I have been a diehard “Hunger Games” fan for years, and with the release of the newest “Hunger Games” film, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”, on November 17th, there is no better time to give my opinions on both the book and the movie. For those who may not be familiar with the story, the newest film in the Hunger Games franchise is a prequel that takes place around 64 years before the first movie. The story follows the early life of Coriolanus Snow, who we know later becomes President Snow in the original franchise. It also follows Lucy Gray Baird, a singer living in District 12 who becomes Snow’s mentee in the 10th annual hunger games. Coriolanus Snow is played by the actor Tom Blyth and Lucy Gray Baird is played by the actress Rachel Zegler.
To prepare for the movie, I decided to read the book first, and went in with very high expectations. To say my expectations were met, would be an understatement. From the first page I was instantly drawn in and couldn’t believe it had taken me so long to finally start it. Although a 528 page book can be daunting, trust me when I tell you that it is completely worth the read. Reading the book gives you a completely different insight on how Snow’s brain works and provides details that aren’t always able to be captured on screen.
After reading the book, I couldn’t be more excited for the movie to come out. I saw an early screening of it on November 16th and left the theater a changed person. I know this may sound dramatic, but “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” was by far the best movie I have seen all year. Like the rest of the “Hunger Games” franchise, the book was perfectly adapted to the film. From the set, to the music, actors, costumes and more, everything was truly phenomenal. I don’t think they could have done anything better to make this movie more perfect, which does not happen often when it comes to book to screen adaptations. One of my favorite parts of this movie was the music. Since Lucy Gray is Covey, she and her family play music to make a living. Music was a big part of the book and I’m glad that they decided to keep it in for the movie as well. Olivia Rodrigo also created a song for this movie called, “Can’t Catch Me Now”, once again, this song perfectly captures Lucy Gray’s and Coriolanus’s story.
I hope that Suzanne Collins continues to make more prequels surrounding the back stories of other important characters in this franchise, because it is clear she can do no wrong when it comes to writing these books. If I hadn’t made it clear enough through my clear obsession with this story, the one thing you should take away from this article is to go watch “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”, and I promise you you won’t regret it. Although I did read the book first, you don’t have to in order to understand the movie. In fact, if you have never watched any of the “Hunger Games” movies before, this would be a great place to start.