Book v. Movie: A Review of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”

*Spoiler Alert*

Graphic by Bella Hang

“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” brings “The Hunger Games” fans back to Panem, but 64 years earlier. The story follows eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow and his rise to become President of Panem despite all odds seemingly being against him.

Book

Suzanne Collins published “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” on May 19, 2020. The book is from the perspective of Coriolanus Snow, which provides readers with an insight into his inner dialogue.

Throughout the novel, I did not have trouble disliking Snow. He was jealous, selfish and power-hungry. I went through all 528 pages waiting for something awful to happen to him just to realize that this is simply who he is. 

One aspect that I found to be more effective in the book rather than the movie was the mantra “Snow lands on top." It was first introduced in the beginning by Snow’s cousin Tigris as words of encouragement. As it repeated throughout the book, the meaning completely changed. “Snow lands on top” represents all the awful things he would do to ensure that he will always have power no matter what.

Movie

The film adaptation premiered in the U.S. on Nov. 17, 2023. The film was directed by Francis Lawrence, who also directed the last three movies in The Hunger Games series. 

At 2 hours and 38 minutes, the film beautifully portrays the novel. The scenery was more beautiful than I imagined, and the cast portrayed the characters almost perfectly. 

Viola Davis’ portrayal of Dr. Volumnia Gaul was spot on. Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird was, in my opinion, the perfect choice. Not only did she portray Lucy Gray incredibly well, but her singing was phenomenal. Both of these talented women contributed heavily to the success of this film.

Tom Blyth. His portrayal of Coriolanus Snow was just extraordinary. I know he is meant to be attractive and charming to make the viewers/readers forget how horrible he is, but Tom Blyth takes that to a new level. He is unbelievably charming, yet he plays all the horrible parts of Snow so well. 

Both

It’s expected that a film adaptation won’t include everything from the book or have the same amount of detail, but there were a few differences that I think took away from the disturbing feeling Snow’s actions caused. 

His relationships with Lucy Gray Baird and Sejanus Plinth throughout the book make his betrayal of them unexpected. The movie made the ending too predictable, whereas the book had me fully convinced that he was going to run away with Lucy Gray. 

The film added a scene where Coriolanus was remorseful for what he did to Sejanus. Still, in the book, he was not, which added to the growing unsettledness that the readers feel every time he does something awful for his selfish reasons.

They also diminished the budding romance between Lucy Gray and Coriolanus. In the book, they kiss multiple times, including before the games. This demonstrates his motivation to do anything to save her during the games, along with his need to find her in District 12 when he becomes a peacekeeper. It’s meant to make you believe he truly loves her, making the ending almost completely unexpected and disturbing.  

Despite these differences, I thoroughly enjoyed both the book and the film adaptation. It has revamped my love for The Hunger Games universe and has cursed my TikTok for you page for the next few months.