I Love The Hunger Games.
As a book series, as a film series, and only as a concept if I had to survive and take part in them but hello this is fiction so like, relax, and don’t report this review. I think it’s one of the best book to film adaptations ever made.
It’s a dark series. It’s quite literally a film about children who are likely poor and hungry, fighting for their actual lives in a setting against 23 other children for the entertainment of the rich and as punishment for a war they didn’t start.
I’m not a prequel girly, I feel it’s often a lazy way to knock some nostalgia out of an audience who loved the original and make lotsa money. But there I was, saying yes to a screening for the prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
It’s the story of a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) and his path to being President of Panem told through the 10th annual hunger games, where a rebel girl, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) from District 12 is chosen as a tribute.
Coryo, as he is called by family and friends, including his cousin Tigris Snow played by Hunter Schafer (if you watch Mockingjay Part 2, keep an eye out for an older version of her) is set on getting his family back to the high status they were once at before the dark days. We learn so much about how he came to be the tyrant we know him as some 60 years later.
He’s a boy. A boy who wants better for himself and it was very dope to watch his beginnings. It is however basically the story of how he decided to turn The Hunger Games into something you’d bet on on DraftKings. Like, it was already bad but a young President Snow was like “You know what this is missing? A dash of that sweet sweet capitalism!”
He didn’t do it on his own though, he’s encouraged by one of the many new characters including gamemaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul played by THEE Viola Davis!!!! She needed it to be rebranded. She wanted the opportunity to create torture porn for the citizens of The Capitol for years to come.
No one was watching the games anymore. It had been 10 years and somehow watching children murder each other had lost its appeal. It wasn’t the games we are familiar with. There were no hosts, no fancy clothes, no fancy arena, and no hype. They plucked the kids from the district, threw them on the train to Panem and a few days later they were fighting in what looks like a school gym that’s been sitting empty for a few decades.
Anyway, I had a few scattered thoughts while watching….
It is WILLLLDDDD that they continue to kill the Black children in this franchise in such vicious ways. Literally, I know what I am saying because of the nature of the movie but MY GOD, can we get a break in this dystopia?
I hate that the Black characters are also always the ones at the core of some big political stance.
This hanging tree shit has always made me mad. When Katniss was singing it and even this film. Also in the books. Again, I don’t know what I expected from a movie of this nature that is all about children meeting and murdering each other, but for the sake of Black American viewers, it would be great to not show hanging. This is a fantasy film, you can literally show any other type of death.
I have never seen a more arayn-looking white family in my life.
I am not here for romance. I’m here for murder. If I wanted war-torn romance I would have watched Atonement
He’s so pretty I just wanna put lip gloss on him and tell him to kiss the mirror until his lips hurt.
Jason Schwartzman is a comedy king.
“Fueled with the terror of becoming prey, see how quickly we become predator?”
The movie was…fine. It was what you expected it to be and like 2.5 hours long, and I suspect that is because they were worried fans wouldn’t come back for a part two to this prequel so they told the ENTIRE STORY.
I actually liked it. It was aestically beautiful but I wish it didn’t spend so much time trying to connect to the other films. Like, I know why I’m there and I need that story but I also want to get into the new parts that I don’t know about.
It was also giving Battle Royale (a fav of mine) meets A Star is Born (BABS ONLY PLETHE) and she spent half the movie dressed like Season 2 Alexis Schitt and speaking with the thickest country accent, which, sure Jan.
It’s out now so let me know how you feel and in case you were wondering, yes, I still strongly believe that I would win The Hunger Games because bitch if I’m going to have to fight to the death I shall win.