Eight years ago, the release of the final Hunger Games movie, Mockingjay Part 2, left fans longing to watch more of the stories from this fascinating dystopian universe. Luckily for them, the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie joined the Hunger Games universe this past November, giving fans a new film and new characters to obsess over.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel to the story told in the original four Hunger Games books and movies and is the film retelling of the novel released in 2020. Set 64 years before the time in which the audience is introduced to Katniss, the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes shares the story of Cornelius Snow, the sadistic president of Panam when the original book occurs, as a young adult. Over two hours and thirty-eight minutes, viewers watch a compassionate young adult turn into a complete psychopath.
Prequels are often controversial; they leave many fans disappointed if they are not as “good” as the original stories. So, Hunger Games fans were curious to see if the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes would be as well done as the four original movies.
After venturing to the theater to watch this film, my Hunger Games-loving self was delighted that the prequel met the high expectations I had after obsessing over the original four movies. Before the hiring of the actors and production of the film, the movie itself already had the potential to be incredible because the story itself is so fascinating. The film begins with the showing of the tenth Hunger Games. I watched as The Capital transformed the games from what began as merely a violent tradition to a spectacle honoring bloodshed and death. Then, they spend the rest of the film on the edge of their seat as they watch the complicated love story between the main characters, Lucy Gray and Snow, unfold while Snow is simultaneously going clinically insane.
The beauty of the story itself is captured incredibly through the film’s production. I was transported into a different world while watching thousands of snakes slither through the arena, Lucy Gray and Snow wander through the forest, and look into Snow’s young adulthood at his home in the capital. Every scene is uniquely crafted with detail ranging from captivating costumes and hairdos, to carefully envisioned sets that help bring the story to life.
Of course, it is always helpful when a gaggle of teenage girls is obsessed with the actor who has a starring role in a certain movie. Ever since the release of The Hunger Games series, the audience has been swooning over Tom Blyth and his portrayal as snow. The original Hunger Games movies resulted in a nationwide obsession with Peeta Melark, played by Josh Hutcherson, a love that contributed to the movie’s popularity. A similar obsession has unsurprisingly arisen again, except interestingly, Peeta Melark was undeniably a “good guy,” while Snow is intrinsically bad.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes had love, lust, action, and violence, all jam-packed into one film. The movie has the potential to leave thousands of fans across the country, including me, disappointed if they did not love it as much as the original films. Lucky for the filmmakers, the movie, with a little help from Tom Blythe’s charm, left me shocked, happy, and satisfied, as they left the theater.
