May the odds be ever in your favor!
By: Kavodi Kulunumini
February 26, Colombo (LNW): The Original ‘Hunger Games’ was a series brilliantly written by Suzanne Collins and one loved by many readers throughout the world. (I very much included) It was so well received by the mass that its fandom is still very much active and had been for nearly the past two decades considering the first of the saga titled ‘Hunger Games’ came out in 2008.
In the series Collins envisions a dystopian world and being American her dystopian world is eerily similar in American values and in her latest adaptation to her OG trilogy she does mention that in more or less clarity that her world of ‘Panem’ was originally North America.
The original series titled as aforementioned ‘Hunger Games’ (2008) ‘Catching Fire’ (2009) ‘Mockingjay’ (2010) were delivered to the world in rapid succession. The story revolves around the 16 year-old-teenager (at least at the start of the saga) Katniss Everdeen and the world she lives in.
Katniss’s world is that of Panem. With 12 Districts (originally 13) in its wake the Capitol reigned over the power of the nation. After a bloody war between the Districts and the Capitol which temporarily forced the Capitol to lose its refine establishment called the ‘Dark Days’ ‘Hunger Games’ were introduced as a mean to the Districts to understand once and forever who really has the power when it reestablished itself.
The ‘Hunger Games’ is a broadcasted entertainment game true to its name driven by hunger. Out of the 12 Districts every year two tributes are sired; one male and one female to compete in the games. But the catch is this: out of those 24 only one could be crowned victor and is allowed to see the sunlight again. For that sole individual to survive every other tribute should die. It’s a merciless and cruel invention of an authoritarian government in their poor excuse to showcase the primal nature of humanity when in truth it is merely a showcase of power.
The entertainment factor garners bets and sponsorships and aids as in a typical game show but here at the cost of lives. The audience is kept entertainment by various precarious means. With artificially advanced world of future they manufacture creatures entirely with purpose to kill and scenarios with absolutely no survival. Every text book killing method is incorporated with novel innovation and creativity making it all the more deadly. Be it poisoning you have an entire forest of nothing but that or acid that makes you burn; you get the poisonous fog that harm the very roots of your nervous system or choking- well you get to choke on a blood rain or the sheer animosity of beings- well you have lions and monkeys and all sorts of other animals trying to chew out your life and pathetically humans (or your fellow tributes in this case) very much included. The game of survival of each individual shows the inherent sense of individuality and self-service one can occupy. At the most primitive stage of life a human is also just another lone animal finding a way to survive by any nefarious means… even if that entails eliminating another of their own.
The original series focuses on the 74th and the 75th Hunger Games both historical in its establishment as well as its results. The story follows Katniss who had been a sole breadwinner of a family of three when she was a child herself and her entire world is her little sister Primrose Everdeen. She hails from District 12 which is the most poverty ridden district in the entirety of Panem although in comparison to Capitol every other District seems to live in poverty as well. That explains to how different the two contemporary communities are. One overflowing with luxury and glory and one groveling to feed its population- or just have a population in the first place. Out of sheer necessity for survival they (the occupants or at least the majority of the occupants in every district) have to sign up for the Hunger games as it provides essentials for a temporary time period. Ironically offering to die was the way they could live.
Katniss once her sister’s name is reaped volunteers on her behalf and eventually partners up with her District mate Peeta Mellark ultimately making history in the games alongside him being the first two people to survive the games simultaneously selling a narrative of ‘Star crossed lovers’. The Machiavellian of the piece is Katniss’s nemesis President Snow the governor of Panem; coldblooded heartless and merciless. He is the blueprint of an authoritarian and obsessive dictator.
What makes this dynamic interesting is that both the heroine and the villain is wary of the other’s capabilities and seems to trust each other on their deeds. The President knowing that the whole ‘star crossed lovers’ was a fabricated survival strategy pushes Katniss to damage control what she had started with her and Peeta’s performance. Not necessarily just the love story but their sense of morality and innate kindness which they did display within the games by Katniss giving a heartfelt farewell to her ally openly defying the Capitol in the national television and Peeta just being a helping hand and refusing to commit the gruesome murder that he is forced within the games. In the gray world of humans they choose to lean towards white when President Snow eventually becomes the blackest of them all contrary to his name.
Unintentionally they have started a rebellion with Katniss at its center ‘The Mockingjay’ the voice of the rebellion and the fire that extinguishes the Snow. The saga continues until Katniss and Peeta and some of the fellow victors are thrown back into the arena as a form of punishment for the uprisings that is on the move as a way to show even the victors are dispensable and replaceable in the 75th addition which then ultimately leads to the actual rebellion that finally overthrows Snow power. The snow finally falls.
This original narrative has been a dear story to all of the readers exploiting the themes of power and death and violence as well as humanity and survival. It had been a discussed material to many in its portrayal of the civilization and governance of military and discipline. The saga was so infamous that it was almost immediately upon its release was adapted to a film saga staring the big names of Jennifer Lawrence in the titular role and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta and Liam Hemsworth as Gale; Katniss’s best friend and the third party of the triangular love story. The film series was also supported by well-known acting of Elizabeth Banks; Woody Harrelson; Stanley Tucci; Sam Claflin; Jona Melone etc. and the legendary Donald Sutherland played the great villain of the piece.
The 04 movies (Mockingjay was divided into part 1 and 2) was praised for its narrative and well directed cinematography and the amazing script which should be credited to Gary Ross and Francis Lawrence and the specific writers of each movie including the long list of Gary Ross; Billy Ray; Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games)- Simon Beaufoy; Michael deBruyun (Catching Fire)- Peter Craig; Danny Strong (Mockingjay). Upon its release the movies made a list of blockbuster records with its amazing storytelling and heart-wrenching action. The characters were portrayed seemingly flawlessly. Worldwide it became the third highest grossing film series based on young adult fiction having grossed over 3 Billion USD. It is also the 20th highest grossing film series of all time. And they were critically acclaimed grossing 84%; 90%; 70% and 70% respectively in its positive reviews in Rotten Tomatoes. Additionally it has won numerous Critics Choice Awards and MTV awards as a franchise as well as individualized acting. Needless to say it was a blockbuster hit.
Thus when the news of a prequel dropped in 2020 titled ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ the world caught back upon the Hunger Games rage. And finally just last year (2023) its live action adaptation came to the audience.
The prequel focuses on President Snows’ life story from Coriolanus Snow the promising university student of the capitol to the bloodthirsty dicatator of Panem. It follows his story of how as a mentor of the 10th annual Hunger Games the 18 year old Coriolanus plays a pivotal role in accelerating the cruelty and viewership of the Hunger Games. Some of the brand new changes that haunted us in the OG series turns out to be the Presidents’ own innovations as a boy himself.
Snow’s wariness to Katniss is also given new depth in the prequel as it is revealed that he is assigned to the female tribute of District 12; Lucy Gray Baird; yes just like the Lucy Gray in William Wordsworth’s poetry who remains a spirit and a mystery even now in the world of Literature. The story almost seems an edition of a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ love story as the two start to depend on one another; trust one another; save and survive on one another to eventually love one another. Although the love in question seems superficial in more than one occasion despite the sweet sentimentality dripping from it.
The story also introduces us to Sejanus Plinth Coriolanus’s supposed best friend at the Academy; his loving cousin Tigris and the only other family member he has: Grandma’am (his grandma). It also shows Dr. Gaul who more or less plays the role of the mentor in transformin Coriolanus to the monster he becomes and his high as a kite Dean of the Academy: Casca Highbottom.
This new prequel provides a fresh perspective as the OG series was written in Katniss’s view meaning the districts and this is all Snow; finest of the Capitol.
The story is a good prequel to the high grossing franchise showing how a villain is made. How the struggling but dutiful Coriolanus who has the capacity to care and love his cousin; his family; his friends (although marginally) and his lover became the ruthless governor he is. Without any spoilers all that I can claim is that the book justifies what it was supposed to giving a nice flashback to the origin of the hunger games itself and the mastermind of the evil behind it. As an adaptation it has my full approval as a reader given its gripping narration and the inherent ability to tap into the most soulful of human emotions and therefore humanity itself. The action sequences are well descriptive and stolen moments of romanticism given that the story’s primary concern didn’t lie in it was beautiful and soulful. The depiction of characters made it all the more heart wrenching with the conclusion. So all in all it is ahighly recommended read.
The movie adaptation of this prequel however didn’t seem justifiable enough to the gripping story that Collins had narrated. Despite the direction of Francis Lawrence and the script of Michael Leslie and Michael Ardnt who had been previously associated with the former blockbuster hit of the actual franchise; the movie seems to be lacking.
The narration is wobbly and some of the most beloved scenes were taken out. (It is understandable that 300 something pages of words cannot be realistically cram into a 2 and half hours of visual representation but simultaneously some of the most pivotal and significant scenes as well as characters were not included which may have had a hand in the lousy narrative). The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (which I will call TBOSAS from now) was really dependent on Snows’ emotions and the interactions and experiences he had; thus taking away which might seem minute was a catastrophic for the storytelling.
Despite the long run time the story was hardly developed and Snow almost seemed a motiveless and insignificant villain when it truth his story was built in such grandeur by Collins. The action sequences seemed to rush so the entirety of the story could fit into the narration and the sentimentality of some scenes were taken out very harshly.
Despite the incredible acting of Tom Blyth as young Coriolanus Snow even he had inconsistency in his acting. The others of the main cast Rachel Zelger on the role of Lucy Gray; Josh Andres as Sejanus Plinth; Hunter Schaffer as Tigris Snow; Viola Davis as the brutal Dr. Volumnia Gaul; Peter Dinklage as Dean Highbottom were all fantastic but was either inconsistent or was not given enough screen time to resonate as characters with the audience. It cannot be denied that the movie was not a complete failure and it did tell the story t was supposed albeit minuscule but it definitely could’ve been better given the esteemed direction and screenplay as well as the stellar cast. It seems to be a bit of wasted potential with the slow paced narrative and the lousy storytelling.
Yet as a movie overall it was enjoyable but in comparison to the amazing book it was based on it was a mile away from doing it justice.
