The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The compelling series of The Hunger Games saga comes back to the big screen on November 17th. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel to The Hunger Games series, came out 

May 19th, 2020, giving a whole new view to The Hunger Games. The book follows the story of Coriolanus Snow, who was the president of The Hunger Games series. The book is based on the 10th annual Hunger Games, where Coriolanus is a mentor to Lucy Gray. It follows Coriolanus’s character development and how he became the leader he was. His villain arc and the start of the games give a whole new outlook for the original three books. For the movie,  Coriolanus Snow is played by Tom Blyth, and Lucy Gray Baird, his tribute throughout the games, is played by Rachel Zegler.  

So what is The Hunger Games even about? The Hunger Games series is split into three original books, The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay, written by Suzanne Collins. The books are based in a dystopian future, where twelve districts are in a land called Panem. The Hunger Games is an annual event where 24 tributes, one boy and one girl from each district, are reaped and put in an arena to battle it out till one is left standing. In the three books, the stories are told from the perspective of Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, who volunteers as a tribute for her sister in the 74th games. As Katniss’s story unfolds, we meet Peeta Merllak, played by Josh Hutcherson, another main character and tribute in the 74th games. The next two books follow the love story and lives of Katniss and Peeta, and the unpredictable upspring of the revolution in Panem.

Junior Cat Bower comments on the movie “I’m very excited for the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie to come out. I’ve been a fan of The Hunger Games for as long as I can remember, so having another installment in the series after such a long time is something to look forward to. The book itself is something I enjoyed a lot when it came out, too. I would recommend anyone to read it before they see the movie since it’s a really interesting way to approach a prequel to The Hunger Games.” Sophomore Abby Welch says “I’m so glad we got this prequel because not only does it provide context for the worldbuilding and events of the original series, but it gives us insight into Snow’s head. I got into the book and I saw Snow as the protagonist in “A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” for a while because Collins was so successful at making him worthy of sympathy, but in the original series everyone hates Snow and he’s the villain. I think that’s what makes the prequel so engaging.” When talking about favorite characters, Senior Kaylee Clevenger quotes “My favorite characters in the book are Tigress and Sejanus, in the third movie we’re introduced to Tigress, but the prequel gives a lot of background to who she is.” Everyone around the school is quite excited about this movie. 

Since it has been so long since the original three movies, there is so much buzz around this prequel. With the amazing actors and a phenomenal and compelling storyline, the movie will surely be a major hit.