REVIEW: ‘Songbirds and Snakes’ Adds New Chapter to ‘Hunger Games’ Story

By NAYELI CARRILLO/Staff Writer 

Eleven years have passed since Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson graced the silver screen as Katniss and Peeta, District 12 tributes of the 74th Hunger Games. The long-awaited prequel to “The Hunger Games” trilogy premiered Nov. 17. “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” follows Coriolanus Snow in his early role as mentor for District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird.

Tom Blyth’s performance as a young Snow shows just how observant, cunning, and Machiavellian future president Snow truly is. This movie serves as a backstory, incorporating past characters and showcasing an ambitious Snow eager to do anything for success. Audiences — myself included — marveled at Blyth’s rendition of Snow. The character progression undoubtably displays moments that are parallel to the original movies.

This year during the actor and writer’s strike, Rachel Zegler — the face and voice of Lucy Gray — underwent tremendous public scrutiny, going as far as being rumored to have exited the live adaptation of Snow White. However, her vocals and acting skills did not disappoint in Songbirds and Snakes, and she gave Lucy Gray an amazing interpretation that will certainly not be forgotten.

Even with a run time of 2 hours and 38 minutes, I felt engaged, especially with the plot twists that I did not see coming. However, I understand the concern that people who have short attention spans may lose interest. Some critics even suggest that “Songbirds and Snakes” should have been a two-part movie. However, I felt it was a great way to spend a Friday, regardless of the time my family and I left the theater.

“Songbirds and Snakes” is catered for the target audience who enjoyed the original trilogy, although it can be enjoyed by any movie watcher and without previous knowledge of the franchise.

I enjoyed the musical elements as well as the cinematography. Hands down, it is one of my favorite movies of the year, along with “Barbie” and the “Eras Tour” movie. However, it is important to note the young adult dystopian genre is not for everyone. I recommend that college students take time to destress from finals week and be immersed into the dystopian world of Panem that Suzanne Collins created.