Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Over Thanksgiving break, I had the privilege to go and see the new Hunger Games movie, “The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes.” As someone who has been a huge fan of the books and movies since I was a preteen with one braid in her hair and a Mockingjay pin, I immediately knew I needed to go see this movie the second it came out, and it did not disappoint.
The book is told from the perspective of a young Coriolanus Snow, the future dictatorial president of Panem that we see in the original Hunger Games trilogy. However, he has not yet become this monster we have been accustomed to, and we get to see his slow spiral of decisions that he makes that leads to the future of the Hunger Games.
Tom Blyth is incredible as Coriolanus, able to master the micro expressions that Donald Sutherland made so iconic in the original movies, conveying the internal monologue that propels Snow throughout the entire film. As someone who read the book, I will say, I wish we got a bit more of what Snow was thinking because oftentimes, his internal monologue is dark and twisted, showing that he isn’t exactly the caring charismatic person that Blyth portrays him to be.
The movie, like the book, is split into three “acts” that distinguish each part of the story, which I absolutely loved! This division of each act was a great way for the viewer to distinguish the different eras of Snow, as “The Mentor”, “The Prize”, and “The Peacekeeper.” In the first act, we see Snow having a rough time in the capital; his family is poor, his father is dead, all that he has going for him is his charisma. Similar to how Lucy Gray has her charm, his charisma and his looks are what keeps him alive. Since this is the tenth Hunger Games, there aren’t victors to mentor the tributes like we see in the original trilogy. Instead, Capitol teenagers take on the job.
Snow’s role of being Lucy Gray’s mentor is what leads him into the next section, “The Prize”. In this section, Snow is doing everything in his power to keep Lucy Gray alive, not because he cares about her, but because she represents everything he could possibly want for the future, and this future balance swings in time with Lucy Gray’s life. If she dies, he loses his prize, his future. In a way, Lucy Gray is his prize, constantly being referred to as “his” in reference to Coriolanus, further emphasizing the fact that he believes her entire life hangs in his hands, being used as a puppet to garner Capitol sympathy and support.
The final act, entitled “The Peacekeeper,” feels satirical to what Snow is actually doing during this time, which is anything but peaceful. I saw a tweet that said, “never trust a man in his buzzcut era,” which I feel encapsulates this era of Snow fairly well. Nothing he does can be described as “rational” at this time. From betraying his childhood best friend to chasing after Lucy Gray in the forest with a gun, this era of his life is not peaceful in the slightest, however it does showcase what led Snow down the path that we see him at the end of in the original trilogy.
Overall, I am going to rate this movie a 9/10. It was beautifully done, perfectly cast, and does a phenomenal job of staying true to the book, something the Hunger Games franchise has always been amazing at. My only complaint would have to be the fact that they cast TOM BLYTH to play President Snow, the most evil man in all of Panem, and he is ridiculously gorgeous. I keep hearing Finnick’s words of “remember who the real enemy is”, which is very difficult to do with such an attractive man gracing my screen.
The movie will be leaving theaters soon, so grab your Mockingjay pin and bow and arrow and go see it!