. Lucy Gray lacks traditional combat skills but commands attention through song and performance—her stagecraft becomes her survival strategy. An unexpected bond forms between mentor and tribute, compelling Coriolanus to risk everything in hopes of keeping her alive. Their relationship, however, is strained by the simmering unrest in the districts and Coriolanus’s own growing ambition.
One of the film’s strengths is its creative continuity with the original series. Director Francis Lawrence, producer Nina Jacobson, production designer Philip Messina, and cinematographer Jo Willems return, bringing a visual and tonal coherence that makes the prequel feel like a natural extension of the established world while still giving it a distinct identity. Where the later Capitol is all technicolor opulence and polished spectacle, this earlier Panem is rough, improvised, and precarious. The arena is a deteriorating concrete dome rather than a cutting-edge set; there are no late-night talk shows or polished training complexes. The film’s palette is darker and rawer, with costuming and production design drawing on mid-20th-century references that make the Capitol’s early fascistic tendencies clear. The result is a large-scale production that convincingly feels expensive and lived-in.
Like the original adaptations, this film respects Suzanne Collins’ world-building. The screenplay remains faithful to the novel’s spirit, preserving key character dynamics and narrative beats that fans will recognize and appreciate. The filmmakers avoid shoehorning in gratuitous callbacks to the original series; instead, they let the prequel’s story stand on its own. Small nods to the later timeline appear—such as Lucy Gray naming a plant “Katniss”—but these moments feel earned rather than exploitative. Composer James Newton Howard also uses familiar motifs sparingly and effectively, providing emotional resonance without overreliance on nostalgia.
Structurally, the film differs from many entries in the franchise. Rather than repeating the familiar build-to-arena arc of the originals, the first half focuses on the preparation for and execution of the Games, while the second half shifts toward the psychological unraveling of Coriolanus and Lucy Gray’s relationship and the moral compromises that follow. This shift allows the film to explore character-driven consequences of power and ambition, though the narrative does lose some momentum after the Games conclude.
The cast elevates the material. Tom Blyth brings a compelling blend of charm and menace to young Coriolanus Snow: he captures the character’s vulnerability while hinting at the ruthlessness he will one day become. His performance reads as a believable link to the older Snow fans already know. Rachel Zegler is luminous and magnetic as Lucy Gray, and her singing and stage presence are natural extensions of the character. Josh Andrés Rivera stands out as Sejanus Plinth, a classmate whose sympathy for the districts leads to tragic consequences. Hunter Schafer brings emotional clarity to Tigris in a smaller but memorable role. Jason Schwartzman provides sharp, darkly comic relief as Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman, an early television host whose flippant commentary underscores the Capitol’s moral bankruptcy without ever tipping into caricature. Peter Dinklage lends his trademark gravitas as Dean Highbottom, anchoring the Academy’s authority with nuance.
While Songbirds and Snakes may not reach the emotional heights of the original four films—those had the advantage of an extended arc to develop their protagonists—it delivers a thoughtful, polished entry that respects its source material and adds meaningful context to the franchise. It’s a prequel that understands its primary duty: to tell a compelling, self-contained story that deepens our understanding of this world and its most notorious figure. In an industry saturated with reboots and sequels, this film succeeds by focusing on character and narrative above mere nostalgia.
Score: 22/24
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.