One of the most anticipated premieres of this fall, the teenage action dystopia The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This is a continuation of the hit series of films starring Jennifer Lawrence, which have grossed billions of dollars at the box office and received positive reviews from both critics and audiences.
Here are 10 reasons why you should watch the new movie.
1. The sequel to the most successful dystopia of the 21st century
As of 2014, more than 65 million copies of The Hunger Games book trilogy, which was the basis for the franchise, have been sold in the United States alone. Today, the books of the series are sold in 56 countries in 51 languages.
The trilogy was filmed by Lionsgate between 2012 and 2015. The four films in the series grossed $3 billion at the time, and this amount continues to grow.
All of this makes The Hunger Games one of the most successful franchises in history, and its cultural impact is still felt around the world today.
2. The eternal theme of turning a person into a monster
The theme of turning good or at least ordinary people into villains appeared simultaneously with the birth of literature, and right now this topic is more relevant than ever.
The protagonist of the Hunger Games prequel is 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, who in a few decades will turn into the brutal dictator Panem, who is responsible for the deaths of millions of people.
At the time of the first anniversary Hunger Games, Snow is presented as an intelligent, traumatized, and sensitive young man. He is close to such feelings as love, respect and care. But ambition and the cruel world of Panem will turn the young and beautiful Snow into a real monster.
3. Allusion to real dictatorships
Susan Collins was inspired by the world of gladiatorial combat and ancient Rome when writing her books. But the real hook that hooked readers and viewers around the world is that Panem is becoming more and more like modern dictatorships every year.
So, on the one hand, viewers are delighted with the action and intrigue, and on the other hand, they recognize real events in the characters and the world on the screen.
4. Realistic fictional world
Particularly shocking parallels between Panem’s world and the modern world can be drawn during the events of the original trilogy’s finale. It was in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 that the audience saw how propaganda really works, how people make a business out of suffering, and how the war for survival affects every human decision.
The Hunger Games universe is a dystopia set in Panem, a North American country consisting of a wealthy Capitol and 13 districts of varying degrees of poverty. Every year, children from the first 12 districts are selected by lottery to participate in a mandatory death match called the Hunger Games, which is broadcast on TV.
5. Picture
The best specialists worked on the production of all the films in The Hunger Games series. The new installment was directed by Francis Lawrence, who also directed three of the four previous films in the series and the hit movies Constantine, I Am Legend, Water for Elephants, and Red Sparrow.
Even if you haven’t watched Lawrence’s films, you’ve definitely seen his music videos. He is a true classic of video production who has worked with real legends: Britney Spears (I am slave 4U, Circus), Lady Gaga (Bad Romance), Beyonce (Run the world (Girls), Backstreet Boys (The Call), Pussycat Dolls (Buttons), Gwen Stefani (What are you waiting for), Jennifer Lopez (Jenny from the block), Aerosmith (I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing) and hundreds of others.
The audience will see the incredible work of directors, cameramen, designers and visual graphics specialists.
6. Young stars
The characters from the original Hunger Games, played by Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen), Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne) and Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Melarke), have forever remained in the hearts of the series’ fans.
It’s quite possible that the same fate will befall the lead actors in the prequel, Tom Blyth (young Coriolanus Snow) and Rachel Zegler (Lucy Grey Byrd, the first “The Chanting Girl”). Critics who have already watched the movie said that the chemistry between the main characters is many times better than between the love triangle of the original films.
Blythe (Billy the Kid) is also praised for his dramatic talent and ability to demonstrate the path from an ordinary young man to the cruel, cunning and ambitious dictator Panem.
Meanwhile, West Side Story star Zegler is praised for her musical numbers, which “give the audience goosebumps.”
7. Secondary characters played by the best actors of our time
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missour, X-Men: Days of Future Past, I Care a Lot) plays the author of the idea of creating the deadly survival games of Highbottom’s helmet in the new go-karting series: Days of Future Past, The Con Artist), who has won Emmy and Golden Globe awards.
The role of the main antagonist is played by Oscar winner Viola Davis, who viewers could see in such hits as The Help, The Suicide Squad, Widows, The Woman King and How to Get Away with Murder.
The film also features Hunter Schaefer (Euphoria) and Jason Schwartzman (almost all of Wes Anderson’s films).
8. Fashion
The fashion world of The Hunger Games is one of the main features of the franchise. This world organically combines fashion trends from different eras and trends: Ancient Rome, the 20s of the 20th century, steampunk, glamor, and work style. All of this in the world of Panem is combined in one crazy melting pot.
But fashion in the world of The Hunger Games reflects not only the social roles of the characters, but also demonstrates how unfairly accumulated and distributed wealth distorts people.
9. Music
Emmy, Grammy and nine-time Oscar nominee James Newton Howard is the author of the soundtrack to all five films of the Hunger Games saga. His music is a real decoration of the film, and the song, which is known in Ukraine as “The Passion Tree,” has become a real cultural symbol of the fight against tyranny and has been performed at protests in many countries around the world.
10. Finale
The prequel to The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, has been recognized by critics and audiences as the best and most adult book in the series. Don’t be intimidated by the young protagonists who are forced to make extremely difficult decisions and survive in a world that has become very similar to ours. As in life, everything in the Capitol world ends unexpectedly and not always with a happy ending.
