The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

 Who wants to play the games again?

It's been nearly a decade since The Hunger Games ended with Mockingjay - Part 2. But they're back with a prequel, subtitled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a long subtitle for a long supervillain origin story.

Long before he was Donald Sutherland's President Evil in the original films, Coriolanus Snow was Tom Blyth's scion of a disgraced family. He and his cousin, Tigris (Hunter Schafer), and their "Grandma'am" (Fionnula Flanagan) live in abject poverty in the otherwise wealthy Capital of Panem. Dean Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage), the mastermind of The Hunger Games, tasks "Coryo" and his Academy classmates to mentor the tributes of the upcoming 10th Games. Coryo, in particular, is assigned District 12's Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a popular country singer. Whoever mentors the best gets wealth and glory.

Problem is, The Hunger Games are actually not that popular. Coryo decides to drum up support by turning it into a spectacle, complete with sponsorships already in place by the time Katniss plays her first games. He sees Lucy Gray's fiery personality as perfect superstar material. Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis), the Head Gamemaker, approves Coryo's innovations. A few problems arise for Coryo when the Games start; for one thing, his relationship with Lucy Gray turns romantic. 

The screenplay by Michael Arndt and Michael Lesslie is divided into three parts: The Mentor, The Prize and The Peacekeeper. Those first two parts are the most gripping as we learn about the Games pre-Katniss. It's shocking to see that the ghastly spectacle in the original films is an improvement over what the tributes experience here (for one thing, they're dumped into a zoo until game day). The ineptitude of the drones which send tributes items is weaponized at one point. All the while, we see Coryo's relationship with Lucy Gray develop as he becomes invested in the spectacle he created. Her victory would make a great ending for the film. That happens at around 90 minutes out of 157.

The Peacekeeper is a dour character study as Coryo is drafted into military service in District 12. He faces heartbreak and betrayal - he even does some betraying - on his way to becoming President Evil. Blyth is quite likable whenever Coryo's a good guy, but his descent to self-serving villain is rushed in this part. It's still tragic to see his idealism rot away into villainhood. He has Sutherland's demeanor nailed by the time he's fully future President Evil.

Zegler makes quite a first impression when Lucy Gray stuffs a snake down her archenemy Mayfair's (Isobel Jesper Jones) dress, lunges at her father, the Mayor, and sings a defiant song on stage. She never loses that spark throughout its runtime. Her chemistry with Coryo is great, and we're fully invested in her when the Games begin. Davis, meanwhile, absolutely relishes playing Dr. Gaul as a wicked mad scientist. She cements her maliciousness when she persuades Coryo's academic rival, Clemensia (Ashley Liao), to dip her hand into a tank of rainbow snakes. She's the kind of villain you'd want to see get her comeuppance. Maybe next time.

Now for a few others. Jose Andres Rivera is quite compelling as Coryo's best friend, Sejanus, who detests the Games. Dinklage as Highbottom is surprisingly likable, while Jason Schwartzmann is funny as Games Host Lucky Flickerman. A few tribute highlights include the sympathetic Reaper Ash (Dimitri Abold), Lucy Gray's District 12 counterpart, Jessup (Nick Benson), and Coral (Mackenzie Lansing), the ringleader of the antagonistic tributes. Lily Cooper also stands out as Coryo's classmate, Arachne, whose snootiness spectacularly bites her.

The film's Art Deco production design - think futuristic Great Depression America - is spectacular. Everywhere from the opulent Capital to the bleak District 12 is appealing. The visual effects that help complete these locales are seamless. The matching costume and makeup designs are pretty good, too. The sound design gets its best moment when the Tributes and their Mentors encounter an unexpected problem. Let's just say it's a shocking one. James Newton Howard returns to give this instalment another splendid score. Who knows if the Academy will notice any of them.

It's a bit too long, but The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a good prequel. Its supervillain origin story is surprisingly compelling even with its narrative issues. It will fill your need for Thanksgiving action with style. It's a fine return for the one reality show nobody wants to be in. So, yeah, see it on the widest screen you can find. If all goes well, I'm going to do something crazy:

A theatrical double-feature.