11 years after the release of the first film in the series, a prequel to 2012’s “The Hunger Games” has been released. Based on a book by the same name written by Suzanne Collins, “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” serves as a story of how Coriolanus Snow became President Snow, as we see him in the first movies.
As a fan of the original books, as well as the film series, I was anticipating the release of this film. The stacked cast only heightened my excitement.
Tom Blyth plays the titular role of Coriolanus Snow and a good job he does. While I enjoyed his acting throughout the film, the moment when he believes Lucy Gray has betrayed him is one where the audience can see his performance shine.
Acting alongside him, Rachel Zegler played Lucy Gray Baird — a perfect match for the character. Knowing Zegler for her role in “West Side Story,” I was anticipating her singing for her character, and several fans have brought up that she nailed the Appalachian accent. Knowing Zegler sang every song live on set emphasizes her talent.
“But getting to sing live is my bread and butter. That’s what I’ve been doing my whole life, and so it was really nice to get to bring that skill to my peers on set,” Zegler said in an interview with Variety.
Other actors in the film include Hunter Schafer, Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, Josh Andrés Rivera and Viola Davis.
The characters in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” drew parallels to preexisting characters without feeling tacky. Comparisons have been made between Lucy Gray and Peeta, as well as Sejanus Plinth and Katniss — and vice-versa.
This film made the original characters feel like the revenge of the newly introduced characters — and made references as such. For example, Lucy Gray picks swamp potatoes, also known as the Katniss plant.
Lucy Gray also sings the rebel song “The Hanging Tree” we first hear Katniss sing — a chilling folk song that haunts Snow from the time he hunts Lucy Gray until the time Katniss broadcasts it as a call for revolution.
Learning about the Flickerman lineage’s long history as masters of ceremonies and the host of the tributes’ interviews before the games was also very interesting. Now knowing Caesar Flickerman is a nepotism baby adds to his character in the original movies.
This film also offers insights into characters the audience knew of from the original series but didn’t know much information about. Tigris is one of them. Watching her relationship with Snow before anything had gone sideways was heartbreaking but necessary.
The main plot is the romance between Lucy Gray and Snow. While it may seem like a simple romance that ends horribly, it is mostly an investigation of whether Snow truly ever loved Lucy Gray or not. The film does not go into detail about Snow’s inner dialogue, but the book does and adds more to the debate.
“He needs her to survive and win the prize. She needs him to survive. Are they attracted? Sure. Do they truly love one another? I don’t know,” director Francis Lawrence said in an interview with People.
Overall, this movie honors the original films while also making its mark in “The Hunger Games” series.
Rating: 4/5 stars
