The Hunger Games, a popular book series by Suzanne Collins, recently had a new movie adaptation released. The Movie covered a prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” I recently had the pleasure of watching the movie, and I am excited to share my thoughts.
Context
In the first book of the original trilogy, one of the primary antagonists was President Snow. Snow was in charge of the capital, and he was an avid supporter of the Hunger Games. The prequel follows Snow’s journey as he becomes the villain we see in the original trilogy.
Secondly, the Hunger Games, introduced in the first book, are highly televised is and seen as almost a game show, with tributes, sponsors, donors, etc. People would donate money towards their favorite tribute, and the tribute’s sponsor would then use the money to buy equipment and necessities for the tribute. The prequel aims to explain how the Hunger Games transformed into a game show-like form of entertainment.
Synopsis
The movie follows young Coriolanus Snow as he tries to repair the reputation of his damaged family. As the Hunger Games becomes more of a deadly game show to increase viewership, Snow gets assigned to be the mentor of District 12 tribute Lucy Gray. Through a mix of Lucy Gray’s natural charm and Snow’s expert manipulation and deception, the pair is able to get ample support from the viewers. Then, they are able to turn this support against the other tributes, achieving victory in the Hunger Games.
However, Snow’s machinations are discovered, and he is forced into the service of a lowly guard. Through methods of exploitation, he finds himself in District 12, reunited with Lucy Gray and with his friend, Sejanus Plinth. As tensions rise in the districts, a wedge is driven between him and his former friends. He ultimately betrays Sejanus upon discovering his rebellious intentions, leading to his demise. As he and Lucy Gray attempt to run, she realizes that Snow is not to be trusted, and attempts to separate herself from him. Snow, now a conniving villain, is brought back to the capital. Once there, the mastermind of the games, Dr. Volumnia Gaul, recognizes his talent, she takes him under her wing as a proprietor of the games.
Connections to the Original Trilogy
One of the major connections to the original trilogy is “The Hanging Tree” song. The song is sung by Lucy Gray in the prequel, setting up is relevance in the later books. We see in the movie President Snow having a physical reaction to hearing the song, and this reaction is set up by the prequel.
Additionally, we see Snow talk about having some experience in the Districts. He mentions having visited District twelve in particular. Obviously, the movie covers his time in 12, revealing the dark story that took place there.
Reviews From Popular Sites
**Please note that these are the reviews as of the writing of this article, and these are highly subject to change**
Rotten Tomato
Rotten Tomato gave The Ballad of Song Birds and Snakes a 64%. The critics consensus: “An outstanding cast and exciting story help make The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes a worthy return to Panem in spite of a rushed and somewhat frustrating ending.”
The Audience gave it a score of 89%. The general consensus from the Audience: “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes does a great job of adapting the book, adding depth to a central character while giving fans a look at how it all started.”
IMDB
IMDB (Internet Movie Database) gave an overall rating of 7.2/10. However, the Metacritical review was much lower at 54/100. Some critics did enjoy the film, David Ehrlich even claimed it was a “rare prequel that manages to stand on its own two feet and still feel taller than the other stories it’s ultimately meant to support.” On the other hand, many critics thought the ending was rushed and that the movie didn’t live up to expectations. Robbie Collin claimed, “The Hunger Games prequel plunges us back into the futuristic empire of Panem – but fails to live up to the first films of the franchise.”
Metacritic
Both the Audience and critics scored the movie the same, giving it a 5.4/10 and 54/100 respectively. The critics offered a wide range of opinions. Petrana Radulovic claims “It’s a sharp, exciting movie — one that finally gives YA dystopias the ending that the genre trend deserves.” This contrasts the majority, who believed the ending to be rushed. David Jenkins agrees with her as far as the ending not being rushed; however, he sees this as a negative. He stated that the movie “replays the series’ inherently-quite-exciting fight-to-the-death storyline, but then inelegantly bolts on an extra hour of vapid soul searching and lore expansion that made this viewer want to bludgeon himself with his own keep cup – David Jenkins
Family Assessment
I went to see this movie with my family, so I have included their opinions here.
My mother was the most vocal about her opinion. She thoroughly enjoyed the movie. However, she was adamant that the ending felt rushed. In her opinion, Snow and Lucy Gray fell out of love too fast, making the end of their relationship feel forced. Other than this, she thought that it was a riveting film.
My father enjoyed the movie, commenting on the strong acting within the film. His favorite part, as with any Hunger Games movie, was the cinematography and imagery throughout the film. In his opinion, the movie actually set up a second prequel. In his mind, this movie would cover the creation and story of the quarter quells (Every 25 years the Hunger Games gains a special one-time rule to reinvigorate the games).
My brother also thoroughly enjoyed the film. He agrees with my mother that the ending feels slightly rushed. Additionally, he wanted to see what happened to Lucy Gray after her split with Snow. He wants to know if she died or not, and if not what was her fate?
Conclusion
I myself thought that it was an incredible movie. The acting was superb, and Tom Blyth was able to bring every aspect of Snow to life. His transformation from a good-natured student to a ruthless trickster was riveting. I absolutely loved the first half, and its review of the 10th Hunger Games. The dramatic shots of the arena were both gorgeous and horrifying, and the contrast with the audience chamber was chilling. The second half, while slower, was still quite enjoyable. They did an incredible job in the set design of District 12, and the atmosphere shifted between lively and depressing at just the right times. Once Snow’s betrayal occurs, the movie really picks up again, and those final few minutes as Snow returns to the capital had me on the edge of my seat. His final line to the doctor, contemplating on the idea that the world itself is an arena, and the games are merely a reminder of what humanity becomes when left to its own devices, is a thought-provoking revelation and a line that will continue to stick with me. All in all, I thought the prequel far outshined the original three films, and I will absolutely watch it again: 9.2/10.
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