Alright, listen up, y’all. I just went and saw that new Hunger Games movie, the one with all them birds and snakes. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, they call it. Now, I ain’t no fancy movie critic or nothin’, but I got a thing or two to say about it.
First off, it’s long. Real long. Like, sit-on-your-butt-for-a-good-long-while long. And it ain’t all shootin’ and killin’ like them other Hunger Games movies. This one takes its sweet time gettin’ goin’. It’s a slow burn, they say. Me? I say it’s just plain slow sometimes.
The beginning, it’s all about this young fella, Coriolanus Snow. Yeah, that’s right, the same ol’ President Snow from the other movies, but way back when he was just a young’un. He’s tryin’ to make somethin’ of himself, you see, but things ain’t easy. His family’s lost all their money and he’s gotta win this mentor thing for the Hunger Games to get a scholarship to college. Sounds complicated, right? Well, it kinda is.
- He gets stuck with this girl tribute from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird. She’s a singer, kinda folksy, like somethin’ you’d hear down at the county fair.
- And let me tell you, this girl, she’s somethin’ else. She ain’t like them other tributes, all fierce and ready to fight. She’s got a sweetness to her, but also a fire in her belly.
Now, the actual Hunger Games part, it ain’t the main focus, ya know? It’s there, sure, but it’s not the whole shebang. This movie, it’s more about Snow and Lucy Gray and their weird little relationship. And let me tell ya, it’s kinda messed up. You see them gettin’ closer, but then Snow, he’s got this ambition, this hunger for power, that gets in the way.
The best part of the movie, I reckon, ain’t even the games themselves. It’s what happens after. The choices Snow makes, the things he does to get ahead. That’s where it gets real interestin’. You see him turnin’ into the bad guy we all know from the other movies, and it’s kinda creepy, ya know? Seein’ how a young fella can go from tryin’ to do good to doin’ all sorts of bad.
They say this movie is a prequel, which I guess means it happened before them other Hunger Games movies. And it does feel like part of the same story, but it’s also different. It’s got more talkin’ and less fightin’. Some folks might not like that, but I didn’t mind it too much.
The actors, they did a good job. The fella playin’ young Snow, he’s got that cold, calculatin’ look down pat. And the girl playin’ Lucy Gray, she’s got a voice like a songbird, just like they say. And the music, oh, the music! It’s real purdy, real catchin’. I found myself hummin’ along a few times, even though I ain’t usually one for that kinda stuff.
Now, I heard some folks sayin’ the endin’ was rushed, and I gotta agree with ‘em a little bit. It felt like they were tryin’ to cram too much in at the last minute. But overall, I enjoyed it. It ain’t perfect, mind you, but it’s a good watch. It makes you think, ya know? About power, and ambition, and what people are willin’ to do to get what they want.
So, if you’re lookin’ for a movie with lots of action and explosions, this ain’t it. But if you want a story that’ll stick with you, somethin’ that’ll make you ponder things for a bit, then give this Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes a try. Just make sure you got plenty of time, ‘cause like I said, it’s a long one.
One last thing, they toned down the violence a bit, I think. Made it PG-13, so the youngsters can watch it too. But don’t you worry, it’s still got enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Tags:[‘Hunger Games’, ‘Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’, ‘Movie Review’, ‘Prequel’, ‘Coriolanus Snow’, ‘Lucy Gray Baird’, ‘Panem’]
