From the iconic arena fights to overthrowing the capital, the Hunger Games series is one many hold near to their hearts. Growing up with the series and looking up to Katniss, I was very excited for the release of the prequel, “Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” Safe to say, this movie is worth a watch.

The prequel takes place 64 years back in Panem, showcasing the tensions between the district rebels and the capital. The main character, Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is a high school student living in the capital, who later becomes a tyrannical president in the trilogy. After being assigned to mentor tribute Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) from District 12, the games unfold and Snow faces moral dilemmas that skew his political views and shape his character to set the stage for the oppressive Capital seen in the later trilogy.

The movie begins three years before the first annual Hunger Games, known as the “Dark Days.” The “Dark Days” were the time when the rebels went against the capital– which we soon find out was the cause of Snow’s father’s death. This scene first made me feel sympathy for Snow, as he was portrayed as a little boy out in the cold with no food to eat. This scene was needed in order for the audience to give a sense of how and why Snow becomes the way that he does.

Another humble side we see in Snow is when he was mentoring Lucy Gray. One scene in particular that stuck out to me is the night before the tributes were going into the arena, where we see an intimate moment between  Snow and  Baird as he comforts her by providing her with tools to survive the games, making us believe that Snow is on the “good” side while also foreshadowing romantic tension between the two.

In terms of cinematography, the fight scenes in the arena during the games surpassed all my expectations. I was extremely impressed with how the movie constructed itself, how the audience could see each move between the attacks and how realistic the CGI of the snakes were.

One notable character in the film would be Sejanus Plinth (Josh Andrés Rivera), a good friend of Snow who happens to favor the rebels. We see later in the story that his alignment causes tension between the two, where it is later revealed what Snow’s true intentions were: if a cause is enough, he would do anything to justify his actions.

The biggest aspect of this film is that the movie ends on a cliffhanger towards the end of the story. The most significant scene we see is where Snow ends up lying to Baird, though she stated previously that she puts a heavy emphasis on trust rather than love. Assuming that Baird senses the lie that she has been told, the last scene of her is her walking out of the house that they had agreed on staying in to stay away from the trouble. The biggest debate that the movie leaves remains: What really happened to Lucy Gray? 

While the lingering feeling of suspense still remains in my head after weeks of seeing it, I cannot get over the acting. Although Zegler is known for her controversies surrounding her other roles in film, she did an amazing job portraying Baird. I was able to understand Baird’s intentions from beginning to end. Her singing also kept me intrigued in the film. Blyth also did an outstanding job, considering this is his first big film, I think it made a great first impression to all viewers.

In the Hunger Games trilogy, it is revealed that Snow is a sick and twisted ruler in Panem, known for taking away innocent lives. As I have witnessed the prequel come to life, “Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes” kickstarts the world of Panam perfectly.