On November 17th, 2023, Lionsgate released The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in movie theaters everywhere. Based on the novel from 2020, Suzanne Collins tells the story of young Coriolanus Snow and the origins of The Hunger Games, years before Katniss Everdeen’s well-known games. During the tenth annual Hunger Games, Dr. Gual, the Head Gamemaker, decided to implement a new mentor program. Selected students from the elite Academy in Panem would mentor one tribute. Coriolanus Snow receives Lucy Gray Baird from District 12.
Director Francis Lawerence cast Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird. Despite the recent backlash during her Snow White interviews, Zegler did a much better job handling the media this time around. Zegler says that she remembers seeing The Hunger Games films in theaters at age 10 and that it will be ingrained in her memory forever.
Tom Blyth, who plays Coriolanus Snow, has made a smashing appearance in the film industry. Blyth recently became very popular among teenage girls and has fans considering why they don’t like President Snow. While he has been featured in series such as The Gilded Age and Billy The Kid, this is Blyth’s first major role. Considering the attention he has been getting on TikTok and movie critics, Blyth is sure to be seen in more films going forward.
The movie is just over an hour and a half and covers a 528-page novel. One fan on Rotten Tomatoes said, “The movie was a roller coaster of emotions. Initially, I thought it would just be a mediocre movie but the storyline was spectacular. The story of Snow portrays a character of good principles who succumbs to the hunger for power. I would recommend watching the movie as it brings a new dimension to the saga.”
Snow and Baird’s complex relationship is one of the main reasons fans loved this movie so much. The two develop a friendship at the beginning of the movie when Snow becomes Baird’s mentor. After Baird saves Snow’s life in the arena before the games even begin, they both begin to fall for each other more romantically. Following Baird’s appearance in the games, Snow is punished as a peacekeeper in one of the twelve districts for cheating in the games.
In an interview with People, Lawrence says that Baird and Snow have both songbirds and snakes in them. We can see this at the movie’s end when Lucy and Snow run away from the District. As they make their way through the forest, Lucy says she is going to go pick Katniss, but instead runs away from Snow, nowhere to be seen again. Snow goes and looks for her and takes his gun with him. As he looks for Lucy, he becomes angrier and angrier, trying to find her and kill her. This will haunt him forever because no one knows what happened to Lucy.
If you are looking for closure on what happened to her, this movie won’t tell you. It’s left to be undecided and up to the viewer to decide Lucy’s fate.
Another thing fans loved about this movie is the different parallels to the original series. After Snow thinks he has escaped the reminders of Baird and becomes the president of Panem, Katniss reminds Snow of what he thought he left behind. One of the biggest parallels is when Baird sings “The Hanging Tree,” a song she wrote about a man being hung. Katniss sings this song later in Mockingjay, and it becomes an anthem for the rebellion that ultimately leads to President Snow’s downfall. One more parallel between Baird and Katniss is their outfits. During both Baird and Katniss’ reaping ceremonies, they are wearing their mother’s dresses. Lucy wears her mother’s rainbow dress, and Katniss wears her mother’s blue dress.
Overall, The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes is worth watching. Even for the most casual fan of The Hunger Games, it’s thrilling and will leave you wanting more.
