In the wake of the release of the film adaptation of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel to the Hunger Games franchise, discussion and theories have run rampant on social media, and having personally read the book before the film’s release, I found my experience of the film differed significantly from that of others who had not and were not aware of the inner monologue of the protagonist, Coriolanus Snow.
Overall, the book was incredibly well adapted, with incredible performances from Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler bringing the story to life phenomenally. However, a huge aspect of Coriolanus Snow’s character seemed missing due to only his outward appearance on display to the audience. Where some see a caring but misunderstood romantic, readers know that beneath is a sociopathic fascist who speaks of low-class people as if they are to be owned as pets. The inner monologue can completely redefine the characters and meaning of a story and is often a cause of debate among fans of popular franchises, for good reason. I am yet to see a film that captures a first-person narrator’s internal monologue effectively enough to fully emulate the impact of its source material.
There are, however, clear benefits to using film as a medium for the stories of books, in the availability for wider audiences and visualization, which can hugely help some with understanding of the story, but the most crucial improvement of this story in particular is undoubtedly the introduction of music to accompany lyrics written only on paper, bringing much more emotion and depth to the character of Lucy Gray while creating beautiful emotional scenes that could only be achieved with music.
Many people prefer to simply enjoy the stories told to them at face value, and in this regard, the film is next to perfect. However, for those who enjoy finding deeper meanings and hidden symbolism, which Suzanne Collins excels at crafting, I would enthusiastically recommend reading the novel to accompany the film. Nevertheless, in every form, the stories of the Hunger Games franchise are simultaneously sickening and beautiful in the best way possible
