The Hunger Games: The Balled of Songbirds and Snakes

 Two things I never thought I would say about Coriolanus Snow:

1. He’s absolutely gorgeous (which has been well and truly established since the film came out) 

2. He cries all the time.

Over a decade since the release of The Hunger Games, the audience is transported back to Panem, 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as a tribute. This time the story is told from POV of Coriolanus Snow; and the first steps he took as a ambitious college student to becoming Panem's most notorious blood thirsty president. The book was published in 2020 and it's excellent. Needless to say I knew a film was going to be coming up in the near future and it did not disappoint.  

 

18 year old Coriolanus Snow understands hard times. His father was once a well respected leader in the Capitol but when he is killed in the rebellion, Coriolanus is left with very little to survive on. With his cousin and grandmother counting in him to provide for their future welfare, Snow knows his only chance of success and rise from poverty is to get into the university. Even though he's the best student, Snow knows that the odds aren't exactly in his favor to get the prized Plinth scholarship. 

 

In order to win the coveted scholarship, Snow and his classmates are chosen to participate in the 10th annual Hunger Games event to work as mentors for the tributes. Coriolanus is tasked with mentoring the District 12 tribute, Lucy Grey Baird; a feisty 16 year old who knows how to put on a performance with her stunning voice and stage appeal.

Lucy inspires Snow to make the games more than a simple viewing event, but an absolute spectacle that everyone can participate in, with donations, betting, interviews with the tributes all of which have a profound effect on the games. However, Coriolanus finds himself in his own personal games of survival as he finds himself falling in love with Lucy and risking everything to keep her alive. 

As a whole the movie was excellent and followed the book very well. I loved the casting and Tom Blyth played young Snow to absolute perfection. Rachel Zeglar's singing was stellar and she was the perfect choice for Lucy Grey. The timeline has the story taking place in 2348, so the movie looks like it's set in a futuristic late 1940s. This film is an aesthetic lovers dream; from the post-WWII vibe of the Capitol to the stunning countryside of District 12.

Discovering a villain's origin story may not be an appealing read or watch, especially one as terrifying as Snow. However, the villain's story can usually be the more complex and morally confusing than a hero (I'm talking about you Loki). As I've written before, no one just wakes up one day and says they want to be a murderer. To learn about who Snow once was and what he eventually becomes is as intriguing as it is scary because you don't want to humanize the villain. The book humanized Snow very well and the movie just added more intriguing layers.

As I humorously put at the beginning of the review, the two things I picked up on in the films certainly were Coriolanus' most human. He was once young, handsome and charming; qualities that served him well on his road to the presidency. He is also incredibly sensitive when it comes to the people he cares about. He's not afraid to be vulnerable with his emotions; Snow cries because his heart breaks for the hard decisions he must make in order to survive. By the end he realizes that to truly survive his heart must be hardened, frozen from any sense of love and sentiment. A decision that will mold him into the dictator he eventually becomes.