Is “Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” Suitable for Kids? What to Know About the PG-13-Rated Movie

The film is rated PG-13 for 'strong violent content and disturbing material'

Prepare to step back into the arena with The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Set 64 years before the events of the original franchise, the new film follows a young Coriolanus Snow as he is chosen as a mentor in the 10th annual Hunger Games and paired with a tribute from District 12 named Lucy Gray Baird.

As this film recounts the early beginnings of Panem following the Dark Days of the war, the games are portrayed in a very different way, ultimately giving the movie a PG-13 rating for “strong violent content and disturbing material.”

Since the original books are meant for a young adult audience, director Francis Lawrence told PEOPLE he tried to find a balance with those graphic moments in the film.

“I take the lead from Suzanne [Collins]’ books,” he explained. "I think part of why they've been successful, is that, I think, she didn't pull punches. And we didn't really want to either.”

“But we have to be careful because you don't want to get an R rating in the US and alienate the audience that the original stories are targeted to,” he added. “My usual goal with violent acts is usually around the emotional impact of it and not the violence itself.”

Before you decide whether to watch it with your family, here's what you need to know about The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Warning: spoilers for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ahead. 

Related: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: The Biggest Differences Between the Book and Movie

There is one subtle cannibalism scene

The film opens with a flashback of a young Coriolanus Snow and his cousin Tigris during the Dark Days when the Capitol was in ruins and food was scarce. As they pick up scraps of bread on the ground, they encounter a man who chops off the leg of a dead woman in the street. When Snow asked why the man did that, his cousin replies that he’s hungry, insinuating that the man resorted to cannibalism.

There is some mild drug use

Throughout the film, Dean Highbottom is shown taking sips of morphling, a powerful painkiller that is meant to combat the effects of severe injuries and illnesses. However, the dean abuses the substance as a drug, rather than to treat pain.

There is violence throughout

Like the original franchise, violence is heavily portrayed in the film. The fighting scenes in the Hunger Games are particularly graphic and make you feel like you’re in the middle of the arena with the tributes.

However, the violence in the movie isn’t just limited to the Hunger Games. Outside the arena, there are many scenes that feature physical abuse, gun violence and murder. At the end of the film, Snow is portrayed pointing a gun at Baird in an attempt to kill her.

Related: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' Ending Explained: The Director and Producer Break It Down (Exclusive)

There are many brutal deaths

There are countless deaths in the film, and many are quite intense. One character dies after getting stabbed in the neck by a broken glass bottle, while another falls to their death after going completely rabid from a bat bite. Several characters also have gory deaths after ingesting rat poison.

Additionally, a handful of characters are killed in gun violence and there are some graphic execution scenes. As the film introduces the origin of the song “The Hanging Tree” (sung by Katniss in the original franchise), a few characters are publicly hanged. Those scenes are particularly unsettling as their final cries are echoed by Jabberjay birds after their death.

There are several scary moments with snakes

If you have a major fear of snakes, be forewarned: there are many moments with snakes in the movie. In one early scene, Lucy Gray puts a snake down a girl’s dress in retaliation for rigging the Reaping ceremony.

Later on in the film, Dr. Gaul creates a tank of terrifying specially-bred snakes that have an enhanced sense of smell and viciously attack anyone they don’t recognize. Not only does one of the snakes bite a student, but they are later unleashed in the Hunger Games, having deadly effects on the tributes.

Additionally, there is a jump scare at the end of the film as a snake quickly bites Snow in the woods.

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Read the original article on People.