‘The Hunger Games’ prequel set to revive franchise’s cultural relevance and nostalgia

Tommy Hudec
Fri, 17 Nov 2023 02:46:08 +0000
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Tom Blyth, left, and Rachel Zegler in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.” (Murray Close/Lionsgate/TNS)

One of the most popular book and film franchises of all time will return to theaters with the upcoming release of “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”

Based on Suzanne Collins’ 2020 novel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” the prequel film — starring Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth and Viola Davis — marks the latest entry in the beloved “Hunger Games” franchise. It is set to premiere worldwide Friday.

The movie will follow the original series’ chief antagonist, Coriolanus Snow, before he becomes the sadistic president despised by the majority of Panem citizens. As a young man, his goal is to successfully mentor a tribute, Lucy Gray Baird, before the 10th annual Hunger Games.

Marisa Weister, an Ohio State 2023 alum and former treasurer of BookTok at The Ohio State University — a student organization dedicated to bringing together readers via books popularized by TikTok — said she’s been a fan of the dystopian series for years. Her first experience with the franchise was watching the first movie, “The Hunger Games,” at her childhood friend’s birthday party in middle school, she said.

“I was 12 at the time, and I was not a big reader, but I was very invested in the first movie,” Weister said. “From there I decided to pick up the book, and that really got me into reading and became a comfort series of mine.”

Weister said since then, she and her friends have often reread and discussed the books in depth together.

“We make a joke that we are in a book club where we literally just talk about and dissect ‘The Hunger Games,’” Weister said.

Erin Jamieson, a senior lecturer in Ohio State’s English department, said the series is similarly special to her because of its distinct ability to inspire connectivity among friends and family.

“I shared the first book and sequels with my father — who ended up loving the series as much as I did,” Jamieson said in an email. “We watched the movies together, and in many ways, the experience of reading the first three books and watching the subsequent films are memories that remind me of how important family is too.”

In light of the new film, Weister said she’s currently reading the prequel, which has been a unique read because it essentially flips the primary series on its head.

“It just gives a backstory about President Snow and it’s hard because in the book, Snow is kind of the protagonist, so it’s hard for me to read that after seeing him as the antagonist for so long,” Weister said.

Despite her excitement for the release, Weister said she thinks some fans of the franchise’s high-tech, deadly competition concept — a core focus of the original trilogy — may not feel as drawn to the new movie due to its departure from the format of its predecessors.

“I don’t think that the movie that’s coming out is getting as much popularity as the first ‘Hunger Games,’” Weister said. “After ‘Mockingjay – Part 1’ and ‘Part 2,’ the release of those movies, it’s like the franchise kind of took a hit because people like the arena stories.”

Jamieson agreed. She said a majority of the excitement surrounding the trilogy was derived from its novelty, which has somewhat faltered as literary trends have evolved in recent years.

“I have certainly seen both anticipation for the film, as well as hesitation,” Jamieson said. “It’s very hard to recreate the excitement of the very first film franchise — and I do suspect there may be a slight divide depending on age, as well as when one first became interested in ‘The Hunger Games.’”

Weister said the upcoming movie release has greatly benefited from TikTok and other social media platforms that make it easy for news to spread.

“I moved to the West Side, so I live in LA now, and in comparison to living in multiple parts of Ohio, there’s so much more advertisement for movies out here than there is at home,” Weister said. “However, I probably still wouldn’t notice a lot of them without TikTok being a thing or even Instagram or Facebook and having those targeted ads.”

Jamieson identified “BookTok,” a community of niche book enthusiasts on TikTok, as a central contributor to the recent resurgence in the franchise’s popularity.

The franchise’s core theme of social injustice also earned it a respectable reputation, helping it maintain relevance even today, Jamieson said. She said the story mirrors current and ongoing global conflicts, particularly when it comes to warfare.

“‘The Hunger Games,’ at its core, is a story about inequality, the consolidation of power, and, of course, the spectacle of making others’ pain a form of entertainment,” Jamieson said. “For this reason, ‘The Hunger Games’ is not just a novel- it is a depiction of our past and present, and an invitation for us to question how to improve our world- and not be silent to these issues.”

Weister said another explanation for the franchise’s sustained popularity is the status it has earned as a comfort series. She said the relatability of Katniss Everdeen, the original trilogy’s protagonist, allowed this warmth to arise in consumers despite the gloomy dystopian setting.

“I always wanted to relate to Katniss as much as I could, especially because I was the oldest sibling and always saw myself wanting to protect my brother and provide for my family as much as I could,” Weister said.

Jamieson said Katniss’ flawed nature, in tandem with her dedication to standing up for her beliefs, made audiences connect with her.

“Katniss is a teenager — who may have excellent hunting skills but is otherwise not extraordinary,” Jamieson said. “While she has flaws — such as being obstinate, at times to her own detriment — she is also driven by a sense of purpose, and, eventually, justice.”

Weister said she hopes the prequel can give a new generation of fans the same feeling of comfort she experienced at her friend’s birthday party so many years ago.

“There’s going to be somebody, hopefully in middle school, that’s going to be looking for something and they’re going to go watch the movie with their friends, and then it’s going to be something that they’re gonna find comfort in,” Weister said.

Jamieson said while the franchise’s novels were an astronomical success on their own, the movies have cast a broader net to captivate more audiences, helping to establish the series’ tight-knit and devoted following.

“While not all novels translate well to film, this series I think truly was meant for film,” Jamieson said. “The compelling theme, the attention to detail, and, I think, especially strong performances created a fandom in itself.”