The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes age rating: is the new movie appropriate for kids?

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songs and Snakes is hitting theaters this weekend. But is this new prequel appropriate for kids or not?

The Hunger Games was a stunning hit when it debuted in 2012. Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins, it told of a future where a brutal Capitol punishes the 12 Districts that fought against it in a nasty way. Every year, a boy and girl “Tribute” is sent to compete in a televised battle to the death.

In the role that made her an A-list star, Jennifer Lawrence played Katniss Everdeen, a female Victor who, through her courage and daring, ends up instigating a rebellion against the Capitol.

The film was a smash success, spawning three sequels adapting the other books in the trilogy. Now, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes arrives, also based on a novel by Collins. It takes place 63 years before the original story, focusing on the young Cornelius Snow (Tom Blyth) as the 10th Hunger Games begins.

Trying to rebuild his family name, Snow becomes a mentor to Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) while plans are underway to transform the Hunger Games into the media spectacle we know. At the same time, events will push Snow onto the road that turns him into the brutal President played by Donald Sutherland in the original films.

That looks to be a daring tale, but is it appropriate for kids?

What is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ age rating?

According to the MPAA, the film is rated PG-13 for “strong violent content and disturbing material.” This is the same rating as the original Hunger Games films and fits as these are about teenagers fighting to the death.

The earlier films had a lot of violence but nothing too grisly or bloody. This looks to be the same, with the trailers showing action like huge snakes attacking amid other chaos. So, the deaths shouldn’t be worse than a typical PG-13 film.

It could be concerning for younger viewers as the movie also touches on the darkness of a public willing to watch this and the questions of misused power.

At the end of the day, if someone was able to watch the original Hunger Games films, they could handle the prequel, but A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes may not be the best film for younger viewers.

The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes premieres in theaters Friday, Nov. 17.