In the last eight years, a lot has changed. Back in 2015, when Obama was still president, Taylor Swift's debut album "1989" was the only version that existed, and Joan Snow from "Game of Thrones" may no longer be alive.
Now, a new Hunger Games movie called "Song of the Songbird and the Serpent" is ushered in, set 64 years before the events of the original trilogy, which tells the story of the young Coriolanus Snow, who is about to become the mentor of the "Hunger Games".
"A Song of the Songbird and the Serpent" is bound to be a dark and suspenseful film. It will be interesting to see how the filmmakers will present the brutality of The Hunger Games in a way that suits younger audiences.
The movie is coming out on November 17, 2023, and I believe it's a great addition to the Hunger Games franchise.
Given the underperformance of the last two films in the series, I was wary of this new film. Surprisingly, however, the prequel found a way to refresh the Hunger Games franchise, fueled by two charismatic lead actors, Tom Bryce and Rachel Ziegler, incisive writing, and a well-executed narrative.
"Songbird and Serpent" is a prequel to the "Hunger Games" trilogy, taking us back to where it all began, telling the story of Coriolanus Snow (Tom Bryce) and the "Hunger Games" for their first encounter.
Snow ends up being behind the brutal mastermind of the "Hunger Games", but the psychopath from a wealthy family was not in charge of this "killing carnival" of child killings from the beginning!
"A Song of Songbirds and Serpents" is not a defense of the characters, but a deep and compelling exploration of power, the price people are willing to pay to get it, and what it all means in a world we think we know so well.
The film is set 64 years before the events of the original trilogy and tells the story of a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Bryce) who becomes a mentor to The Hunger Games. Snow is a very different character from the original trilogy in this film, and how he grew into the later Snow is fascinating.
One of the reasons why "A Song of Songbirds and Serpents" is so interesting is that it takes place during a turbulent time in Pam. The country is still recovering from the dark days, while the capital is trying to regain power. This creates a very tense and suspenseful atmosphere, always anticipating what will happen next.
Another thing that makes "A Song of Songbirds and Serpents" so great is the acting. Tom Bryce's portrayal of Coriolanus Snow is brilliant, and he is able to capture the ambition, cruelty, and vulnerability of the character.
Lucy Gray, played by Rachel Zegler, who is Snow's allotted tribute, is equally good. She was able to make Lucy Gray a compassionate and complex character, and had excellent chemistry with Bryce, with whom she became a community of destiny with which "life and death depend".
What will be the result of a bold adaptation of The Hunger Games' premise in A Song of Songbirds and Serpents?
The story takes place 64 years before Katniss Everding first won The Hunger Games. The reason for choosing this time span was that Everdein's second time was in the 75th annual competition, and the 10th "Hunger Games" took place exactly 64 years ago.
The 10th edition of The Hunger Games is very different from the competitions seen in the original trilogy. First of all, this is the first edition of the competition, and it is still in a very early stage. Secondly, neither the scale nor the popularity of the games in the original trilogy is as large. In the end, it is even more brutal because the government does not have enough time to develop the infrastructure and technology to support the competition.
The time span allows filmmakers to explore The Hunger Games from the perspective of a game designer, rather than primarily from the perspective of tribute (i.e., contestants) as in the original trilogy. This will give us a whole new perspective on the Hunger Games.
In this story, everyone is poor and ugly, even the people in the capital. The capital has been in ruins after a rebellion that has just been suppressed, and the prosperity of the past is long gone. The situation was even worse in the defeated neighboring regions.
The Hunger Games, a symbol of power and control, is itself underfunded. Twenty-four children, two each from 12 districts across the country, fought to the death with only one winner. The dilapidated arena is not as big as a high school auditorium. The tributes were neither beautiful nor professionally trained.
The rating is poor, because it turns out that no one wants to watch dirty, hungry, unfit, slightly sick children kill each other.
Ratings are very important for those in power, because the "Hunger Games" are a means of containing the rebellion. The more antagonistic the districts of Pam became, the more difficult it was to escape authoritarian rule. If The Hunger Games fails, so will the capital's control of the districts.
In order to keep the "Hunger Games" going, Miyakuzhiro decided to take measures to increase the ratings. To achieve this, they had 24 college students serve as mentors for tribute. If their tribute wins, the ratings rise, and they will have a chance to win a cash prize.
The young and energetic Snow, the future president of Pam, was thrust into the spotlight. He's been pretending to be rich, and the secret has cost him a foothold in Congress, so he desperately needs the money. The Academy is the ultimate training school for the future dictators and oligarchs of Panm.
Snow and his 23 classmates were chosen to direct tribute in order to boost ratings while also winning cash prizes.
Snow began directing Lucy Gray, a theatrical actor from the 12th arrondissement. Seeing that Gray was a natural performer and talented singer, Snow was smart enough to realize that Congress wanted to boost ratings by reviving The Hunger Games, and Gray's survival became key.
If he can get congressional citizens to fall in love with her, people will watch it, thus ensuring that the "Hunger Games" can continue.
Before Gray entered the arena, "A Song of the Songbird and the Serpent" demonstrated its clever and flexible narrative style. Snow learns that Gray is weak in combat, so he increases her exposure by making her appear more often in front of the camera. He asked her to perform in pre-game interviews and even got her a guitar to talk to her about children and sing songs about her ex-boyfriend.
Considering that viewers already know what "The Hunger Games" will end up with and how terrifying and beautiful it will be when Katniss Everding is involved.
The rigorous makeover that the tribute will eventually undergo, a pre-game interview with Caesar Flickman, and a comfortable stay on the bullet train all begin with Snow and Gray.
Snow soon discovers that everyone wants to see clean, hungry, robust, and healthy child assassins killing each other.
This is one of the best in the entire series
It is no secret that the adaptation of the original book by Mockingjay, the last installment of the Hunger Games film series, has attracted widespread criticism because they split the last book of Susan Collins into two parts.
Mockingjay is a bit more chaotic than its predecessor, with trap-filled streets, underground pipe networks, and man-eating mutant lizardmen. The queue rebellion in the various districts in the story seems to have become scramble, which makes people feel crazy.
And the first two don't have too much pressure to explain the fall of Congress and its aftermath, so the story is more compact.
Collins' original premise makes "The Hunger Games" both terrifying and engaging. Even though everyone knows that it is evil for dictators to send children to slaughter, people still want to see it.
Bringing charismatic characters like Finnick O'Dell and Joanna Mason into the arena adds fantasy and appeal.
Collins creates charismatic characters with mythical backgrounds that make the reader feel that it is not so bad to ally with Odell and Mason and enter the arena. Although this is exactly the way of thinking that threatens the whole premise, The Hunger Games is actually brutal and terrifying.
In The Song of the Songbird and the Serpent, the political and social themes in the original novel are clearer. The Hunger Games, by contrast, are more of a brutal thought experiment than a well-funded "child killing Olympics."
There is no romance or melodrama in the arena to distract from what is really happening, and the stripping nakedness, the gore and brutality of murder, and the intrigue of Congress are highlighted.
Both Snow and Gray need The Hunger Games to ensure their survival. They are all faced with terrible choices and must fight against the systems that are directed against them: Snow against the class system of Congress, Gray against the real "Hunger Games."
They all understand that Gray's survival does not guarantee anything, not even her own life, isn't that what the Hunger Games Constitution dictates?
It is just wishful thinking to believe that happiness, wealth, freedom, and survival can be easily attained in this world. This belief means believing that this system will not betray you in the end.
Winning is just one of the many elegant lies that Pam has played. Watching Snow recognize this, you don't even need to watch other movies to know what he will end up like and what means he will use to achieve his goals.