Suzanne Collins did it again. “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” book released in 2020 and was a hit. After a long-anticipated wait, this Hunger Games movie was released on November 17th, 2023.
What is it about?
Those who haven’t read Collins’ book might be wondering what yet another Hunger Games movie could be about as the last movie in the series, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2” was released over eight years before “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.” Mockingjay Part 2’s ending resolved itself, but ”The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” does not follow the life of Katniss and Peeta after the Games and Revolution.
Directed by Francis Lawrence, ”The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” stars Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth and Viola Davis, with many well-recognized supporting actors such as Peter Hayden Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman and Hunter Schafer.
“The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” is a prequel that follows the life of the Hunger Games series’ antagonist, President Coriolanus Snow. This prequel tells the story of young Snow 64 years before Katniss Everdeen came into the picture: a story of Snow’s uprising, fall and comeback in the Capitol. In “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) who attends the Academy in the Capitol is tasked with becoming a mentor for the 10th Hunger Games, in which Snow mentors Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a girl who resides in District 12.
For those who haven’t yet watched the movie, here is the official trailer:
Was it better than the book?
As an avid Hunger Games fan who has read all of the books and watched all of the movies many times, I can say that “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” was a lot better than anticipated. I usually admit that all books are pretty much better than their movie adaptations because books contain so much more richness and detail. As a fan of the book, I did not think Lionsgate would be able to beat it.
However, this two-hour and 38-minute rendition of the book was fantastic. The movie captured nearly every element of the book. In my opinion, Lionsgate and Francis Lawrence captured the details of the story so well that watching the movie was like seeing my exact vision of the book in my head come to life, especially during the arena scenes.
A Musical Masterpiece
The music throughout this movie is the cherry on top. While I was sitting in the theater watching the movie for the first time, I heard my mom sitting next to me ask, “Wait, is this a musical?” Although “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” is not quite a musical, it does have the word “ballad” in the title.
“The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” contains a lot of music throughout the movie due to Lucy Gray Baird being a member of the Covey, a musical group that travels from district to district to perform. Throughout the movie, Baird and the Covey sing a lot of catchy folk tunes, not to mention Lucy Gray’s performance of “The Hanging Tree.” In this prequel, we see Lucy Gray writing “The Hanging Tree,” a song that is used throughout Mockingjay Part 1.
But… the ending?
The last 20 minutes of the movie are controversial. Some liked it, some hated it, and others were left confused (I’m not going to spoil it). As a reader of the book and fan of the series, the ending not only followed the book well but was symbolic. In a way, the ending is left to watchers’ interpretations.
“The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” was not only a successful movie but also created a Tom Blyth rave, a comeback for Rachel Zegler, a nice soundtrack for folk lovers and fulfillment for Hunger Games fans. Will there be more movies or books to come to The Hunger Games franchise? We will just have to wait and see.
Let us know your thoughts on this movie @VALLEYmag!
