Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) and his fellow elite students from the Capitol are asked to mentor a participant in the 10th Annual Hunger Games. Snow is assigned Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) from District 12 and begins to develop feelings for her. 

Between 2012-2015 we were treated to a film a year in the world of Panem following the trials of Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games overseen by President Snow. This feature is a prequel set decades before (the first film features the 74th Annual Hunger Games) which plays out as a coming of age film for Snow. How did a man set off on his path to power and become the tyrannical and malevolent leader that he was? 

When we first meet Snow he is a small boy struggling to survive during the uprising scrabbling around for food. Later as one of the most talented pupils in the Capitol his family are still struggling to keep up appearances as their estate crumbles and they face eviction notices. Snow’s only goal is to win the prize of best student in order to pay bills and try and restore his family name. However with a change to the rules of the Hunger Games that focus is moved to being the best mentor for his assigned contestant. 

Snow’s goals will be impacted and challenged by fringe characters such as Dean Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage) who despises Snow for undisclosed reasons, Games Maker Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis) who appears to be certifiably insane and friend Sejanus Plinth (Josh Andres Rivera) whose family became rich during the war despite their District roots. Whilst his relationship with Lucy Gray will of course impact him the most. 

The film looks spectacular and it feels good to be back in this world that was so compelling in the original series of films. Whilst the Capitol is under reconstruction as a result of the war there is still a sense of grandeur in the clothing worn by those that live there in comparison to the impoverished District’s. It is also intriguing to see how the games started out in a much more basic manner and slowly understand their evolution. 

The plot itself though is decidedly unsatisfactory and left me with far more questions than answers. Following a three part structure we see Snow across three distinct phases in time relating to the 10th edition of the Hunger Games.  The biggest issue however is that it fails to give any real insight into Snow’s motivations and behaviours. We know that he wants to return his family to the favoured position they once held and to alleviate the pain of poverty on his cousin Tigris (Hunter Schafer) and his Grandma’am (Fionnula Flanagan). But beyond that it seems vague and only makes a real effort to explain his motivations in the final act which seems too little too late for a film that runs at 157 minutes long. It does not make it a bad watch. It just makes it a frustrating one. And whilst I might be in danger of reviewing what is not there both people I know who have read the book say the motivations are there and clear from the start. 

Performance wise it has a lot going for it. Tom Blyth holds the screen well as the lead even if his characters motivations seem hard to parse. Rachel Zegler is captivating as the tribute who catches the nations eye as she sings in a country twang. Viola Davis is having a ball as a very unhinged character although Peter Dinklage does less well as the Dean with a secret. But the absolute best part of the movie is a character who provides comic relief and entertainment without necessarily driving the plot. Jason Schwartzman as Lucky Flickerman, host of the hunger games, weatherman and amateur magician is by far the most enigmatic and exciting aspect of the film and I would gladly have seen more of him. I do wonder if he made his dinner reservation in the end? 

So it’s a tough one. Enjoyable, yes. But does it live up to the Hunger Games name? No. Perhaps this is one of those books that required the split into two films treatment that so many get these days?