Disclaimer: this story includes light mentions of spoilers!
As a newfound Hunger Games fan, the excitement I had stepping into the theater to watch the new prequel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” was indescribable. I had seen the TikTok edits, watched the trailer countless times and had high expectations. Two hours and 38 minutes later, every expectation was exceeded.
The ‘Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is set during the 10 annual Hunger Games, 64 years before the introduction of beloved characters and District 12 tributes, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, from the original “Hunger Games” trilogy. With this prequel, viewers experience the rise of Coriolanus Snow as a low-class academy student and his progression to becoming the evil mastermind known as President Snow in the succeeding films. His descent into madness and corruption would not be possible without the Songbird, Lucy Gray Baird, the whimsical performer and victor from District 12.
Snow, played by Tom Blyth, and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray have a complicated relationship throughout the film; as Snow mentors Lucy Gray during the games and equips all means necessary to ensure her success — including cheating. While he advocates for her at the beginning of the film, Snow is portrayed as a decently normal character who cherishes Gray. However, as the seeds of his evil begin to be planted, by the end of the movie, he has betrayed Lucy Gray and people who were close to him. Blyth’s phenomenal performance captures the character development of Snow as he begins to resemble what fans have always known him as: a harsh, pure, evil villain.
As for Zegler, the quality of her role cannot be overstated. She captured the hearts of millions of people (including mine) with her endearing character and outstanding musical numbers. The soundtrack consists of songs written by Billy Strings, Olivia Rodrigo, Zegler and more, and I would not be surprised if they end up on my Spotify Wrapped. Songs like the heartbreaking “Ballad of Lucy Gray” and “Pure As The Driven Snow,” as well as the inspiring “Nothing You Can Take From Me” perfectly encapsulate the movie at each given time and are telling of the versatility and skill Zegler is capable of.
While it is possible to watch the movie as a stand-alone film and still have any of these positive points be true, watching the rest of the franchise makes it even better. The parallels of the movies with subtle moments like the iconic bow, the reference to the name Katniss from Lucy Gray, and the even more iconic song “The Hanging Tree” left me speechless and simultaneously heartbroken.
Conclusively, Snow could never escape the memory of Lucy Gray and her Mockingjay. To know that 64 years later, a young Katniss Everdeen from District 12 would lead a revolution against Snow as “the Mockingjay” with Lucy Gray’s song “The Hanging Tree” as an anthem is the most full circle and powerful sentiment as a Hunger Games fan. To quote Olivia Rodrigo’s song “Can’t Catch Me Now” from the soundtrack, “You’ll see my face in every place but you can’t catch me now,” these lyrics give me chills.
I have only scratched the surface of this film: the characters of Peter Dinklage’s, Highbottom, Viola Davis’s Dr Gaul, Hunter Schafer’s Tigris and Josh Andrés Rivera as Sejanus Plinth all bring the characters to life and make the movie even more heartbreaking, entertaining and meaningful. Small details that only fans pick up on make all the difference, visual cinematic parallels as well as character parallels to the other movies made me geek out and the more I research it, the more I want to watch the movie again.
With “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” debuting at number one and staying there in its second week, the film has proved that the fanbase of the Hunger Games franchise has not only remained strong but has also gained more and more fans including myself. It is safe to say I will be rewatching soon, and reading the book to get a further glimpse of Suzane Collins’ genius.
