The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
It feels like out of nowhere The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was announced and then released. The film did well financially and received mixed reviews out of the gate. As we all know, even with our reviews here, film criticism is divisive. So, does this prequel deliver the goods? Are we delving deeper into Panem lore or is none of this surprising? Get in on the action of the tenth annual Hunger Games below and be sure to click the cover art at the end to access a paid Amazon link to grab your copy of this newest installment of the Hunger Games saga.
Film 
64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes follows a young Coriolanus as he unites with Lucy Gray Baird in the 10th Hunger Games and battles his instincts for both good and evil.
Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is set to be a mentor to a tribute in the 10th annual Hunger Games. Panem is war torn and Snow’s family is disgraced following the actions of his father many years before. Snow hopes to restore the family’s good name and win a scholarship. Of course, that would take a victory in the games and gaining the respect of the games’ creator Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage). Snow is given the tribute from district 12, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) who can sing and not too much else. She is strong though. Her survival skills seem non-existent at first, but with some help, and benefitting from Snow’s kindness, Lucy Gray may become the victor soon.
Things aren’t all cut and dry though. We have Sejanus Plinth (Josh Andres Rivera) who despises the games but has a tribute from district 2 where he once lived. There’s Dr. Volumnia Gaul (an eerie Viola Davis) who wants to distribute a rainbow of terror on the games and who initiated the Games on their inception. There are also the fellow tributes who range from meek, one of the tributes has Downs Syndrome, to ruthless like Coral, who is the leader of “the Pack” who terrorize Lucy Gray as she fights for survival in the Arena.
Highbottom and Gaul both find ways to throw Coriolanus off. He finds that he has some connection with both villains, and he uses those connections to his advantage. The complex layers to both relationships can be confusing to the viewer. Of course, Lucy Gray is beautiful, kind and determined, and of course, Coriolanus falls for her. When Lucy Gray is able to find a way to win the Games, things spiral out into a wider quest for survival, outside of the arena, and into the districts. This is where the lines are drawn, and Coriolanus must choose love or power. How will the story unfold?
We already know that Snow ends up being a horrible villain in the Hunger Games series. This film rather deftly sets Snow up first as an ambitious, kind and determined mentor to Lucy Gray, then a player on both sides of the Hunger Games lines, and finally, as a would-be evil doer looking to make his way up the empiric ladder. Since we all know how Snow’s story ends, does that make The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesworth a watch? I would say so.
This new prequel sets up what we’ve come to know from the Hunger Games saga. We see the inception of the flashier notions of the earlier entries and how Panem changed from this era to the “future” installments. There is a great deal of storytelling that for some can be helpful in fleshing out the world building that happened over the previous 4 films. We also get a treat in seeing Tom Blyth embody a young Snow. He has a great character evolution in this film. Rachel Zegler Is also fantastic as the ingenue, willing to push hard for survival, with a stunning voice and a true kind nature, unwilling to stop being a nice person just to keep on living. Zegler has a presence here that is admirable to say the least. Viola Davis is the kind of villain that makes you turn away. She is intimidating and has the look of evil before she even opens her mouth. Dinklage’s Highbottom may be small in stature, but we know already his place in the creation of the Hunger Games makes him a big draw as well. He is the glue that holds these games together… or is he?
Video
NOTE: Stills are provided for promotional use only and are not from the 4K or HD Blu-rays
Encoding: HEVC/H.265
Resolution: 4K
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Layers: BD-100
Clarity/Detail: The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes gets a reference grade Dolby Vision transfer on UHD Blu-ray. Clarity is exceptional with a great look in all levels of light. Colors look faded and dusty as a dystopian world should, and details are sharp for the duration of the film!
Depth: Interiors and exteriors are rife with items to take in. Foregrounds and backgrounds look exceptional and nuanced in every frame. There is no loss of quality anywhere and the set design is showcased perfectly in 4K
Black Levels: Black levels are fantastic. There are strong details in nighttime scenes, even in low light, with nothing looking out of the ordinary. No crush either!
Color Reproduction: The color palette here is colorful but muted. Nothing looks wrong here, just as the filmmakers no doubt intended. The time frame is never noted, but it feels like this installment takes place in an alternate version of the 60’s, and things have a dusty faded look to them. But this feels like artist intent, as it most certainly isn’t a color error.
Flesh Tones: Natural, clean looking flesh tones throughout. Even the CGI is given a fair treatment here.
Noise/Artifacts: Clean.
Audio
Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos, Spanish Dolby Digital Plus 5.1,French (Canadian) Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Dynamics: Another reference grade aspect of this disc is a consistently immersive Dolby Atmos track. From the punishing bass to the active height channels to the excellent dialogue placement, there is nothing but raves to be said about this mix!
Height: Whether it’s a drone flying in water or snakes unleashing hell on their victims, these height channels don’t quit. There is something magical about an active Atmos mix, and this one is all magic. This is a great example of how to utilize height channels.
Low-Frequency Extension: Bass begins the moment the titles come on the screen and continues to present itself throughout the film. This is a floor shaking mix, and that’s a high compliment!
Surround Sound Presentation: Surrounds provide lots of interesting sounds for the duration of the film. The sound field is meant to pull you into the action and whether we are in a tavern, a drafty house, a cabin or the Hunger Games arena, these surrounds can help you feel as if you’re in the action.
Dialogue Reproduction: Perfect dialogue every time we hear characters speak.
Extras
As is the case with the other Hunger Games series entries, there is an impressively depth-defying documentary here. Predator or Prey: Making The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is a 2 and a half hour, 8-part documentary that gives you everything you need to know about the making of the film. These are the kinds of documentaries that film collectors yearn for, so this gives me an incredibly good feeling, hoping that we see more features like this on more films as we continue adding to our collections.
We also get full audio of Rachel Zegler’s The Hanging Tree, a letter to fans from Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins, an audio commentary from Francis Lawrence and his co-producer Nina Jacobson. The documentary is the obvious choice from this package, and makes this once a recommended pick-up in my humble opinion. The film also has a steelbook available at Walmart and a special edition from Amazon as well.
Summary
There are many questions presented and answered over the nearly 3-hour length of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. There are also a few stones left unturned – characters whose fates are left unsaid, and villains who may or may not live to oversee another set of games. Will there be another Hunger Games prequel? Who can say, but if you have to prequel, this is how you do it right. I was unable to take my eyes away from this film. I found myself fully involved, asking questions, paying close attention, and following along as best I could even if I became confused. I did not expect to connect to this film as much as I did, and I can only hope there is a follow up. I have to know what happens to one specific character! This was an excellent addition to the Hunger Games series, and one I hope more people come to see as it comes home in this 4K UHD Blu-ray edition.
