When I heard {that a} “Hunger Games” prequel film, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” was popping out to theaters on Nov. 17, I did what anybody would do: I joined the mortgage queue for the e book by Susanne Collins on the Princeton Public Library and purchased a ticket to see it in theaters over Thanksgiving Break.
I’m not a strict read-the-book-before-the-movie moralist, however with the dystopian lore of Collins’ Panem, I needed to give the unique supply matter its due. My first impression of the e book — it was lengthy. With over 500 pages divided into three elements, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” looks like a mini “Hunger Games” trilogy in itself. Yet, in distinction with the sequence, its plotline is extra suited to the scope of 1 e book. It follows solely the tenth Annual Hunger Games, focusing solely on the villain arc of Coriolanus Snow, future President of Panem and enemy of Katniss Everdeen, as he mentors and falls in love with Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute and singer from District 12.
As I began the mighty e book, I discovered it difficult to remain invested in Coriolanus’ story. The scenes of the prequel are action-packed, compressed, and narrated in an almost matter-of-fact, impassive method. I discovered that I merely couldn’t sympathize with the primary character.
That’s the factor about “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”: Coriolanus isn’t likable. He’s narrow-minded, egocentric, cowardly, and morally grey. Almost each resolution he makes could be pinned on monetary, self-serving, and social climbing motives. He makes use of his “friends” with out lasting guilt, charming and turning his again on his fellow college students Sejanus Plinth and Clemensia Dovecote after they now not serve his ambitions.
In reality, upon nearer examination, a few of his most excellent acts of kindness and heroism could be traced to the affect of others: his cousin Tigris encouraging him to empathize with Lucy Gray, or Lucy Gray urging him to assist a dying classmate. His solely successful trait is his loyalty to his household. Everything he does is to protect the sanctity of the fallen Snow title.
I get it. It’s a villain origin story. How do you encourage empathy for a villain? Some depict the villain as misunderstood, a misplaced soul, or a insurgent shunned by a inflexible society. Yet in Panem, we all know that President Snow ends on the mistaken facet of fine, so Collins faces the problem of writing a personality charming and relatable sufficient to hold the narrative but egocentric sufficient to develop into the cold-hearted dictator of Katniss’ world. To preserve us invested, she turns to a narrative arc that may at all times hook an viewers: falling in love.
Coriolanus’s love curiosity, Lucy Gray Baird, is much from the rebellious Katniss Everdeen. Gray is showy, decided, form, and somewhat useless. Music is her consolation, not her weapon. She’s nowhere close to harmless, but along with her tears she appeals to the “damsel in distress” narrative. As Lucy Gray’s mentor, Coriolanus simply slips into the protector position, giving her roses and promising to assist her survive. Sparks fly.
But is it actually love? Can they actually know one another after they’re each performing a component to attraction these round them? Can they belief one another after they’re each combating for their very own survival? I’m hesitant to name this a love story simply due to just a few electrical kisses. At the very least, Collins’ plot successfully retains the reader questioning if “love” could be Coriolanus’ salvation. She writes a personality that isn’t fairly likable or credible, however fairly, completely placed to be each a present protagonist and a future antagonist. We know the place he finally ends up, however we have to know the way he will get there.
As far as film diversifications go, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” with Suzanne Collins as its govt producer, is astonishingly trustworthy to the e book. Many key strains are drawn instantly from the textual content, equivalent to when Lucy Gray says, “Well, I’m not made of sugar,” and scenes are matched sufficient to be recognizable from the trailer. The action-packed scenes from the e book remodel into film sequences which preserve the viewers on edge: you by no means know when somebody could be viciously murdered, when a bomb would possibly go off, when a snake would possibly strike. The film even manages to make clunky old-fashioned drones appear lethal.
The spots of comedian reduction from Lucky Flickerman — the weatherman and Hunger Games host — barely lighten the scenes of motion and violence. It’s not a film for the little ones. But it is a film for the followers. With its nods to the katniss plant, “The Hanging Tree”, and the notorious mockingjay, it’s clear that the prequel comes from the identical world and thoughts because the “Hunger Games” sequence.
The few sneaky however important adjustments between the e book and the film level to a sample: the e book’s characters had been retouched to go well with a wider viewers and fanbase. Most notably, Coriolanus, performed by Tom Blyth, improves dramatically. All of a sudden, he heroically runs to assist his dying classmate of his personal volition. He doesn’t abandon Clemensia after she will get bitten by snakes; she’s written out of the storyline. Plus, she was asking for it by making an attempt to take credit score for his work. Even his friendship and “brotherhood” with Sejanus is extra plausible within the film. He turns into the good-looking, charming, marketable film hero.
Lucy Gray, in flip, is reshaped into the picture of a insurgent by actress Rachel Zegler. With her arduous glares on the Capitol’s cameras and her defiant singing, she turns into the predecessor of Katniss Everdeen. Her feelings and her suspicions play out on her face, giving us what the e book couldn’t: Coriolanus, along with his blindness and his pleasure, noticed Lucy Gray as a lamb till the tip, however Zegler reveals the internal edge that makes Lucy Gray a survivor.
The casting additionally contains incapacity illustration not mandated by e book canon. One of the tributes is an amputee, one other has Down Syndrome, and one other has a watch situation. Dean Highbottom is fantastically performed by Peter Dinklage, proving that inclusive casting can apply to all roles, not simply these meant for little individuals. Altogether, these are characters we are able to consider in, root for, and respect as protagonists, and with these adjustments comes the emotional funding that the e book’s narrative lacks. The musical and vocal motifs surrounding Lucy Gray successfully tug on the viewers’s heartstrings, and a few of the extra highly effective scenes made me tear up.
“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is a e book that lends itself nicely to a visible format. If something, it was satisfying to see the main points come to life, from Lucy Gray’s rainbow costume to the fantastically decrepit area to the sweeping majesty of the Capitol. The film is vicious and bittersweet; it gained’t make you giggle, however it could make you cry. The closing darkish twist and beautiful visuals of the closing scene aptly arrange Coriolanus for his future as President Snow, searching as snow drifts over the town.
Jessica Wang is a member of the Class of 2026 and a employees author for the Prospect on the ‘Prince.’ She could be reached at [email protected].
