On November 17th, 2023 the latest Hunger Games movie The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes came out, spurring old, diehard fans (including me) into action, booking movie tickets to see the new production.
The movie is a prequel to the first movie of the series, The Hunger Games, following the journey of young Coriolanus Snow (played by Tom Blythe) as a mentor in the 10th annual Hunger Games years before becoming Panem’s president.
Panem is the nation that the plot of the movie is set in, comprising 12 districts subordinate to the Capitol, the seat of power in the nation. The storyline follows the bond Coriolanus and District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird (played by Rachel Zegler) had and their plight to win the Hunger Games, a punishment inflicted upon the children of the districts due to their rebellion against the capitol. In the Hunger Games, two children from each district would be “reaped” to fight each other to the death in an arena specifically designed to kill the weakest and turn the children against one another. Lucy Gray Baird was one of these tributes, and Coriolanus being assigned her mentor had to keep her alive throughout the movie.
Director Francis Lawrence mentioned that he wanted to make a movie on the book as soon as he read it. While thinking about the movie’s creation, he had to consider many things, including splitting the book into two movies, which he resolved to make one movie due to the negative feedback he received from splitting the book Mockingjay into two movies.
Blythe also revealed, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, that the 1911-1913 UNESCO designated-Centennial Hall in Wrocław, Poland was chosen to function as the fictional arena of the 10th Hunger Games, and the 1936 Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany was used to represent the outside of the arena. These fascist and imperial trappings showcase the architectural meaning used to show the power of the state, the image Panem hopes to highlight in The Hunger Games, displaying the extensive measures that went into portraying the perfect scenery for the movie
The music in the movie was incredible. The character of Lucy Gray Baird is made to portray a young girl who loves singing and playing the guitar and is in a band in District 12. Rachel Zegler, also the actress who played Maria in the remake of West Side Story, outdid herself on the vocals for this character, singing the songs “The Hanging Tree,” “Nothing You Can Take From Me,” “Lucy Gray,” “Pure as the Driven Snow,” and “The Old Therebefore.” Another major song that was featured in the credits of the film was “Can’t Catch Me Now” by Olivia Rodrigo.
Overall, the countless CGI effects, including those representing rainbow snakes, and historical significance to the setting of the movie and its connection to the plot of the story add a deeper meaning to the oppressive system of Panem and everything the soon-tyrannical leader of Coriolanus Snow would aspire to implement in the Capitol. The music added a personal touch to the movie, with lyrics written by Suzanne Collins on paper making their way to music studios to be used in the movie and sung by Lucy Gray Baird. This movie did an amazing job conveying the background behind the hit series The Hunger Games added a deeper meaning to the whole plot of the Hunger Games.
