The newest installment in the famous Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins was adapted into a movie and released on November 17, 2023. It is called The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and has many high praises. The award-winning Hunger Games trilogy was first written in 2008 and quickly became a big hit. These books describe the story of a girl named Katniss who is placed in the Hunger Games, a fight to the death between her and 23 other tributes from different districts. It is run by the Capital where the rulers live and is used to punish the districts for their rebellion many years ago and remind them of the Capital’s power. 

This new novel, which recently was changed into a movie, describes the origins of the main villain and leader of the Capital in the original series, President Snow. He was placed as one of the first mentors, a new concept for the games, and was forced to help his tribute, Lucy Gray Baird, win the games. However, they soon fall in love, and he starts to question everything he once knew in the Capital.

This new movie is extremely popular among all Hunger Games fans, as well as attracting some new fans too. At HHS, lots of students have watched it and enjoyed it. Sophomore Livie Correnti said, “It was a good movie adaptation of the book and kept the majority of the same plot lines and scenes”. Freshman Reese Studebaker called it a “cinematic masterpiece,” and freshman Sienna Powers said, “I loved the ties between the original movies and books and this. It also gave more background on why characters in the original trilogy were the way they were”.

Overall, there has been a positive response to this movie, causing fans to return to the Hunger Games universe. Many fans have also been calling for more prequels on other characters’ stories, and the future for the Hunger Games remains unknown.