The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)

‘Snow lands on top’. Don’t be fooled by the pretty face, you know who he is. You know what he has done. This is just a story of how he became a monster. Or maybe he was always a monster, he just fooled everyone including himself that he is good. That his actions were right. But even if he does convince us that he was good, remember that this is The Hunger Games. You cannot trust anyone. 

This film adapted to the book because it is split into three parts. Part one is ‘The Mentor’. This is where we meet all the characters. You can see the huge difference between young Coriolanus Snow and the character you may know as President Snow from the other movies. The same can be said for his cousin Tigris. If you have watched the others then you will want to keep an eye out for characters who appear in both films because there are a few. 

‘The Mentor’ sets the scene for the rest of the movie. It feels a bit slow paced but it is necessary. It is where we meet Coriolanus’s tribute known as Lucy Gray. He mentors her to win and the two grow close. He wants her to win the 10th annual game. The casting was chosen well enough because every single actor and actress in this film did an outstanding job. However, it is made clear that the tributes are of 12 to 18 years of age. They are children. But the actors chosen to play these roles are much older, apart from one. Wovey (played by Sofia Sanchez) really put into perspective that these are children who have been locked away like animals and made to fight until the death for the entertainment of the rich. It would have hit the audience harder if the actors playing these characters were all children but the acting itself from everyone was spectacular. While this part is slow, part 2 has a lot more action. 

This part is known as ‘The Prize’ because of course a prize is involved in the games for the mentor whose tribute wins. This is all about being in the arena and when I said they do a great job of showing the underdevelopment of the games, it shows the most here. The arena in this film is dusty and small with very few places to hide in comparison to the 74th game. It's where we see how badly Coriolanus wants to win and how drones and voting and sponsors were introduced. This game felt tame and predictable in comparison to the other movies. A lot less happened and if the film ended there, it would have been incredibly disappointing. But luckily, it only gets better from here. 

Part 3 is called ‘The Peacekeeper’ and it is absolutely the best part of the movie. I won’t give anything away but this is what made the film. It’s where we see young Coriolanus change from the young child who questions between right and wrong, to the beginning of the person we know as President Snow. The nostalgia also runs deep here with references to The Hunger Games with Katniss Everdeen. That is all I will say for now so you will just have to believe me.

You don’t have to have watched the other Hunger Games movies but if you do then you might appreciate this one a bit more. Just remember, you cannot trust anyone. Happy Hunger Games.