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“I don’t like your odds, but may they ever be in your favor,” Lucky Flickerman, played by Jason Schwartzman, tells the District 12 tribute: familiar words and a familiar setting but a new twist.
This is the “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” With a release date of Nov. 17, the prequel to the best-selling “Hunger Games” franchise has made over $200 million at the box office, according to Screenrant.
The film was based off of a book by the same name and stars Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird, Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow, Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow, Peter Dinklage as Dean Casca Highbottom, Josh Andrés Rivera as Sejanus Plinth and Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gaul.
In “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” characters and audiences return to Panem — 65 years before Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, takes the reaping stage.
The film details the origin story of Coriolanus Snow the original series’ main antagonist, and provides background on how the Hunger Games became the Panem-wide sensation by the “The Hunger Games” film.
In this film, familiar words and practices take on an eerie new vision: The reaping is rigged, the tributes are transported in stuffy boxcars rather than a luxury train and held in a zoo rather than a high-rise, the arena is a broken down stadium, and Capitol students — including Coriolanus Snow are the mentors, instead of previous victors.
The starkness of these conditions reveal a horror to the games that the glitz and glamour of the original series’ games strive to hide, and the Capitol is not a paragon of boundless wealth — rather, the characters and setting are rebuilding after a war that occured a decade ago.
As Coriolanus Snow fights to win the Plinth Prize, and consequently keep his tribute, Lucy Gray, in the spotlight Dr. Gaul confronts him with the question: “What are the Hunger Games for?”
Rather than a prequel that shows a villain who has no other choice but to be evil, Coriolanus Snow is a protagonist who has every chance to do the “right” thing, but instead chooses to uphold a system that benefits him.
“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” also asks the question — are people naturally good, or naturally evil?
Despite these questions, the film is not perfect. It lacks the internal monologue of Coriolanus, which in the book plays a large part in showcasing the character’s nature. This leaves it up to Blyth to show Coriolanus Snow is an unreliable narrator.
Additionally, the film omits much of Lucy Gray’s backstory, which removes an added layer of depth from her character.
Dr. Gaul’s character lacks some of her book counterpart’s evil nature and several important moments of the Capitol’s cruelty are either glossed over or removed entirely.
However, the movie has multiple strong points.
Framing of several scenes closely mirrors that of the original franchise, acting as easter eggs for dedicated fans. For example, Coriolanus Snow being confronted by his mother’s compact and his handkerchief after cheating in the games resembles that of Seneca Crane played by Wes Bentley spotting a table filled with the poisonous berry nightlock in “The Hunger Games.”
Foreshadowing plays a big role in the film, as does twists in perspective.
Interestingly enough the Hunger Games themselves are not the climax of the film. This choice masterfully displays the smaller role the Games play in Capitol culture — they are something to be endured rather than a spectacle to bet on.
Coriolanus Snow, of course, changes this.
Despite not being the central part of the film, the other tributes are still humanized. Reaper, played by Dimitri Abold, steals the show, providing dignity to other tributes and brings a spirit of rebellion to the games.
The strongest part of the film is the third act.
Rivera brings Sejanus to life, showcasing the character’s angst and conflict at being complicit to the Capitol, and his eventual resistance. The scene of his death is one of the most haunting in the entire film.
Zegler’s performance of Lucy Gray beguiles audiences much like she beguiles Coriolanus Snow. The champion of the positive view of humanity, Lucy Gray provides an alternative to the fatalistic view of many Capitol characters.
The final exchange between Lucy Gray and Coriolanus is filled with tension, leaving audiences at the edge of their seats as they wonder who will betray the other first.
As Coriolanus Snow confronts Dean Highbottom for the last time, fans learn the enraging truth of how the Hunger Games came to be, and watch as Coriolanus Snow becomes the person we know him as in the original trilogy.
The conclusion is sobering, relieved only by the knowledge of what happens in the “Hunger Games” series — enticing fans to rewatch the franchise.
As the decrypt stadium entreats tributes walking to their death to “enjoy the show,” “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” offers a compelling view behind the curtain of the Hunger Games for old and new fans alike.
“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is playing in theaters.
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Contact Samantha Torre via Twitter (@Sam_t394) or email: sam.torre@pepperdine.edu
