Singing The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

I prepared for this movie by rereading The Hunger Games series and watching the movies again. It was my first time reading the prequel and it was the first time in a long time that I flew through a book. The only thing that stopped me was eye pain.

So I had high expectations for this movie. Maybe if I wasn’t so prepared I would’ve enjoyed the movie more. Don’t get me wrong, it's an objectively good movie. Visually stunning, and the casting is on point. Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Josh Andréas Rivera, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer and Jason Schwartzman all shine in their respective roles. They breathe life into the book characters. The heart of the character is there, but when you change it from the book, the soul of the character is gone.

But as a book lover first, and a movie lover second, I wish they hadn’t changed some of the details in the book.

The poison wasn’t Coriolanus’ idea, it was Lucy Gray’s idea and he takes that from her and carries it into his presidency which you see in the original series. He only gives her the compact not the poison.

The first kiss should’ve come sooner and in front of the other mentors and tributes like the book and not hidden in the field in district 12. It’s the one of the only times we see Snow’s heart be vulnerable in defiance and that’s gone.

Clemensia also disappears from the movie once she is bitten by the snake. Coriolanus doesn’t have to face her anymore like he does in the books. You see less of Snow dealing with the consequences of his actions. Maybe less consequences make it easier for the audience to understand the President Snow that came to be in the original trilogy. But less consequences don’t make it easier to understand the little humanity he is left fighting himself with like he does in the book.

It comes too easily in the movies, there’s no working for it. That’s my one annoyance with the original trilogy as well. The characters aren’t shown working for what they want. Snow working his way out the districts as a peacekeeper or Katniss training her way into the Star Squad. It’s all handed to them. I understand it for the sake of a movie and it’s limited timing, but it doesn’t drive how necessary these motivations are. The struggle is relatable.

I will say that I do love that the movie shows the exact moment where you can pinpoint the fact that Lucy Gray no longer trusts Coriolanus. It wasn’t that easy in the book. It’s very easy in the movie.

For a movie that’s called The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, the amount of songs feels appropriate. Rachel Zegler singing them live within the scene is such a smart decision on Francis Lawrence’s part. Those songs mean that she is fighting and it hooks the audience in with the real physicality of being a performer. I wish they kept the song Deep in the Meadow in this film as another way to remember Lucy Gray in the original trilogy. If it’s not sung in this film, where does Katniss get it from in The Hunger Games? It’s another mystery like Lucy Gray’s ending. 

Despite the changes, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is a very solid film. You understand Coriolanus’ descent into evil as he ascends into power. It’s just a shame they don’t also show the relationships that he deteriorates to get there (I’m looking at you, Tigris and the Plinths).