The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Parents Guide

I was able to screen The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes in order to write this The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Parents Guide. All opinions are my own.

Get ready for a backstory that will make you feel everything from sorrow to frustration as we follow Snow from a young boy to a man and all the events leading up to his hunger for power. You will see him as the same Snow we all love and hate but with so much more depth and character. Understanding why he is the way he is, why his hatred for Katniss is so strong, and what happened to lead up to him killing all those who got in the way of his goals.

I can’t say enough good things about Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler. After seeing Tom play this role – I can’t imagine anyone else doing it the justice he brought to the part. Such an incredible performance. Sometimes it was hard to read his emotions, or tell how he was feeling – and that was amazing! Rachel has such an incredible voice – and it was different but nice to have her sing so much and bring that light to the storyline.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is a fantastic addition to the Hunger Games series and you will appreciate how well everything was done. This one is a little more violent as far as what they show – and the games are more crude (meaning they haven’t evolved into what you are used to seeing in the Hunger Games movies) so be prepared.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes opens in theaters on November 17, 2023

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Parents Guide

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is rated PG-13 for strong violent content and disturbing material. It runs for 2hr 37m.

There are no end-credit scenes for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

Sex & Nudity – 2/5 – Show a man sitting in his boxers. A man showering (from the waist up). Kids strip down to their swimsuits (or underclothes) to go swimming. A man is seen shirtless several times. (Other than a few kisses, there is nothing sexual in the movie). A girl’s top shows a little cleavage a few times.

Violence & Gore – 3/5 – There is a lot of fighting, mostly hand-to-hand (or with crude weapons, spears, tridents, etc). There is some gun violence. You will see everything from a broken bottle stabbed into the neck to someone being shot. There is a lot of “blood and gore” but it does show a lot of the actual violence. It cuts a few times from the screen. There is also a scene of a man cutting off a dead man’s leg (to use as food). A girl chopping the head of a boy, etc. There are several snake attacks – this could be very triggering if the viewer has snake fears.

Profanity – 1/5 – There are a few exclamations. And there are a couple of swears – but overall very clean as far as language.

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking – 2/5 – Shows smoking, drinking, and people using liquid drugs (morphine or something similar) regularly.

Frightening & Intense Scenes – (3/5) – There are a couple of jump scares. There are several intense scenes where there is fighting. It shows snakes biting people/ killing them. There is a rabid animal that frightens small children. A boy with rabies tries to attack a girl.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is the perfect prequel to The Hunger Games series. You will want to go watch this – especially in IMAX! It is such a fantastic movie. If you want an age rating – I would say 10 and older – unless they are sensitive to violence or snakes and then older. If you are unsure – watch it first. It won’t be a hardship to see it twice.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Parents Guide

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes opens in theaters on November 17, 2023

About The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes:

Experience the story of THE HUNGER GAMES — 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem. THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol.

With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray’s charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor.

Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.

Starring: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, and Viola Davis

Directed By: Francis Lawrence

Screenplay by: Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt

Based on the Novel by: Suzanne Collins

Produced by: Nina Jacobson, p.g.a., Brad Simpson, p.g.a., Francis Lawrence, p.g.a.

Executive Producers: Suzanne Collins, Mika Saito, Jim Miller, Tim Palen