The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one of my all-time favorite franchises. Had I been older than one in 2008, I definitely would have been an obnoxious side-braid-wearing, fake-bow-holding, Hunger-Games-obsessed teenager. Naturally, when the prequel to the trilogy, The Ballad of the Songbirds and Snakes, came out in 2020, I was immediately sold. Unfortunately, after reading the book, I was admittedly disappointed. 

The Ballad follows Tom Blyth as Panem’s brutal President Coriolanus Snow in his youth and explores how and why he became the man he is in The Hunger Games. Collins starts strong, immediately hooking readers with this different, less evil version of Snow. It’s even more enticing as she introduces a completely different version of the games. A version that has none of the grandeur and all of the cruelty—if not more. It gets even better as she introduces Lucy Gray Baird, the wily protagonist and tribute in the games whose rebellious tendencies remind readers of Katniss Everdeen. 

But here is where it all starts to blur together. Collins piles a million random plot points in before the games even begin, and by the time the games do begin, so many people have already died from either starvation or murder you’d think they were having two consecutive games. While these events are pivotal in driving the plot, they get lost easily. One murder blurs into the next, and the next tragedy is the same as the last. From that point on, everything just seems to drag on. The romance has no charm, the song lyrics are tacky, Snow becomes more and more predictable, and even Lucy Gray’s once indelible character becomes diminished. 

However, while the book loses its magic pretty quickly, the movie does not. From the very beginning, Rachel Zegler’s Lucy Gray steals the show. Zegler, who is only 22, packs every scene with emotion. Her voice even turns Collins’ gaudy lyrics into beautiful songs that I would wholeheartedly listen to on Spotify.

While the romance still lacks chemistry, both Zegler and Blyth excel in their own right, making their relationship enjoyable to watch. The pair give their relationship a new level of drama and their scenes don’t make you tune out until the next important scene. By the time the movie has reached its end, you just want to know more about them. 

Additionally, the more bleak plot points of the book become key drivers for the movie’s plot. Scenes that were dull and easily disregarded are well-adapted and dramatized. They keep you on the edge of your seat and at times, are so realistic you want to look away. 

All in all, while the original Hunger Games books will always be better than their film adaptations, the same cannot be said for The Ballad. With standout performances, a well-curated soundtrack and an invigorating plot, this film is one of my favorites of the year. 

On this blog, members of the Carmel High School chapter of the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists (and the occasional guest writer) produce curations of all facets of popular culture, from TV shows to music to novels to technology. We hope our readers always leave with something new to muse over. Click here to read more from MUSE.