You know I was front and center opening night at the premiere of “The Ballad of Song Birds & Snakes” (my most- anticipated movie of the year). The theater was packed and the lights dimmed, the words “Dark Ages” appeared across a disturbing scene of young Snow and his cousin Tigress searching for food in a post apocalypse world before the games were even invented. We the audience were immediately transported back to the nostalgic times of the original saga. The stakes were high and the energy was strong. Was this movie going to live up to the standards placed on this beloved series a decade ago? 

I can confidently say after not only watching the movie once but twice, anyone who goes and sees this movie will have their expectations succeeded. From the perfect casting, incredible soundtrack, and staying true to the book, “The Ballad of Song Birds & Snakes” now ranks higher than some of the original movies.

Some highlights that stood out for me are the constant parallels and references paying homage to the iconic, recognizable moments. I loved the symbolism and use of the snakes and song birds. I thought before going into the movie that Lucy Gray, the female protagonist, would just be referred to as the songbird and Cornelius Snow would be the snake, but they dove in way further with these contrasting animals.

Furthermore, I enjoyed how they didn’t censor or beat around the bush with the harsh and dark reality of the games itself. Snow’s complex nature was conveyed very cleverly without having an internal monologue like in the book. A lot of fans were nervous his dark and conflicted personality wasn’t going to be portrayed accurately, but they nailed it.

Going into the movie knowing the movie was almost three hours long, I prefer shorter length movies, but the execution was done so well that time flew by that left the audience low key shocked that the movie was over. Although we felt the movie could have just kept continuing on, it still very much felt complete and left off on a powerful scene that perfectly captured the essence of Snow to end the sequel. 

To end this review, I recommend everyone to rush to the movies to see this live and on the big screen. It is one of those films you don’t want to miss watching in real time because you’re going to regret it later. I rate “The Ballad of Song Birds & Snakes” 5/5 with full certainty.