The student news site of Davis High School

The Dart

The student news site of Davis High School

The Dart

The student news site of Davis High School

The Dart

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The New Hunger Games Movie Review

The New Hunger Games Movie Review
Why you should watch the new Hunger Games movieEight years ago, we received the last Hunger Games movie in the original trilogy. Fans ofthe story thought that it was the last we would ever hear of the Hunger Games. But, toeveryone’s delight, a new Hunger Games movie came out this year called The Ballad ofSongbirds and Snakes. It has quickly become a popular movie in the theaters that lots of peopleare seeing. But is the movie really worth watching? Is it worth sitting on a chair for three hours?The short answer is absolutely.The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel to the original Hunger Games trilogy. Itfollows our main character, Coriolanus Snow as he mentors a District 12 tribute, Lucy GrayBaird. And yes, Coriolanus Snow as in President Snow. If you don’t know, President Snow is themain antagonist in the Hunger Games trilogy, notoriously hated by everyone who has seen themovies or read the books. But in this story, we get a glimpse of who President Snow was beforehe was overtaken by power and greed. It’s super interesting to see a different side of Snow, andthe actor Tom Blyth did not disappoint on his performance playing the character.Many students at Davis High School have already seen The Ballad of Songbirds andSnakes. The majority of the students interviewed liked it! Izzy Martinez, a student at Davis High,said “I thought it was a great movie. I loved the connections between the other movies and thisone and how the games were affected by Snow.” Throughout the movie there are little eastereggs from the original trilogy that is always fun for die-hard fans. There is little hints that notmany can catch that foreshadows Snow and Katniss’s story.Because the story of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a villain origin story, it’s nosecret about what happens to Snow by the end of the story. However it was a little harder totell in the movie. People who have both read the book and seen the movie said that the moviehad a little something missing. In the book you are able to read all of Snow’s thoughts, and itbecomes easy to imagine him as a villain. But in the movie, it’s harder to imagine that becauseyou can’t read Snow’s inner thoughts, and some people didn’t feel as connected to him as theyshould’ve been. But that doesn’t mean that it still wasn’t an amazing movie with amazingscenes and locations.

Brynlee Beckstrand, a junior at Davis High, said, “I thought that the cinematography wassimply outstanding. The visuals and the places they shot in where the perfect setting.” Whilethe movie may be lacking in fleshing out Coriolanus Snow completely, they definitely don’t fallshort with the visuals of the movie. The shots are all perfectly shot and designed. It reallyimmerses the audience into the movie and they don’t even realize it until the movie is over.Like Brynlee said, the cinematography was praise-worthy with it’s artistic shots. The directorsand actors aren’t afraid to use what is naturally around them!A big part of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is the romance between CoriolanusSnow and Lucy Gray Baird. And while the romance is a very prominent storylines, BrynleeBeckstrand and Izzy Martinez both agreed that the romance could’ve been utilized a bit more,but that they understand why it wasn’t. If you don’t understand what they are saying, that’syour sign to watch the movie! Even though some people find the romance lacking, it’s stilldefinitely a beautiful, heartbreaking must-see.So, should you go see The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? Yes! If you go see the movie,you will see amazing cinematography, a plot that sticks well with the book, and little eastereggs throughout the film! Some people get overwhelmed when they find out that the movie istwo hours and forty-five minutes, but trust thousands of others who rated the movie an 89%,you won’t be bored. The directors, producers, and actors worked hard for this film and it turnedout as a worthy installment of the Hunger Games universe.

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About the Contributor
Eliza Gardiner
Eliza Gardiner, Journalist
Eliza Gardiner is a Junior year journalist at Davis High School. In her free time sheenjoys dancing, spending time with friends, listening to Taylor Swift, and sleeping.She is excited to write for the paper because she loves writing and wants toinform others in her community about current events and topics.