On November 17, the Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, based on the novel by Suzanne Collins, was released. Since the book was first released in May of 2020, fans have been eagerly anticipating the release of the movie, starring Rachael Zegler and Tom Blythe. Greta Oberdiek ’24 mentioned how she is “really excited to see the connections made between the original and the prequel.” The storyline and production in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes makes it a great must-watch for all.
The prequel is set 64 years before Katniss would win her first Hunger Games. The country of Panem is gradually recovering from the war that had left the economy in shambles and District 13 destroyed. The plot is set around Cornelius Snow, the future President of Panem, and Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from District 12. Snow is to act as a mentor to the tribute in order to not only graduate at the top of his class, but also to win the Plinth prize in order to attend college and provide for his cousin, Tigris, and his grandmother. Unlike other movie adaptations, one of the most amazing things about this movie was how accurate it was when compared to the books. Sarah Zorc ’24 mentioned how the movie “adapted the book very well and every role was cast really well.”
In addition to the amazing production and cinematography, each character was also well casted by the director, Francis Lawrence, who also directed Catching Fire. Rachael Zegler was able to play the part of Lucy Gray Baird flawlessly, despite the recent controversies surrounding her. She was able to bring out the bright, charming, and seductive characteristics of Lucy Gray. Another great casting was Viola Davis as Dr. Gaul, the Head Game Maker. She was able to bring out the dark, mysterious side of Dr. Gaul, who not only orchestrated the Hunger Games, but also mentored Snow in his formative years. Davis executed the role of Dr. Gaul exceptionally well. Of course we can’t forget Tom Blyth, who played the role of teenage Snow. Alexa Weatherwax ’27 mentioned how her favorite part of the movie was “how well the actor who played Snow portrayed his feelings.” A few other notable performances are Peter Dinlkage as Dean Highbottom, the founder of the Hunger Games, and Jason Schwartzman, who plays the comical role of Lucky Flickerman, the commentator of the Games.
Casting aside, another great part about the movie was the wardrobe and cosmetics. The amazing ruffled dress was described as a “dusty, musty dress” by costume designer, Trish Summerville. The amazing dress left viewers stunned and in amazement. Wren Purcell ’25 mentioned how she “loved the details of it,” especially as “it really makes you wonder about her because she has nothing, yet somehow acquired the outstanding dress.” In addition to Lucy Gray’s dress, Dr. Gaul’s remarkable purple reaping outfit and red lab dress was also well designed for her character. Dr. Gaul can easily be described as having gray frizzy hair and double colored eyes. That, in addition to the dress, gave her character a more eerie and threatening look.
While the movie was very much to my personal liking, there were a few critics who weren’t satisfied with the movie. Becker Joseph ’25 felt disappointed with the ending, stating, “The games were a little underwhelming compared to the brutality of Dr. Gaul that we expect.” He further explained how there could’ve been more action to the ending of the movie. Benjamin Wallace ’27 mentions how he didn’t like that “despite already reading the book, the movie is still quite predictable.” While it can be said that the next scenes were a bit easy to predict, there were still parts of the movie that impressed most of the audience. As for Wallace, he also mentioned how he loved how the movie was able to “further develop the characters.”
Despite the few negative criticisms, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was overall a great movie to watch. A recent survey by The Merionite shows that over 60 percent of LM students gave it a score between nine and ten. Everything from the production, to the cast, and even the costumes were all exceptional. It’s definitely a must watch, not only for Hunger Games enthusiasts, but also for those who love action and dystopian movies with a mix of romance and mystery. There’s not too much gore or foul language, especially when compared to the movie adaptations, which makes it great to watch with everyone at home. If you decide to watch it, there’s absolutely no doubt that you will enjoy the show.
