Over the holidays, the mega movies are plenty as Hollywood attempts to bring in the Christmas Break audience. One option you’ll have is a new Hunger Games movie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The film has brought renewed interest from fans across the globe and many people are adding it to their list of favorite movies. 

The movie is unlike a typical film in that the plot is split into distinct parts. In Part 1: The Mentor, Snow was assigned to guide a District 12 songbird, Lucy Gray Baird, the first time mentors were used in the Games. Part 2: The Games, reveals the 10th Annual Hunger Games, as Baird fights and Coriolanus cheats in an attempt to get her the championship. Finally, in Part 3: The Peacekeeper, Snow faces the consequences for his actions which inevitably leads to him becoming the man we all know in the Hunger Games.

“[The movie] was awesome, amazing and I really want to watch it again,” said seventh grader, Gia S. “I really like the plot of the story, it’s interesting and you won’t get bored while watching. I don’t have a favorite part of [the movie] because everything was so good.”

A previous Howl article revealed that few of our Coyotes have actually read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but fans have still developed a love for the characters and actors in the movie. Directors and writers have created a captivating plot. 

“[I like Lucy Gray] because I think she’s very smart and cunning. The way she put on an act was very good,” said Gia.

The plot, starring Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray and Tom Blyth as President Snow, starts before Katniss Everdeen’s time.

“The story is important because it shows what happened before [the Hunger Games trilogy],” said Addison K.

In a recent Howl survey asking, “Have you watched or read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?” 23% had watched the movie and the response was all positive.

“I love the Hunger Games; It was one of the first book series that I got into. I think it really capitalizes on how quickly our world can change and how crazy that it can turn into if we don’t  keep ourselves in check. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes really put all the pieces of the story together, and [it] brought me joy reading and watching [the movie],” said eighth grader, Marley M.