By: Rachel Lau

Photo By: Tom Britt, CC 2.0 on Flickr

Lionsgate Films posted the first official trailer for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes on April 27, 2023, making a comeback for the Hunger Games series after the last movie was released in 2015. The new movie released in Canada on Friday, November 17, 2023. It stars Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow, mostly known as President Snow, and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird. 

The book The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was published in 2020 by the same author who wrote Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins. Without spoiling the story, the plot overview occurs in the dystopian world of Panem, where themes of power, privilege, and loss of innocence and their effects are imprinted onto different character’s notions (Moo N.). As students, we must understand perceptions around the world that can enhance our beliefs, and these types of books and movies can mentor us about relationships. Despite the fictionality of the characters and settings, the story reflects many crucial topics discussed in reality, and it is especially seen in the relationship between Snow and Gray. Aside from this pair’s relationship, all the details and hidden meanings of dialogue indicate that the humanity inside all of us is the greatest gift we have.

After all, both the book and the movie are good teachings on life skills where the essence presents a perception of the world through a lens of survival. If you want to experience an in-depth connection with the book and the characters, then read the book beforehand! However, if you anticipate the movie, refrain from spoilers online! Please support the wonderful production crew and cast for their hard work and dedication!

Works Cited

Moo N. “Review of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” Scattered Books, 29 August 2023, https://www.scatteredbooks.com/the-ballad-of-songbirds-and-snakes-by-suzanne-collins/. Accessed 21 December 2023.