The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, directed by Frances Lawrence, stars Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, and Viola Davis. The prequel to The Hunger Games series is the latest installment for fans of the books and films. With its intense acting, incredible costume designs, and encrypted reflections of society, this film is by far the best film of 2023.
The Hunger Games: The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes follows the early story of President Coriolanus Snow and the 10th annual Hunger Games. Snow is only 18 years old when he is struggling to maintain his family’s image of wealth and power. What the rest of the Capitol of Panem doesn’t know is that the Snow family is still feeling the effects of the war and that their only surviving members are Tigris, Coriolanus, and their grandmother. The adversity Snow faces pushes him to be the best of his class and he becomes a mentor for the tributes during the Hunger Games. Very worried about his future in Panem, Snow is especially upset when he is assigned the District 12 girl tribute Lucy Gray Baird. Being his resourceful self, Snow decides to use Lucy Gray’s eccentric and peculiar image to his advantage in winning the games. The two combine their efforts to survive and gain support from Capitol citizens, all while developing a romantic interest in one another. Coriolanus is stuck between his own success or his loyalty to his loved ones who question the morality of the games.
Compared to the rest of the films in the franchise, The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes has significantly less action scenes. However, this doesn’t affect the film’s cinematography at all. A main focus of the film is the architecture and set design. The film’s architecture is modeled after European buildings to demonstrate the hardships faced similar to post world war life. The Snow family’s dark and outdated furniture reflects upon their effort to uphold a dying legacy. Much of the set was either filmed in or modeled after real buildings in Poland and Germany, making the post-war aesthetic that much more real for the movie. In terms of cinematography, this film still sticks to a traditionally somber feel with its dark lighting similar to the rest of the Hunger Games movies. This film also utilizes the natural elements of Appalachia to signify the freedom that Lucy Gray has after the games. Overall, this film is aesthetically pleasing and the visuals are their own character in a sense as well.
The arrival of The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes has been well received by many fans of the original series. Many fans appreciate the prequel to be adapted to screen in such an accurate way true to the book. This success is very much expected from director Frances Lawrence and author Suzanne Collins. Tom Blyth, who plays young Snow, has been trending since his role in this film and has been deemed the “internet’s boyfriend”. This being his breakout role really will set the tone for the rest of this career. It’s important to note that music plays a very important role in this installment of The Hunger Games. Lucy Gray makes her presence through her music and ensures her survival of the games with her ballads. Rachel Zegler does an excellent job of bringing the lyrics to life and portraying a girl simply trying to live. Well known singer Olivia Rodrigo also lends her voice to the closing song Can’t Catch Me Now. This song has been on repeat since I first saw the movie. It is amazing.
The Hunger Games: The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes has been the dystopian young adult movie we needed. It’s combination of romance, coming of age, and sci-fi is what truly makes this film a must watch. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has amassed $244.8 million in the Box Office and is expected to increase in the coming weeks. It has scored a 64% on Rotten Tomatoes but a whopping 89% in Audience Score. Besides these statistics, the film is simply great. I highly recommend rushing to your local movie theater to see it.
