By Morgan Kacalek
Over the week-long Thanksgiving break, many people went to see the new Hunger Games movie in theaters. After awaiting the release of this movie since I read the book this summer, I was thrilled to be able to see it on November 17 which was the official release date in the United States. I was even lucky enough to view the film a second time over Thanksgiving break with my family. After watching the movie twice and reading the book once, I have a lot of thoughts regarding the movie adaptation of the book, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”
Overall, I think this movie was incredibly well done and truly captured the essence of a Hunger Games movie, without copying the original films. This movie takes place about 65 years before the 75th Hunger Games, which featured famous characters such as Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, and Finnick Odair. “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” follows young Coriolanus Snow, long before becoming the president of Panem, where he serves as a mentor to the female tribute from District 12, Lucy Grey Baird, in the 10th annual Hunger Games. Many people are turned off by this synopsis because it features President Snow, who is a villain and hated by most people, but I think it proves to be the opposite of what most people believe.
One thing that I enjoyed most about reading this story and seeing the movie adaptation was that we get to see and understand the connection between Katniss and President Snow. If you really dive deep into the meaning and symbolism of many details in this prequel, you can understand the complexity of the original books on a much deeper level.
I will say that I think it is almost essential to read the book before watching the movie in this case because of how complex it is. There are numerous important details that are skimmed over in the movie and characters who are not brought to life as vibrantly as I would have hoped. For example, Sejanus was by far my favorite character while I was reading the book and I couldn’t wait to see him come to life in the movie. However, I felt that his character really fell flat and the moments that shaped him as a person in the book were vague and harshly skimmed over in the movie. I was also disappointed that some of the members of the Covey, a group of performers that includes Lucy Grey, were completely scrapped in the sense that they didn’t even talk and weren’t portrayed as being important to the story. It was definitely the opposite in the book considering that they were some of the most important characters and represented a sense of belonging and family to Lucy Grey. I always think it is better to read the book before seeing the movie, but in this case, I believe it adds so much more and prevents you from being utterly confused and not fully grasping the messages that are insinuated.
Another critique I have is that Snow was not evil enough in the movie. While reading the book, I was fuming with hate towards this man because he was the most selfish, greedy, and purely evil person I have ever read about. He’s killed so many people, and goes on to kill and torture so many more people after this book, that I could never sympathize with him in any way. But after the release of the movie, people are walking into the theaters hating him and walking out sympathizing with him and loving his character. This is happening to people who didn’t read the book because in the book it is much easier to see how selfish and self-centered Snow’s thoughts are due to the fact that you can hear his inner monologue as opposed to just watching it on a screen.
Something I thoroughly enjoyed was the music in this film. Because Lucy Grey is a performer and a singer, there are many songs in the book that are brought to life in the movie since you get to actually hear what it sounds like. Actress Rachel Zegler, who plays Lucy Grey, has an amazing voice and truly captures the performer in Lucy Grey. The film’s soundtrack is stacked with upbeat songs that make you want to dance, as well as songs that are slow, beautiful, and force you to think about the deeper meaning and how it connects to the other movies and books. This movie also features the Hanging Tree song which was widely popular after the release of “Mockingjay: Part 1” when Jennifer Lawrence, as Katniss Everdeen, sang the song. In “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” the audience gets to see the true origin and meaning behind the lyrics of “The Hanging Tree.” Perhaps it’s an unpopular opinion, but I like Rachel Zegler’s new version of the song better than the original because I find it so incredible to see the origin of the song and I especially like the acoustic sound of the guitar.
Aside from all this, I truly think this film was beautiful and captivating, and I still haven’t stopped thinking about it. Suzane Collins is an amazing author who has written some of the most impactful books I have ever read. I believe her work has such a power to make people think about the world we live in by comparing it to the dystopian world of Panem. I am so glad this prequel was able to be adapted on screen and if you haven’t seen it yet, I would absolutely recommend it!
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