My Review of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Movie!

[0:00]Hello, everyone. It's been so long. I haven't posted a video in a while. Um, especially at Lucy Gray related videos. It's nice to be back. I got a lot of requests from people who wanted to know my thoughts on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie. Um, I just saw it a couple of days ago, and honestly, it was amazing. I thought it was so incredible how they were able to take such a huge story and condense it into such a short amount of time. I know it kind of had a long run time technically, but I heard that there was over like an hour of extra content that they had to cut down and it's such a meaty story. I do feel like it would have been better if it was a series where they could have really given all those scenes more time and all of those little details. Cuz I got attached to certain little moments in the book, um, that weren't exactly the same in the film, but overall, I just think they did such a good job. And Rachel Zegler was amazing as Lucy Gray. I thought her her vocals, her performance, just this sort of charming Southern Belle kind of character was just so perfect. I could tell that they were taking influence from like early Dolly Parton and Patsy Klein, and she was just so, so cute, so charming. Um, they did a really good job giving a traditional sort of folk, bluegrasssy, um, there's a little bit of even like mariachi, kind of early early folk references in all of the arrangements, and I I thought it was so cool. Because you listen to it and you feel like, I feel like this is a song I've heard before. This feels like a traditional folk song. This feels like it could really be a part of our history, which feels so intentional, and um, it just makes it feel even more eerie and like a dystopian reflection of our reality. Um, I thought that Tom Blyth did an amazing job as Coriolanus Snow. Um, I wasn't sure when I was watching the trailers how it was gonna be, but when I saw the whole film, I just thought he did such an incredible job portraying that character. I do wish that they had more time with the Cubby and those tender moments between Lucy Gray and Maude Ivory who was taken care of her cuz it's such a beautiful reflection to Katniss and Prim and that sort of caretaker in Lucy Gray that makes you love her even more and so I wish that they had time to develop that. And it would have been nice to hear her singing Deep in the Meadow to Maude Ivory at the lake cuz that's such a sweet, tender moment. I wish we had time for Barbs storyline. Um, she's she was one of my favorite characters and um, you know, she's a girlfriend, so that would have been really cute in the film, but you don't really get that sense at all. You don't really get to know any of the Cubby, really. Um, but again, it just like we need like a 10-hour version of the film. So I hope Lionsgate is able to release the extended version because I think there are so many people who would watch it and want to know all of those little details, all the extra scenes. Um, I loved the music. I I think my favorite adaptation that they did was uh, Nothing You Can Take From Me. I love the energy that they gave it. It reminded me a lot of Man of Constant Sorrow, which I think is most well known from Where O Brother, Where Art Thou. Um, but there's just that similarity of of rhythm and and tone, and it immediately reminded me of that scene. I just felt like they did such a good job at easing into the music. It didn't feel cheesy, it just felt defiant and powerful, and I loved that about the song. And it had so much more power than my version. My version was really soft, and I feel like the powerful sort of energy that they gave that scene makes so much more sense. Um, I thought the interview song was really beautiful. I wish it was a little bit more vulnerable because that moment is so vulnerable, and I like I want to connect to the lyrics a little bit more, but the that scene is so beautiful. I definitely cried, and she nails that end like when I go to my grave line, it's just so *chef's kiss*. Um, I thought, uh, the Old There Before in the Arena was so powerful and beautiful and and just like, oh, chills. It's so good. The Hanging Tree was an incredible. Her emotion that she brought to that scene makes so much sense within the context of everything that's happening, and I I think in retrospect, the the one that I put out is a little too happy. But when I was reading the book, it felt like she was hopeful, like thinking about running away. Um, and I guess that was more in more detail in the book her plans to basically run away in that moment. And to me, I thought, oh, okay, she's sitting there in the field thinking about leaving and getting away from it all. And so that's sort of the context that I had for the version that I did. The main song that I wish was different was Pierce the Driven Snow. They had to combine certain scenes and songs in the film. Like, it was clear they combined Nothing You Can Take and Crawling to You, which makes a lot of sense. Um, because they had to condense so much, but I felt it was really weird that they combined Pierce the Driven Snow and the scene where sell you for a song plays. Cuz it means that they they sort of created an an ominous feeling with Pierce the Driven Snow, which I felt like really took away from that moment of like love and connection and and vulnerability for Lucy Gray, because she's basically saying, I trust you. I don't just love you, I don't just need you, I trust you. And that's huge, and that's like this huge pivotal moment in the book. And because they combined it where sell you for a song is in this really sort of ominous, bad things are about to happen kind of way, it really took away from that moment for me. I wish that there was more time to see the romance develop between Lucy Gray and Coriolanus. I feel like in the book, you feel them sort of teetering on that edge between actual love and survival instinct. And in the movie, it kind of just feels like they're full-on survival the whole time. The only other thing that I wish was different about the music is the variety. I felt like a lot of the songs had the same tempo and the same sort of cadence and and rhythm. I also understand them wanting to create a unified sound for Lucy Gray and the Cubby. Um, but I feel like I didn't get the individual feelings for each of the songs, but that's just my opinion. I still loved them all. I thought they were incredible. I thought all those moments were beautiful. I teared up, I think on every single song. So, maybe we'll just get Lion's Gate to make a Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes series in the future where we get to explore all those little details. Um, I believe Lucy Gray is alive. I've thought that in the book, at the end of the book, I thought she survived. I definitely feel that in the film. I feel like Olivia Rodrigo's song kind of hints at that too, and it sort of hints at the transition from Lucy Gray into Katniss's Revolution in the future, which I think is so brilliant. Olivia's song is so good, but um, I think Lucy Gray survived. And at the end of the book, my theory was that she survives, and then later on, Snow comes back and tracks her down and then actually kills her because she's basically this this loose thread that's still out there. Um, so that's my theory. Let me know your theories in the comments. I want to know your favorite songs, what were your least favorite moments, your most favorite moments. What do you wish was in the movie that was in the book that they didn't have time for? What would you have done differently? What did you love? What made you cry? I wanna know it all, so let me know in the comments below. And then the last thing, it would mean so much to me. It would mean the world to me if you guys would check out the two new songs that I released. They're part of my album that I finally finished and will be out soon. The CD pre-order is on my website, and I'll have a pre-save link very soon. Um, and it would really mean the world to me if you would follow me and listen to these songs as they come out. If you'd like to support me more, you can find me on Patreon where you can support me there and you can download all of my songs, including all of the Lucy Gray songs that I did. I am so grateful for all of you for having stayed with me on this journey. Um, I'm so grateful to have been your Lucy Gray for a little while in this fandom, and I'm so excited to see Rachel on the screen just crushing it. She's the perfect, most beautiful Lucy Gray. Um, I thought she did an amazing job, so Rachel, if by any chance you see this, you're amazing, um, sending you nothing but love. Um, thank you all so much, and comment below. Goodbye. See you in the next video. Keep singing your song.