Photo:Murray Close/Courtesy of Lionsgate
Murray Close/Courtesy of Lionsgate
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 PEOPLEhe 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 aboutThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Warning: spoilers forThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesahead.
There is one subtle cannibalism scene
Lionsgate
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
There are many brutal deaths
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.
Additionally, there is a jump scare at the end of the film as a snake quickly bites Snow in the woods.
source: people.com
