In the snow-chilling prequel of “The Hunger Games,” “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” (TBOSBAS), the snaky Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) makes his journey to become the future President of Panem through his trials and tribulations as a ‘Mentor’ to the songbird, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler).
A widely-despised character post-Hunger Games, TBOSBAS shares Snow’s backstory, showing every villain has an origin story transforming them into their character. The movie didn’t spare Snow to fully reveal his agony due to his personal financial struggles; the audience was barred from sympathizing with this villainous protagonist. Snow encapsulated this sly agenda through his scheming feats, such as giving his assigned tribute, Lucy Gray, an unfair advantage in the Games, betraying his friend, Sejanus, to the Capital’s nonexistent mercy and murdering Hunger Games creator Dean Highbottom.
Scenes in which he showed emotion were only at the expense of keeping his public image reputable, and the compassion Snow ever exhibited sprung only from his own issues. Pitying the starving tributes was only a direct introspective reflection of his financial difficulties.
Moreover, Snow’s entire affinity for Lucy Gray Baird, a District 12 tribute who wins the 10th Annual Hunger Games and Snow’s heart, was never genuine, which the movie made clear with the minimal character development between the two. Lucy Gray’s curt and fearless attitude didn’t carve her into the archetype of the protagonist’s love interest- her rebellious nature foreshadowed how the relationship between herself and Snow would turn out unsuccessful.
In a special, the movie soundtrack released new original song “Can’t Catch Me Now” by Olivia Rodrigo. This folk rock song perfectly tunes to the relationship between Snow and Lucy, with lyrics “there’s snow falling over the city” referencing Snow’s interference with Lucy’s life and Rodrigo’s empowering and climatic “you can’t, you can’t catch me now” at the chorus and bridge that’s obviously pointed to Snow.
The film’s interpretation of the book was a close replication; the movie’s minor deviance from the book would keep “The Hunger Games” book-lovers satisfied. Retaining the simple plot line, divided into three clear sections, elegantly keeps the main focus of the film on Snow’s shift toward darkness.
Rating: 9.67/10 (I deduct a third of a point from perfection for all the sleepless nights that will follow speculating Lucy Gray Baird’s fate.)
