Die-hard fans of the Hunger Games franchise hungered for the movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ latest addition, “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”.
Sixty-four years before the events of the franchise’s first installment, Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), Academy student and future fascist president of Panem, is among the top of his class who are tasked with mentoring the tributes for the 10th annual Hunger Games, where the Capitol randomly selects two children from each of the 12 districts to engage in a fight to the death, serving as penance for their failed rebellion. Snow is assigned Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler),the “runt girl”, from District 12 a member of the Covey, a once nomadic band trapped in the poorest district. If Lucy Gray wins, Snow would win the Plinth Prize, paying for his college education and restoring his disgraced family name.
Directed by Francis Lawrence, the film spans 3 major acts detailing Snow’s youth as an orphan and his time at the Academy, the 10th annual hunger games, and the aftermath where he winds up having to serve as a peacekeeper, Panem’s form of law enforcement.
Despite a runtime of two hours and 37 minutes, it is safe to say that much content was excluded for brevity. Primarily a mantra used by District 12 “It’s not over until the mockingjay sings,” was notably absent. The prophetic implications of Katniss’ title as the Mockingjay of the revolution could have been included as the movie was not shy about including allusions to her. Similarly, details such as the sacrifices made by Tigris (Hunter Schafer), Snow’s cousin, to protect and feed Snow during the rebellion seem glossed over and never fully expanded on.
On a different note, Rachel Zegler played Lucy Gray exceptionally well. She truly brought the character to life exploring the folk aspects of Appalachian culture in her accent and performances. Every song was performed live on behalf of Zegler and it paid off, this isn’t the first time either and she also sang live while playing Maria from West Side Story in Steven Speilberg’s 2021 movie adaptation. This performance was a great second chance for Zegler after the outrage caused by her role as Snow White in the live action remake.
Rather than telling the story through the eyes of a tribute like the original movies do, the movie explores an entirely new perspective. Taking this into account, viewers should watch the original four and then this film because although it is a prequel, the other movies set up and explain concepts such as the extent of who Snow becomes. Additionally, having watched the original four, one could pick up on parallels between them and the new release.
