"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" without Jennifer Lawrence - is that even a Hunger Games movie?
Ten years have passed since "The Hunger Games" took the world by storm at the box office, and along with it, the popularity of its leading actress, Jennifer Lawrence. Now, the prequel to the series is hitting the big screen with "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes." A new era, a new story, a new cast. Will it work?
In 2012, the youth words of the year were "Yolo," "FU," and "Yalla!" And in the cinema, the "Twilight" series had just ended, but the "Hunger Games" series was already waiting in the wings. The saga, based on the novels by US author Suzanne Collins, not only had the potential to excite adolescents, but it also managed to inspire viewers beyond the age of braces. In Germany alone, over two million people bought a ticket for the start of the film series. For the finale "Mockingjay, Part 2," even more than four million visitors flocked to the cinemas.
Was the series so successful because Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen embodied the Amazon with the bow and arrow so convincingly? Or was it the success of the saga that propelled the actress so high that she won her first Oscar in 2013 at the age of 22? Not for "Panem," of course, but for "Silver Linings." The fantasy spectacle was deliberately ignored by the Academy. Somehow, however, Lawrence could not be ignored.
This time, Lawrence will not be in the movie. Instead, the film focuses on the young Coriolanus Snow - and thus the man who, as the dictator of Panem, will later make life hell for the character played by Lawrence. While Donald Sutherland, a veteran actor with a long history of life on the road, slipped into the role of the aged Snow, in "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes," British newcomer Tom Blyth plays the young president-to-be.
While Snow is still an aspiring elite student in the Capitol, there are already the "Hunger Games." What is new, however, is the idea of providing the tributes with a mentor in their fight for life and death. It is no coincidence that Snow has to take the wallflower Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) from District 12 under his wing - Dean Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage) has little love for him and his family.
However, as a career in the Capitol beckons for the mentor of the successful tribute, Snow goes to great lengths to prepare his protégés for the battle in the arena and ensure their survival there. To this end, he sometimes resorts to one trick or another, for example, when he lets the Supreme Gamesmaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis) initiate him into the pitfalls she has devised for the tributes. This is not without consequences - neither for him nor for Lucy Gray, to whom he feels more and more attracted ...
Three chapters, one movie
The film "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" is divided into three chapters - from the road to the 'Hunger Games' to the games themselves and the events afterwards. Director Frances Lawrence, who is not related to Jennifer Lawrence by blood or marriage, takes the reins for the fourth time. After regretting having directed "Mockingjay" in two parts, he obviously didn't want to make the same mistake again. So he packed the entire plot of "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" into just one film, which is around two and a half hours long.
Dramaturgically, the result is quite impressive. You won't get bored in your movie seat, the narrative is dense and stringent without being rushed. Nevertheless, "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" struggles to keep up with its predecessors, even though or precisely because the prequel makes full use of some of the previous success criteria.
There really is a lot of singing in apocalyptic Panem this time. The song "The Hanging Tree" from "Mockingjay, Part 1," for example, which made it out of the cinemas and into the charts in 2014, is given its full due. And almost excessively so. There's no question that Peter Dinklage - like the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in previous films - is a great actor. But perhaps we've seen enough of his role as a dubious adolescent since "Game of Thrones."
Rachel Zegler's thankless task
However, the most thankless task of being measured against Jennifer Lawrence falls to Rachel Zegler. No matter how seductive the look of the self-made singer and actress made famous by Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" may be, she is nowhere near the emotional depth of her predecessor in the heroine role. And it looks like she won't get another chance to do so for the time being. Although "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" offers a number of starting points for a sequel - Suzanne Collins has not yet written one.
"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" is different from the original series in several ways, despite Jennifer Lawrence's absence from the cast:
- Time Period: The prequel takes place 64 years before the events of the original series, during the 10th Hunger Games. This allows for a different portrayal of the Games and the characters involved, as the Capitol's approach to the Games is less glamorous and more brutal compared to the later years.
- Character Focus: The prequel focuses on the early days of Coriolanus Snow, who is portrayed as a young man desperate to attend university and improve his family's social standing. This contrasts with the Snow of the original series, who is a ruthless dictator. The story also centers around Lucy Gray Baird, a rebellious tribute from District 12.
- Setting and Atmosphere: The prequel depicts a more raw and less polished version of the Games. The Capitol does not invest as much in the spectacle, and the tributes are treated more as animals than as entertainment. This setting creates a darker and more intense atmosphere compared to the original series.
- Character Dynamics: The relationship between Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray Baird is central to the story. Unlike Katniss and Peeta, who are forced into a romantic relationship for the sake of the Games, Snow and Baird form a complex bond that is both strategic and emotional. This dynamic adds a new layer to the series' exploration of human relationships under duress.
- Themes: While the original series explores themes of rebellion, survival, and the exploitation of the poor by the wealthy, "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" delves deeper into the origins of the oppressive regime and the moral complexities of its characters. It highlights how individuals like Snow, who are initially driven by personal ambitions, can evolve into powerful oppressors.
These differences allow the prequel to offer a fresh perspective on the Hunger Games universe, even without Jennifer Lawrence's presence. The focus on the early days of the Games and the characters that shaped them provides a unique narrative that expands the series' lore and themes.
