Week 49: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Week 49: December 3-9, 2023

When you don't have a job, you can do crazy stuff like see matinee movies at 1pm on a weekday, and this week, that is exactly what I did.

I missed the feeling of seeing a movie from a beloved series like The Hunger Games books. The way film directors create these fantasy worlds and transport us into the minds of the authors will never cease to amaze me. I had forgotten the details of the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes book, but seeing the film adaptation this week reignited my love for creative fiction authors like Suzanne Collins. The movie was really good.

Here is the trailer, if you haven't seen it yet. I'll avoid spoilers, but I'll share my thoughts. Overall, it was great. The actors put on an incredible showcase of their talents, and Tom Blyth as young Snow reminded me a bit of a young Tom Felton in his Half-Blood Prince Draco Malfoy-era. Viola Davis was her usual striking self and blew me away with her stunning version of Dr. Volumnia Gaul. I hadn't seen Rachel Zegler in anything other than the West Side Story remake, but her voice and acting were very impressive.

I will say that the movie's runtime of almost three whole hours felt a little dreadful at first, but the producers did a good job of keeping me engaged. The ending did feel a little rushed, which I have now realized is a common sentiment from critics (look at me, I am now a movie critic in my unemployment!), but still I left the theatre smiling.

Seeing this movie with a friend, especially in the middle of a weekday alongside the handful of retired San Diegans, reminded me a lot of high school. Sorry in advance to my parents, but I am now admitting that I used to cut class and see movies in the middle of the schoolday sometimes. I usually would go by myself, since my friends were not as inclined to skip class, and impressively managed to see almost every movie that interested me in theatres from 2015-2017. There were at least three movie theatres right up the street from my high school in Downtown Berkeley, so it was almost too easy.

Hey, I still passed with great grades, went to college, and turned out okay (I think), so I'd say it was a much-needed enrichment activity for a restless teenager. I love seeing movies in theatres, because you actually watch them. You can't be on your phone, and there aren't any distractions. The whole point of being there is to experience the movie, and thats it. When you watch stuff at home, you might be distracted and multitasking, and though I do this a lot, I think it is not as satisfying as watching a movie in theatres.

The world of different series and fandoms is deeply complex and The Hunger Games fandom is one that I kind of forgot I was a part of for a good chunk of my adolescent life. Seeing this new movie was a reminder of my past interests, and my past love for The Hunger Games franchise. I really felt inspired by the nostalgia of sharing a deep love and connection to the world, characters, and stories from Suzanne Collins' mind.

It was cute to catch little details that called back to the original Hunger Games story with Katniss, like the "Hanging Tree" song, and sharing knowing glances with my friend as we sat in the theatre. The comparison between Lucy Gray's character and Katniss' character is explained perfectly by Rachel Zegler, "Lucy Gray is a performer forced to fight and Katniss is a fighter forced to perform."

Even if you're not someone who was deeply invested in the love triange between Katniss, Peeta and Gale, and even if you didn't have a District 12 pin on your backpack, you will still enjoy this movie. It is a great adaptation to the prequel story to The Hunger Games, and keeps the same theme of desperation, conflict, and love at its forefront. If you haven't read any of the books or seen any of the first few movies, this is still a movie worth watching.

I still can't get over the fact that the main character's first name literally ends with "anus" though.

See you next week.