Francis Lawrence’s 2023 film adaptation ‘’The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’’ is dystopian cinema at its best.
The adaptation follows the story of Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray Baird as they go through the 10th annual Hunger Games in the first new installment to the franchise in eight years.
The film depicts the brutal nature of the Hunger Games, the nature of what led to the creation of the games and the change made to make the Hunger Games what fans of the series recognize from Suzanne Collins’ first three dystopian novels.
The film goes into making some of the most well-known parts of the original movies, including the origins of the song “The Hanging Tree” and the creation of other songs presented within the novel, such as “The Ballad of Lucy Gray Baird.” The addition of these songs allows for a hauntingly beautiful tale to be told through the lyrics and tone of the songs.
The film depicts how even the best characters can fall under corruption as they reach for greatness, as seen in the character of Snow, played by Tom Blyth. We watch an 18-year-old fall in love while trying to follow in his father’s footsteps and soon lose his love and get too close to being like his father.
While the movie is two hours and 30 minutes long, each scene directly hits the watcher’s mind and heart, immersing them in the story and keeping them on the edge of their seats.
The film takes inspiration from the novel of the same name by breaking the story into three distinct parts: “The Mentor,’’ ‘’The Prize” and ‘’The Peacekeeper.’’ Presenting the story into these three parts allows the viewer to understand the depth of the changes in the scenery and the characters as the story progresses to its climax and then as it comes down, leading to the tragic end. Viewers get to experience the luxury found within the Capitol, then travel to the coal mines of District Twelve, which allows for a better understanding of how society works in the post-war environment of the film.
It is not unnatural for a dystopian novel to showcase these distinct differences in locations we see in the movie, but “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” presents these locations in such a unique way that showcases the differences in the districts and through the change of sets shows the change of the characters’ mindsets and stories.
“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” presents a new addition to the worldwide sensation of the original “Hunger Games” movies and books and does so in a way that leaves readers and viewers wanting to know more about the story. The film is a well-crafted dystopian reminder of human nature and how quickly that can change.
Amanda Rotigliano can be contacted at
arotigliano@kscequinox.com
