The long-awaited Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, has finally arrived! This was my most-anticipated movie of the year, and I was fortunate enough to watch it during Thanksgiving break. Since its release, I have seen many review videos, Katniss and Lucy Gray comparison videos, and Tom Blyth edits all over social media. But is it worth the hype?
WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
Starring Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes place 64 years before Katniss volunteers as tribute. This 2-hour and 38-minute movie is a villain-origin story about young Coriolanus (Coryo) Snow, also known as President Snow. He becomes a mentor of the 10th annual Hunger Games to the female tribute of District 12, Lucy Gray Baird.
The movie starts with a flashback of Tigris and Coriolanus as kids during the war. In this scene, movie-watches see how bad the war was. It shows how much the war impacted young Coriolanus and how his trauma follows him for the rest of his life. I liked how they made this a whole scene rather than a series of flashbacks, like in the book. However, I wish they had extended this scene to show Coriolanus’ childhood during the war.
What stood out to me the most in this movie were the actors. There has been a lot of backlash with the casting recently because of Rachel Zegler and the Snow White scandal. However, she redeemed herself in this movie. I loved every single song she sang throughout the film. Tom Blyth truly embodied Coriolanus and showed his charm and cunningness vividly. Finally, Viola Davis, who plays Dr. Gaul, the eccentric Head Gamemaker, shined in my eyes. I wasn’t sure what to expect with Dr. Gaul. However, I was scared of her because of the twisted and eclectic energy she brought to her character.
But the movie’s real star was Jason Schwartzman’s character Lucky Flickerman, Caesar Flickerman’s father. Even though he is such a minor character, even in the book, I loved him as the comic relief in the movie (even if the jokes are dark). One of my favorite lines of his is when he is supposed to be commentating on the games. However, he calls for a reservation for “a table of two plus a highchair.” I also couldn’t stop laughing when the tribute named Dill was nicknamed “tuberculosis on legs.”
As someone who read the book when it first came out, there were a couple of things that I wish were included in the movie that were in the book. First, I wish some of Coriolanus’ internal dialogue had been included in the film. I understand that this is hard to include in a movie. At the start of the book, you can tell that something is off about Coriolanus based on his internal dialogue. Internally, he isn’t very nice to people, especially with Sejanus. But I think including some of his dark internal dialogue in the movie would better explain some of his actions, especially at the end when he starts going crazy looking for Lucy Gray.
Also, I wish the movie included more moments with Corio’s classmate Clemensia. In the film, her fate is unclear after being attacked by Dr. Gaul’s snakes. It is presumed that she died. In the book, she is alive. Dr. Gaul and everyone covers up her accident and says that she has a severe case of the flu. However, when she appears during the games, her face is all scarred with yellow-colored eyes. She also faces some neurological problems because of the venom. I would have liked to see more of Clemensia.
Overall, there are so many reasons why I loved this movie. I left the theater speechless because there was so much to take in. There are so many twists and turns that I haven’t stopped thinking about, including the origins of The Hanging Tree song. But what makes this movie stand out is how closely the movie follows the book. I recommend that everyone reads the book because it has many of subtle hints and tie-ins to the original Hunger Games trilogy.
May the odds be ever in your favor!