Written By: Sakura Snyder, Staff Writer
INTRIGUING: Taking a look at the Hunger Games prequel’s performance on screen.
When the dystopian franchise Hunger Games first hit theaters in 2012, it immediately became a global phenomenon. Teenagers shredding their peers apart in government mandated battle royales, a continuously displayed violent fight for fame and money, and of course, virtuous revolution— for fifteen years ago in the main public, such an interesting storyline seemed unheard of. With its undying success, Hunger Games movies continued to roll out into the mainstream. That was, until 2015, when Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 seemed to officially mark the ending of the series’ theatrical release.
Fast forward to November 2023, Hunger Games: the Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes proved that the story’s turn to shine in motion had not yet ended. A prequel based on anti-hero President Snow (acted by Tom Blyth)’s supposed “villain origin story,” the movie was destined to shock the Box Office. Yet sadly, that did not so much seem to be the case—with its ticket sales not even coming close to the original movie’s results. As someone who has seen the movie twice in theaters, I have a few ideas as to why this is the case. But first, we must take a look into the movie’s “hits and misses.”
First, its “misses.” As a movie, the Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes fails to completely translate President Snow’s narcissistic and psychopathic essence, making his transition into evil a bit more confusing to the audience than it should be. In the movie, President Snow comes off as a charming individual. Although he retains an externally likable nature in the novel, according to readers, his identity is depicted much differently on paper. His decisions are cold and calculated; and he clearly inherits a clear sense of “possessiveness” towards the main female tribute, Lucy Gray. Novel President Snow bears the toxicity that movie President Snow does not completely express, which leads to the movie’s partial developmental demise. The pacing of the movie is a bit strange, as well, the story coming off as a bit rushed on certain points.
Despite these “misses,” the Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes has a variety of positive parts that make it an overall fun viewing experience for the audience. The movie has excellent cinematography (I would especially applaud the cameraman for President Snow’s scene in the forest when he enters a delirious state of mind), as well as unique costume design and fairly remarkable acting.
So then ultimately—why did this movie not meet the expectations set by the original parts of the series? It could be because of the large gap in years between the sequels and prequel (almost an eight year difference). Or, it may simply come to the fact that the prequel lacks a crucial part that the original does not miss: the undefeatable main character Katniss Evergreen, played by Jennifer Lawrence. Katniss is an ultimate icon of the Hunger Games, a symbol of revolution and change. Without this classic character, the prequel was likely difficult to pull off in theaters.