We Watched *The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes* For the First Time

[@_hannigram_]

the purpose of these movies is to reflect society as well. the actor for the girl with downs was very excited for this and it’s great to see them being cast. no one in the districts is exempt from the games.

[@elusiveDEVIANT]

Them? She's multiple people? I think you mean, her.

[@TyTystick]

​@@elusiveDEVIANTDoes it really matter?

[@elusiveDEVIANT]

@TyTystick It does. We cannot enable insanity. This is the only delusion we've seem to worship as a society, at least on one side. It's not really about adults. If they want to disagree with reality and mutilate their bodies, fine. But the whole thing is being warped into some twilight zone shit or black mirror. When i was growing up, girls who liked going outside, dirt biking, hunting, etc were called Tom Boys. Now, they're men trapped in women's bodies. Parents are turning gay kids into trans kids. It's bizarre and fucked. Do some research, you'll be a little more than shocked. People warned about slippery slopes and here we are. Pronouns have led to complete absurdity. If you dangle, male. No dangling, female. Idk why it needs to be more complicated than that. Humans are not parrot fish. Nor are we birds. If believing I can fly is insane, so.is believing I can switch genders.

[@kristinm3657]

I know story wise people have been upset with Wovey having Down syndrome but I loved the diversity of casting for the tributes. So rare to see!

[@pedrosalcido5028]

And it also shows how the capitol really just doesn’t care

[@liviclare]

Yes she was a great actress and it really hit hard as her death really shows how evil the capitol is and the games

[@davidfairweather3301]

I’ve not seen a lot of people annoyed over her casting, but maybe I just haven’t been exposed to it. I thought they couldn’t have picked someone more cute and innocent, I got so emotional when she was approaching the snake tank or when she grabbed Lucy Grays hand. Seeing more disabled actors get their shine is what I want to see. So many people preach about POC apparently not being cast enough but look at disabled actors. Unless a characters disability is at the forefront of their description, disabled actors are always overlooked.

[@melissahasnolife]

@@davidfairweather3301 This! Never once was down syndrome mentioned. Never once were people giving each other a "look" while talking about her. When sympathy was shown for her, it was due to her being young and innocent, same with Rue in the first book/movie. We as viewers are devastated and horrified of course, but down syndrome wasn't made a "character trait" of hers. She just was who she was and for viewers, her disability just gave us an extra punch to the gut and added to the narrative about the society these characters live in.

[@JNDReacts]

@@davidfairweather3301and even then, I’d say more often than not, an actor without a disability is still given the role for a disabled character.

[@june3306]

You would've thought that after katniss' pov (The Hunger Games trilogy) we would know she's a unreliable narrator. The same goes for this book/movie. It was so sad and infuriating to see people who read the book and movie think Lucy was "bad" or a manipulator. She was in survivalist mode and saw Snow's manipulation and darkness so she dipped asap.

[@Shellpenny]

The reason they have “future” technology, is because they’re in the future. The hunger games you know with Jennifer Lawrence is WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY in the future. Both the prequel and originals happen in OUR FUTURE.

[@Icycold21]

Lucy Gray wasn’t bad. She was smart of enough to see the red flags in Coriolanus. Also the book is written in Snows POV so you are looking at Lucy Gray through his lenses. Lucy Gray ran away because she knew Snow was going to abandon her and want to go back home to the Capitol. Snows entire mission was to return home to the Capitol, but that wasn’t Lucy’s goal. She hates the Capitol and would have never gone with him. She also left because he lied about killing Sejanus. She said early in the movie/book that trust is the most important thing to her, more than love.

[@raivengilliam3134]

So so glad to see this being said! I was thrown off when she said Lucy was evil & they did not show it much in the movie. I think she may have misunderstood the entire book & film, because she did not understand the character of Lucy Gray.

[@Val46_]

​@@raivengilliam3134 I think they didn't understand the movie and the characters 😂😂

[@melindamercier6811]

Yeah, its weird they thought the opposite. I usually see a lot of people don’t understand Lucy Gray’s motivations BECAUSE of this movie. The movie gives her too many “dont lie to me, im onto you” lines that were delivered in a way that makes her appear not trustworthy. You dont get that from the book. I hated that last conversation they had bc her saying she was a loose end gave it away, whereas we as an audience/the reader were supposed to come to the conclusion ourselves along with Coryo to understand how he began to spiral into paranoia. The scriptwriters kind of hand fed the audience lines that were entirely unnecessary.

[@Val46_]

@@melindamercier6811 this movie can be better, yes, but I understood perfectly , snow is bad

[@raivengilliam3134]

@@melindamercier6811 I 100% agree & do believe the writers for the film felt the need to spoon feed the audience. I think they were motivated by the thought of many people not reading the books & were worried about the level of understanding everyone would have about Lucy’s final decision. I think this creator completely missed the mark on Lucy. Lucy was a smart girl who did not wear the rose colored glasses & kept herself a step ahead of things when it was needed. I almost wonder if she heavily relied on the narration from Snow & analyzed her from there. I could see why someone would think she is suspicious, because she was but you have to look at the circumstances lol. I don’t understand the evil part though 🤷🏼‍♀️ I never got that from the book/movie

[@LoLovesLife]

I actually like the change of the capital student knowing that the snakes are venomous. I feel like the movie really wanted to drive home the point of what people will do in the name of ambition and greed. She was willing to take the risk of being poisoned in order to impress Viola's character.

[@seant1133]

I don’t understand why Justin is so disturbed by wovey, and the violence in the games. It’s a prequel of course it’s not going to be like when it was katniss and peetas games. It’s meant to be world building and show how the game’s evolved by snow’s influences. Why would there by joy in a prequel? We know what happens in the future. And it’s based on the book by Suzanne Collins, the movie adaptation is very pg compared to the book.

[@michaelleung4816]

The Snows were poor because Coriolanus' father had invested most of the family fortune in District 13 weapons factories so when 13 was "destroyed" the Snows were left nearly broke.

[@scorpioj3]

tigris was in the original trilogy! she is the woman in the capitol who looked like a tiger and helped katniss and gale pass through the capitol gates by dressing them up. also the snows were poor since the first war finished and the snows had their wealth in district 13 and that district was the first one to rebel. great reaction guys!

[@mermaidlagoon]

she got the part because she was absolutely fantastic. not because she has downs. rethink your sentences before you say that. it can rub people the wrong way.

[@gretchenortner]

I think what Jane and Justin meant was they didn't like that the casting director/movie director even thought to cast someone with down syndrome in a movie where she definitely was going to be killed. Jane and Justin were saying that they think that she was casted purely to make us feel more sick and sad about the hunger games, which theyre honestly right about, but there's more to it than that. By making a character have down syndrome, they wanted to show us that the Capitol didnt care at all about people with special needs and disabilities, and many people in our society dont either, so they choose an actress with down syndrome. But the fact of the matter is, she *was* casted, at least partly, because she has down syndrome. It would be a lie to say "the actress having down syndrome didnt play a role at all in their decision to cast her and they only casted her because she acted well in her audition." Of course her having down syndrome played a part in her casting; that's not a bad thing to say. She was casted *both* because she has down syndrome and because she acted her part very well. She did a great job portraying a character that was a part of an extremely vulnerable population that the Capitol did not care about at all. Actors are casted based both on their physical appearance and their acting ability all the time; sometimes certain physical traits should play a role in the casting director's decision making, and sometimes it shouldnt play a role in their decision making. Sometimes it's not a bad thing for it to be part of the reason they were casted. Going back to the Capitol (and this is more directed at others and less at you): they didnt care about anyone in fact; they send anyone and everyone into the games, no matter if they had a disability or not. Just like in Catching Fire: they were willing to send in any remaining victor, no matter age, ability, etc. Annie was reaped despite having severe mental problems and Mags volunteered in her place, and the Capitol obviously allowed it, despite Mags being very old and unable to fight.

[@melissahasnolife]

@@gretchenortner I like the way you articulated this middle ground. I'm sure the casting directors were aware that casting a person with down syndrome would add something to the narrative. But I'm also sure the actress is very capable and talented regardless.

[@ribbitgrl]

Justin: Agrees to watch prequel to movie about an authoritarian government sending kids to fight to the death Also Justin: THIS IS HARD TO WATCH!

[@CJ77777]

I am not sure why it's so different with Woveys actress's death being more disturbing than any other. Yes, she has Down Syndrome so technically that would make her time in the arena harder, but they're all kids being forced into this place to kill or be killed. Her death should be no more traumatic than Dills who is also young or any other who participates in the Hunger Games. It's also great that they hired the actor as we dont get to see these kind of roles given to actors with Downs usually or with similar conditions. It's interesting how we see things as more tragic when a certain criteria is involved, like with Rue in the original series because she was so young, whereas she was actually pretty capable and there were others who were also in the same position of having to murder or become murderers that had even less skill to give then a good chance no matter their age. Its all tragic.

[@DovesEyes623]

This!! It’s all tragic.

[@heatherdianeclark]

I highly doubt Lucy Gray was evil, she was just trying to survive and at the end she sensed Snow had stepped into evil and knew she was a loose end that he’d kill so she chose to leave.

[@joshuacoldwater]

The actress who played Wovey came to the audition just like every other actress, she went through the same exact process. She was chosen because of her talent, her ability to draw other characters close with few words, her smile, and emotion. She was not chosen because of her disability, or included in the story because of her disability, and at NO POINT was her disability mentioned. No need to fly a flag for a group of people that are not asking you to fly a flag for them. It is a type of Ableism that truly is not needed.

[@ElvishReactions]

And even though she wasn't chosen because of having Downs, I actually like that it further shows the ruthlessness of the Capital. No child was exempt for any reason.

[@melindamercier6811]

Way to be overly defensive. You have no idea that she wasn’t cast especially for her disability unless you were the casting director. It certainly adds to the element of horror bc not only are the Capital killing children, but they are so calloused as to admit the most innocent, least harmful, and most vulnerable of children into the games indiscriminately. Just like they cast an amputee. And they don’t need to mention her disability, it’s already evident. If they didnt want to garner sympathy, they could’ve chosen a Downs actor/actress as a Capital kid. Obviously they had to have acting ability, but two things can be true at once. Hollywood LOVES doing the token diversity thing, if you’re unaware of that, you’re being willfully ignorant.

[@michaelquihuis1608]

that’s very bitter don’t go around spouting that these lovely people are prejudice people like you throw those words around and don’t know the meaning or the destruction is causes. if you think they are ablest then get off their channel please. have a great night

[@hannahj8099]

Several of the cast had disabilities, something I didn’t know until I looked them all up. They also cast actors in the cities they filmed in. They did an incredible job of creating a diverse cast, it is the most diverse cast I’ve ever seen and it’s beautiful. It’s even more beautiful that they were “just” characters with disabilities without creating anything dramatic surrounding the fact they are disabled. It does a great job showing how ruthless the capitol was.

[@ItsAsparageese]

They're not "flying a flag", they just said it was an interesting casting choice and made the story feel even darker/sadder. Your comment comes off as if you might be projecting a bit with that accusation, since you seem to be jousting at an imagined excuse for some virtue signalling

[@SakuraPixie]

…Lucy being evil is not the sort of hot take I would expect from anyone who has seen this film or read the books 😂😂😂 if anything the movie made Snow a more sympathetic character because his thoughts and reasoning were grotesque in the book

[@SakuraPixie]

@whiteman12592 two presidents in one analogy, I see you 😂 And snow always lands on top!

[@melissaisloud7404]

In the original trilogy a young man with a mental slowness gets murdered by Peacekeepers for trying to keep some night vision goggles to play with. The inclusion of Wovey having Down’s Syndrome, imho, illustrates something that is already well established in the book narrative. Plus the little actress who plays Wovey is exactly what the character feels like when reading. I loved the casting. I hope to see the actress more.

[@_Rook12]

don't know what alternate version of the book she read where Lucy was in any way evil or dark. Jessup was bitten by a rabid animal at the zoo, Lucy did nothing to him she protected him until she couldn't. She killed wovey but that hardly makes her evil given she's in a fight to the death. She "flips" at the end because she realizes snow is going to kill her because she's the only thing left linking him to the murders so she runs away and baits him to a non deadly snake to escape. Like shes so adamant about how evil Lucy gray is when that was never a part of the story?

[@emilyk5168]

I agree the Clemensia and the snakes plot was changed oddly. I thought it was weird they made it look like her fault for lying. When this is Dr Gaul being a crazy person. And then the film never addresses what happened to her after. Your namesake Lysistrata Vickers's role was also cut down. Her eulogy for Jessup is one of my favorite parts of the book. “What I’d like people to know about Jessup is that he was a good person. He threw his body over mine to protect me when the bombs started going off in the arena. It wasn’t even conscious. He did it reflexively. That’s who he was at heart. A protector. I don’t think he would’ve ever won the Games, because he’d have died trying to protect Lucy Gray.” “Oh, like a dog or something.” Lepidus nodded. “A really good one.” “No, not like a dog. Like a human being,” said Lysistrata.

[@DinkIeberg]

I don't understand the anger about the decision to cast Sofia Sanchez (Wovey) just because of her disability, she's a human being just like the rest us, she has every right to audition and be apart of a movie that she willingly applied for, and was chosen because the director and producer were able to see the bigger picture in her role. Rather than just being a basic girl from a district, they saw the potential that her character could bring to the movie. To show how heartless the capitol could be, when they say that anyone can 12-18 years old can be chosen at the reaping, and have no choice to participate they meant literally everyone. It shows how little sympathy they have for district citizens, and just adds more fuel to show why the rebellion needed to happen. I can see how disengaged you got for the rest of the movie ever since you saw that the character had down syndrome, I understand its not going to be easy to watch, but the way you reacted to it showed more ableism than anything. Would you rather this actor not be allowed to participate in a movie? Something she has a passion for and loves to be apart of. Please don't be close minded, think about the bigger message she played, rather than just dwelling on it and be happy for her.

[@JJ_LL]

Be real, she's not capable of anything but being handy-capable. I don't need to see the "inclusion" of handicapped people just so you can sleep better at night. Make your own "special movie" if you want such a distraction in a movie. Do you understand that or do you need a finger painting of it??? Rhetorical Question.

[@daniellereid4923]

Has anyone considered that maybe he was so affected by Wovey’s character - and the lack of understanding that she had about the games - because he has a child with a disability? Given that his daughter has autism, maybe that just hit a little too close to home for him and has nothing to do with ablelism at all. Just a thought.

[@JJ_LL]

Casting here a person with a disability is woke crud. Casting somebody with full faculties and the skill to do the job is the right thing to do. This Woke Inclusion crap needs to stop!

[@DinkIeberg]

@@JJ_LL Your use of vocabulary is atrocious, had an aneurism trying to read this. But yeah sorry to inform you but casting somebody with a disability is not "woke". People like you literally make what side of the political spectrum you're on your whole personality and it's just sad lmfao. Also has nothing to do with woke inclusion, any human being who has common decency, doesn't care what disability somebody has, they're still human.

[@Digital_is_silly]

@@JJ_LLYou need to learn when to shut up

[@abberkaddabber6622]

I like that they gave Lucy Gray an accent. I think her accent is more of a southern appalachian accent than an Alabamian accent because of where 12 is located. She sounds like a lot of the ladies from where I grew up, in northeast TN.

[@mariagalvez03]

lucy gray’s accent is based on appalachians !! and the whole culture of the covey is as well, the appalachian people often sang songs and also live in the rural mountainous appalachia. it also explains why they call her lucy gray instead of just lucy, as it’s an appalachian tradition to have two first names

[@clairec4009]

What ... Lucy gray was not evil! What is Jane smoking? Making up things that never happened.

[@barbara832001]

Yeah, I don't think Billy Taupe's opinion of Lucy Grey is unbiased. He's mad that she was upset about him cheating. Snow was also an unreliable narrator whose own prejudices color his perception. He sees Lucy Grey as his property.

[@emmy2417]

yeah that comment really threw me off. a major theme in the book is how snow and lucy gray have incompatible philosophies about good and evil.

[@LS13.]

It’s by the book, and it’s up for interpretation

[@Idontexisthihi001]

I think it’s because Lucy Gray in the books is pretty ambiguous, and definitely hints that she may have been more of a snake than she seemed. But we see that through Snow’s paranoia, leaving us not truly knowing what to think. Her character in the book is pretty well defined, but also has that slight cloud of mystery. It leaves us wondering how well we truly knew her, or how much of her was true or performance. Completely agree though, she wasn’t evil. just pointing out that her book form did have that ambiguity

[@june3306]

​@LS13. "I only write when i have things to say" - Susanne Collins. I really doubt that its up to interpretation when it's clear as that ehat her books are about. Sad u can't comprehend that.

[@KylieIsOverIt]

This idea the Lucy Gray is dark "in the book" is plainly wrong. The only character who suggests this is Billy Taupe. You know, the one who cheated on her and got her reaped. He also got drunk, violent and was bitter that he lost his music career (and any money he made) because the rest of the band sided with her. He also threatened to make sure that she was hung along with him, for being a rebel...or for killing Mayfair, when she had nothing to do with either. She admitted that she had to flirt a bit for her career but said that he lied when he suggested that she was a cheater. Classic DARVO on his part, btw. Two characters claimed opposing truths and, given all of the context on those two characters, Jane assumes that Billy Taupe is the one telling the truth? This is a YA book/movie and Jane can't seem to process what an unreliable narrator is? Can't identify victim-blaming? Can't judge characters by context and prior actions? That's an embarrassing lack of literary and media savvy, honestly.

[@geturwish]

Damn u GOT HER ASS LMAOOO but seriously let’s take 5 minutes to think abt the story jane

[@patmcconnell9956]

The whole point of inclusivity is for actresses like Wovey’s to be included in a story like this without making it seem like she stands out and shouldn’t have been included or written this way because she’s different and easier to sympathize with. I get and appreciate you both for feeling so emotional about the story and these kids being harmed like this but that’s what it is, a story. So it shouldn’t be criticized as much as it seems like you guys are, at least in my opinion.

[@Stormed95]

Came to the comments to defend Wovey’s inclusion in the movie, but see my work has been done by others 😅 The terrible thing is that she is a child! Whether they are sickly, have downs, are CHILDREN, whatever the capitol doesn’t care. I thought it was cute how she “reminded her of her cousin Maude Ivory,” a line that I think highlights that Down Syndrome exists across Panem even if they don’t know what it is/don’t identify it as something “wrong” with them. Wovey could have been replaced by any other small child, sure, but only because her “disability” wasn’t played up a ton for the movie. It’s so cool to include an actress with Downs in a movie like this! And it’s good if it’s helping shift a “helpless” narrative that I was picking up from you guys re: Wovey and re:people with down syndrome.

[@DovesEyes623]

Right! That actress did her thing and I hope we see more of her! I felt the innocence in her line at end “is it over, can we go home now?”

[@_Rook12]

People being extra upset at wovey having downs to me just shows what they think of people with downs. i've been seeing lots of pity and infantilization, like "aw poor baby with downs is too dumb and incompetent", that's what it sounds like.

[@explodingplant2]

I'm guessing Lucy Gray was writing the Hanging Tree song in that scene we see her. The day before a dead man who murdered three called out for his love to flee (via jabberjays).

[@LS13.]

Snow with the snake bite started hallucinating a bit, but basically in his mind Lucy tried killing him and used him from the beginning. While in hers she can’t trust him anymore. I would love a second movie with Snows continuous rise.

[@CrankyGrandma]

I think in the book snows growing paranoia is more obvious. But the movie did an amazing job adapting.

[@UNITED-STATES-OF-MURICA140]

I almost screamed when i saw this, excited to see your reaction.

[@isabellac1185]

if you’re going to be realistic you have to accept that this takes place in the US and the US government would not care if people with disabilities were reaped. there would be no exceptions

[@PeverellTheThird]

"would not care"? Lol. Doesn't care irl anyways.

[@ashleyh7073]

Not watching the full video bc i dont want any spoilers from Jane at the end, but i do understand where Justin is coming from saying its dark. I think this one was so dark to show how barbaric it was. Its like, comparing the two, the early games and the 74th, you see in Katniss' time the games are just like a reality show people fangirl/fanboy about it like its nothing. This movie i think they wanted to show how simple and i guess, dark these times were. Not that Katniss time wasnt dark lol it certainly was but the early games almost feel soo primitive and more brutal than the later ones. Like just throwing people in a zoo, no food, no water, and expect them to kill each other with no victor in a round flat arena. I think its just a nice way of seeing the differences and how people were convinced into watching the games, and how it changed as it got more popular. It turns from a primitive type of brutal into a modern type of brutal thats cloaked as a tv show.

[@juvon102]

“It’s not a feel good sci-fi movie….” Did y’all completely forget the series? And waaiittt did you REALLY read the books? Because Lucy got away just as she NEEDED to this boy Snow was definitely going to kill her

[@maki_rollin9020]

34:24 i forget what game it was but there was a tribute who erm...ate the dead tributes during the game...so from that point on they removed the fallen from the arenas.

[@mariagalvez03]

reminder also, that the book is from coriolanus’ perspective. it’s him thinking that lucy gray is bad.. in reality we don’t know what’s true. she could’ve just been protecting herself, or she could’ve had malicious intent. in snows mind and through the books, she had malicious intent. but he’s also an unreliable narrator..

[@MistressMadcap]

i feel like some closed captioning could help sometimes in thick plotted movies so information wouldn't be so easily missed.

[@Itzezyyyy]

Aw you guys skipped the woods scene, that was one of the most important scenes and no Lucy isn’t evil. Sure they both had intentions of using one another but she didn’t trust him so she fled as she should’ve bc staying with a narcissistic snake like snow would’ve destroyed her, esp since she was mentored by him. He’d act like he owns her and didn’t even hesitate to shoot her when she “betrayed” him lol, and ever since he’s been going mad not knowing what actually happened to her cause shooting her was all in his head and the big footprints were his own, while he circled the woods looking for her. She disappeared a long time ago, due to the mockingjays singing from wherever she’s gone

[@amydubuque2894]

I dont remember lucy grey being bad or dark in the book. Maybe i need to read it a 3rd time. i dont remember her doing anything to the guy from her district in the games. i remember billy tope telling snow about lucy not being as good as she protrays herself, but i also dont remember her ever showing that. With it being from snows view he does start becoming more and more paranoid and starting to make himself believe billy tope because he's trying to convince himself him turning on lucy Gray was justified. I was mad they didnt show more of Serjanus' ma and dad telling snow theyll "adopt" him since he was "such a good friend to their son". Also, they call their grandma "grandma'am" cuz of how "elegant" and "regal" she is, so grandma doesnt feel sufficient enough of a tile for her to them.

[@t-lex6001]

“…So like better than twins. Luke and Lora… Lorelai? Luke and Lorelai?” Me almost yelling at the screen to defend the non-incestual relationship of Gilmore Girls 😅😂

[@joshuacoldwater]

Me actually yelling “heyyy”

[@cagalliYULA5964]

Rabies does not really cause you to really fear water. It mostly stems from when they see water it makes their throat feel tight due to spasms, same with sunlight. And that causes them to be 'afraid'

[@CoziB7]

1:00:00 in the books Lucy Greys character is not dark and also not super good. I think Rachel Zeglar did a great job of portraying her in a way that there are very few moments we know what she’s thinking. I don’t remember a time in the books where she “did something” to jessup. I think they had a sort of alliance, he may have been fond of her as a friend but I do think she would not hesitate to kill him. She does what she has to do to survive. It’s hinted she’s had to sell herself, and with that there’s a whole nother layer of complex trauma. In regards to the scene in the forest, I still cannot tell you if she planted that snake. It’s never really revealed, and even with the amount of times I’ve read all the books and feel like I understand the author to an extent, I’m not sure about that. However, what i am sure about is the fsct rhat she ran because she thoight he would kill her. As she said in the kovie, she was his last loose end. she had just figurwd out he was responsible for sajanusses death and assumed it was a plan by Coryo to tie up the loose end that was his friend. So, like the survivor she was, she ran.

[@alliekamenar4976]

I liked the play on words they gave the guy who acted the part of Billy. The whole "if I swing, you swing with me" anecdote from Billy in the movie sounds eerily similar to "if we burn, you burn with us". Little tid-bits about the stuff Katniss says are everywhere in this... Perhaps Billy saying that could be another avenue to research for fans who want to find out who Katniss is related to in this prequel 😱i Funny that his original "last line" was "Oh no. If I swing, she's swinging with me" (in regard to Lucy)

[@IDKLOLIMJUSTHERE]

And idk why yall think reaper would win just cause he’s the strongest guy.. if that was the case the winners would all be strong guys every year.. girls win the hunger games too.

[@IDKLOLIMJUSTHERE]

It wasn’t that quick lol it came out in November so typical 45 day in theatre window. - 100 million dollar budget and it made 336 so far. So it’s a success

[@barbara832001]

Wovey was the one who drank from the water bottle with the rat poison in the book. I think they thought having Lucy Grey kill someone who was already really sick would make her more sympathetic. I don't think the movie is fan fiction, the book is written by the creator of the property. A lot of the same themes are present and it fits with the other three books. There are fan service moments, but you'd expect some call backs. I liked the movie and book overall, but I preferred the original Hunger Games trilogy overall

[@melindamercier6811]

My ONLY issue with Wovey’s character is that they gave her death to Dill. Had they made Wovey die at Lucy Gray’s hands as it happened in the books, it would’ve been so much harder to take, especially bc this movie made them seem so close. Having her died with the snakes seemed a bit of a cop out to me.

[@amydubuque2894]

Its so hard and sad to watch someone with Down syndrome be thrown into the hunger games, but as horribly sad and heartbreaking, it is to watch, i think it was smart of them to do. It shows just how awful the capital is. It shows how much the capital doesn't care about anyone who is in the capital. It shows how they ONLY care about people who are capital.

[@raivengilliam3134]

Kind of disappointed by your interpretations at the end, especially of Wovey’s character in the film. Maybe you guys should consider researching & actually learning about Down syndrome.

[@benmurphy9956]

Tigris and grandma did get kicked out, they ended up living with a friend of the family who owned a club.

[@phoenixmarie4407]

I want to point out two small things that many people who react to this movie miss. 1. Snow's cousin is Tigris who later helps Katniss in the fourth movie. 2. The reference to poison is also in the original trilogy-snow kills someone at a table with poison. One last thing, Suzanne Collins said she is going to make two more prequel books. One that centers around Mag's hunger games-the eleventh and one that centers around Haymitch.

[@phinlyn]

As much I loved the movie, I was definitely more than a little annoyed by the little changes that made ZERO sense, such as the tank snake scene. That one bothered me BIG TIME. Having Gau reveal the scent acclimation first only served to make Clem look doubly stupid. Who would EVER reach into a snake pit KNOWING that doing so would get them bit? Any normal person would have just fessed up, as Justin indicated. Reaching in WITHOUT prior knowledge makes far more sense, which is why it worked so much better in the book. I hated that they changed it. That's just one of many, many changes I couldn't get behind, though I do feel like the movie did a good job maintaining at least the major book themes. Great reaction, you two!

[@taiyonatiare7918]

I don’t think it was that bad of a change. Would’ve preferred they left it as it was but I could see those students being so desperate to get that prize that they’d take the risk of getting a snake bite.

[@phinlyn]

@@taiyonatiare7918 Eh. Agree to disagree. It was a needless alteration that changed the entire point of the scene. Making it about a student's desperation for a prize rather than magnify the deviousness of the very Gamemaker who would essentially become Snow's mentor was just dumb, imo.

[@HoundsBane]

These takes were pretty awful & your memory of the book’s characterizations were really off. Were there changes, absolutely, but interpreting Lucy Gray as “Dark” is weird. Also, the young actress who portrayed Wovey isn’t allowed to be in a film? Come on guys. I’m actually interested to see the ratio.

[@callxm-x2y]

Coral said “Its not fair its not. I cant have killed them all for nothing”

[@charleschadwick2586]

hard disagree with Justin on Lucky. I laughed and enjoyed Lucky just as much if not more than I did Caesar. Love them both.

[@KylieIsOverIt]

I don't think that he connected with the fact that this was the first hosted games. Flickerman was making things up on the fly. His awkwardness, condescending commentary to the mentors and general cheesy weatherman vibe was part of the humor that Justin seemed determined not to understand.

[@trinitysims5223]

this is a pretty bad reaction ngl

[@melissahasnolife]

Interesting how you mistook the host/newscaster from the one we see in the trilogy! That was for sure intentional. They both have the last name "Flickerman" so the implication is that they are related. Maybe the one with purple hair we see in the trilogy is this host's son or grandson! In addition, the student we see killed by teasing a tribute with food had the last name "Crane." This could be a link to Seneca Crane, who was the game maker in the first book/movie and ended up having to die for his failed Katniss/Peeta plan. Lastly, there is a classmate at the academy who was assigned Wovey. His name was Hilarius Heavensbee, and he is thought to be related to Plutarch Heavensbee, Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character in the trilogy.

[@monleecabalbal9849]

Notice that no one used the bow and arrow as a weapon because it's too early for Katniss.

[@benmurphy9956]

"I can't have killed them all for nothing"

[@taiyonatiare7918]

I really liked Lucy Gray and didn’t think she was evil at all. She did what she had to do to survive in a world that treated her like scum and had she not ran off on Snow he would’ve ended up killing her. My only iffy about the movie was probably her accent - I think it’s bc I know what she sounds like irl so I just wasn’t buying it 😂

[@taiyonatiare7918]

I actually really liked this movie more than I expected to. I even preferred this movie to Mockingjay Pt 1 and 2. Catching Fire is unbeatable though - cinematic masterpiece 👌

[@anthony_castro710]

YES OMG I loved your guys hunger games reactions so I know this will be amazing ❤

[@johnnytutor1692]

This story accomplished in one film what the Star Wars prequels could not accomplish in three films: show a man's fall from grace. George Lucas may have come up with some good story ideas for the prequels, but he should have been self-aware enough of his failings as a screenwriter to turn those ideas over to a more accomplished screenwriter who could have given Annakin's story more depth and pathos. The story of Annakin turning to the dark side of the force has always felt rushed and completely unconvincing, even given three films to show the corruption of a man's soul. "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" did a masterful job of making me care for a man who had been previously shown in the other films to be pure evil; thus, it was able to make me wince at every corrupting misstep Snow made in his gradual darkening of the soul. As a major Star Wars fan, this is how I wanted the prequels to make me feel about Annakin's journey.

[@peoniespetunias5261]

Wovey being included is meant to demonstrate just how cruel the games are. Aside from the age range, the game makers and powers that be don't discriminate. Beete was a genius that helped with the capital's defense in the 2nd movie and he was still reaped for the games. No one is safe.

[@benmurphy9956]

this is the first book of the series that I actually had read before seeing the movie. I feel that this movie is about 80% accurate to the book. the first scene is technically in the book, but as a memory. there were a few more scenes that I would have liked to see in the movie that they completely cut out. 1. the aftermath of clemensia after she was bitten 2. the tribute parade 3. the talk between coryolanus and mister plinth 4. wovey hacking the delivery drones and using them to attack 5. more songs

[@Helga217]

I have one theory regarding the corpses in the arenas in the future, after the 10th Hunger Games. Snow becomes a game designer at the end of it, because the changes he made to the 10th games made people watch this TV show. Snow changed them a lot more and I think he had the ideas that made the Hunger Games the games we met in the original books/movies. I think e.g. that it was Snow who changed it so that the bodies are removed from the arena instead of always being in sight. The reason is, I think, twofold. The first reason I think is that Snow himself wouldn't have had to enter the arena when he was mentoring if the bodies had been removed. Because the reason Snow had to go in was because he had to pick up Sejanus, Sejanus went in because he wanted his friend to have a proper burial. If Snow hadn't gone in, he also wouldn't have killed someone for the first time, which was undoubtedly one of the hardest kills he'd had. All of Snow's first three murders had an effect on him and he took them in a different way than all the murders he committed after that. The other reason I think he had for having the bodies removed was that it's harder to watch a "competition" and cheer on "your competitor" if you're constantly seeing dead bodies. But of course Highbottom had been working to ensure that The Hunger Games didn't get any viewers in the hope that this horrible idea of his would cease to exist. But others had other ideas, and Snow, who was ambitious and hardworking, wanted to do everything to fix his family's poor financial situation. I've heard other producers on KZbin say that Suzanne Collins has talked that she will write more about the history of Panem in the sequel to The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, I hope that's true.

[@LS13.]

Snow was always an interesting character to me because he was SO intelligent and knew the game. Lowkey rooting for the villain in this one lol. (Not for the games, but for him to make it and help the family)

[@tsurugigaming5707]

If only they showed us Teslee with her drones 😢 it would be so good

[@deachristiancatlady5435]

It was in the book that a girl ( apparently Snow married tgat girl because he could never love her after seeing her taking the leg of the maid) ate the leg off a maid. Cannibalism was rampant. I'll reread the book to confirm.

[@calebS.Buddy_Rich_Best_Soloist]

Fun fact, Mags one the year right after at age 16. The 11th hunger games

[@cjwilson3720]

viola davis did her role so well

[@Digital_is_silly]

the reason they took the dead out is because a boy named titus was eating his victims, so after they took out bodies

[@CrankyGrandma]

District 12 is kind of Appalachian. Not Alabama. That would be 11. There are poor people in the capitol because of the war. Some families recovered but the snows have not yet recovered. The tech is mixed. There are drones which weren’t around in the 1950s and they had DNA tests which we didn’t have till the 1990s. It’s post war so much was lost but they still have some tech. I also wondered about Lucy. She wasn’t evil but she was a survivor. And she was not above playing people, though she didn’t break bad the way snow did. I read the book first so I’m probably seeing some of this through the lens of the book.

[@Cinna316]

The cannibalism scene is in the book, it's a flashback

[@candromiguel5904]

not to mention Flickerman mentioning his son when making a reservation for his family.

[@candromiguel5904]

the girl from 8 has the same last name as the game maker played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. i like the connections in this movie, they were well done.

[@Yoon_Rose]

*book spoilers beware* I really loved both the movie and book. I respect the creative choice to change the way the 10th games ended and how Lucy Gray actually won, but I kinda wish I could have visually seen Lucy Gray using one of Dr. Gaul's snakes to kill Treech. But that's honestly my only complaint.

[@halicarnassus8235]

Rabies is an Extreme Zombie version to any Mammal, From Dolphins to Homo Sapiens.

[@faureamour]

I really enjoyed the book and the movie. I think I was able to separate myself enough from the darkness in the film.

[@Itzezyyyy]

This is why reading the book is better than the audiobook bc you remember more

[@nicholasholloway8743]

After your Home Alone reaction. I think you would love another wholesome movie called Secondhand Lions 2003 starring Michael Caine, Robert Duvall and Haley Joel Osment.

[@jakehart60]

How did you guys skip the entire edit where snow and gray turn on each other that shows the entire reason he turned. One could argue the most pivotal sequence in the movie. Wish I would’ve known they were gonna edit that out before I watched 54 minutes of this video

[@joncorey3641]

The author of the hunger games books will be writing a new book that will come out next year and the movie will come out the following year

[@melissaisloud7404]

10pts for the Luke & Laura mistaken reference! 😂 The Golden Couple of Soaps.

[@Blodreina45]

18:38 if this tame as hell movie makes you uncomfortable, I’d love to see you react to Battle Royale and Battle Royale 2.

[@antonytjp]

Stop becoming so negative please

[@littlesimer46]

Okg can’t wait to watch and see your reaction.

[@marlopunk4265]

I’m Justin during all prequels…so hard to get attached when you know where things are going 😂

[@halicarnassus8235]

I have been Waiting for your two reactions to this movie 😂

[@Itzezyyyy]

Lol Lucy gray isn’t dark, listening to the audiobook isn’t the same as reading the book bc you miss details so maybe read the book instead cause the only difference I’d gotten was that the snakes killed the rest of them and that wasn’t supposed to happen. Apparently a tribute kills another with a drone and reaper was supposed to go head to head with Lucy at the end but instead they made coral the last one who btw said “I can’t have killed them all for nothing” and in the book Lucy tricks reaper by kicking dust at him so he’ll have no choice but to drink from the water puddle in which he dies slowly like what they did to his fellow tribute, Dill. Also whether or not they casted wovey’s actor for sympathy or not, it’s not that deep. And I see now how the drones wouldn’t make much sense cause it doesn’t even explain it in the book how the tribute hacked into it, so I guess it was the director’s decision to kill everyone else with the snakes which makes more sense

[@daniellereid4923]

For everyone quick to call them ableist- Has anyone considered that maybe he (or both of them) was so affected by Wovey’s character - and the lack of understanding that she had about the games - because he has a child with a disability? Given that he has shared that his daughter has autism, maybe that just hit a little too close to home for him and has nothing to do with ablelism at all. Maybe this is a visceral reaction to being a parent of a child with disabilities being confronted with violent images and storylines that could remind them of their own child. . Just a thought. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[@markus3892]

That man is so annoying... he really didnt understand this world....

[@doryinsanime6862]

I love your reaction to the new hunger games movie. This amazing,wonderful.

[@_editaddict]

Yay I was waiting for this.

[@supernovamaxofficial]

Hey i really love your channel but can you pleaseee do more family guy seasons i loved watching your reactions for season 1-2

[@Justafish9]

Another excellent reaction

[@moisesharries]

wow, so soon, thanks 🤯🥰🥰

[@camillaabreu1967]

Hunger games are supposed to be not uncomfortable. The author of the books got upset that the people got so existe about the game and last about the manipulative capital and the rebels. Jn the end, we are the capital

[@jakesleepwalker]

Sorry you didn’t like the the movie but if you want a feel good movie this isn’t it it’s a complex dive at the psyche of president snow you usually know what you are getting when you watch a dystopian emotional film

[@cjjackson2423]

When i tell you I’ve been watching all the reactions after i watched this like 2 days ago. I’ve been waiting for one of my main channels to watch it FINALLYYY THANK YOUUUU 😅 17:36 venomous or not, 1st of all u should think they are, look at who you’re dealing with. Either way im not sticking my hand in no snakes just say you lied wth 😂

[@JoeyMartz]

Wow. The comments are ripping you two apart..... I'm captivated to see this video through so I can form my own opinion. 😊

[@nathanielmartinez2551]

Does no one find the significance of #8. District 8. President Paylor a.k.a. Commander Paylor of district 8. Hilarius Heavensbee mentor for Wovey of district 8, an ancestor of Plutarch Heavensbee, head gamemaker, now secretary of communications, under President Paylor.

[@friedrice7876]

Hilarious has no lines and has barely any screentime in the movie and Plutarchs last name isn't said more than like once so no one catches that

[@namjoonswife3300]

FINALLY👏🏾👏🏾