'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes': A Riveting Prequel to the Hunger Games
The film explores the origins of President Coriolanus Snow and the evolution of the Hunger Games, offering a critique of its own franchise’s success.
- The Hunger Games prequel, 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes', directed by Francis Lawrence, explores the origins of the series' villain, President Coriolanus Snow, and the evolution of the Hunger Games into a cultural phenomenon.
- The film follows a young Coriolanus Snow, played by Tom Blyth, who is a top student at the Capitol, desperate to win his school’s prestigious prize to maintain his family's status among the wealthy.
- Coriolanus is assigned to mentor a tribute for the Hunger Games, and his innovative ideas, including making the audience care more deeply about the tributes as actual humans, revive the Games and make them must-watch programming.
- The film poses a critique of its own franchise’s success, considering the power of storytelling and spectacle, and how popular narratives can shape worldviews, sell ideas, and corrupt anyone.
- The film is praised for its intimate focus, exploring the power of narrative and the complexities of its central characters, making it a meaningful addition to the Hunger Games franchise.
People 
Vanity Fair 
The Messenger 
TheWrap TheWrap 
SlashFilm People 
The Hollywood Reporter 
Insider 
Variety 
Time Time People SlashFilm 
The Atlantic People The Messenger People 
Us Weekly 
Forbes SlashFilm Insider 
WIRED 
HuffPost 
Mashable 
Looper The Messenger Looper The Messenger The Messenger The Messenger The Messenger Insider 
New York Post Forbes 
Entertainment Weekly SlashFilm 
Polygon The Messenger 
Vulture 
Women's Health 
CNBC Us Weekly 
Vogue 
W Magazine 
Rolling Stone SlashFilm 
The Ringer Vanity Fair 
CNN 
Deutsche Welle Entertainment Weekly 
Inside the Magic Women's Health 