Ever since 2008, The Hunger Games has rocked the young adult world when the first book was released. The late 2000s and early 2010s saw a lot of popular dystopian novels in the young adult genre, including series like Divergent and The Maze Runner. These books were so popular that Hollywood decided to cash in on them and created a series of adaptations. Though each franchise met varying degrees of success, The Hunger Games movies remained popular throughout their release.
The main book series from Suzanne Collins, released in 2008-2010, consisted of three novels that were turned into four movies. In 2020, a prequel book was released, detailing adventures before the main plot, and production is ramping up on a movie adaptation of that, as well. If you’ve never seen The Hunger Games before, consider checking this list out to see if it interests you. If you have seen it, catch up on what you may have forgotten and think about giving the series a re-watch, especially before its prequel hits the screens.
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The Hunger Games
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The first movie in the series, The Hunger Games, begins in Panem’s district 12. We learn more about this universe here, how there are 12 different districts that all support the capitol, the richest and most carefree place in Panem. We also learn that every year since the rebellions 74 years prior, the capitol has held a game for their entertainment to keep the other districts in line. These events, akin to the gladiatorial fights in the Roman Colosseum, were known as the Hunger Games, and two ’tributes’ from each district, one male and one female, would all fight to the death until one was declared the victor. Every eligible person was required to have their name put in the jar to be randomly selected as one of the tributes, similar to a military draft.
The main character, Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence), shows us that the people still try to rebel, sneaking out past the gates of their community to do things like hunt. However simple her life may be in the poor mining community of district 12, however, her life is about to be turned upside down for the 74th Hunger Games. When her younger sister is chosen to be the district’s tribute, Katniss volunteers to take her place, sealing her fate and sending her off to the capitol to fight in these games alongside Peeta Mellark.
Skilled with a bow from her years of hunting experience, Katniss impresses the crowds of the capitol before the games even begin, making her a fan favorite as well as someone dangerous. The game spares no one, and it’s a struggle to survive in the forests of the arena. Now Katniss must struggle to survive not only the other competitors, but the surprises the game runners have in store for all the competitors. While reminiscent of the great Japanese movie Battle Royale, The Hunger Games stands on its own as a clever movie about politics.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire takes place a year after the events of the first. Tradition states that each victor travels around to every district, parading around for the capitol’s entertainment. Since Katniss and Peeta both survived, they get to take the tour together. However, they find that their act of rebellion (so that they didn’t have to kill each other) is spreading to the other districts and ‘catching fire,’ as they start to rebel against the capitol and the roles they are forced into.
To try and combat this, President Snow pulls out all the stops for the 75th Hunger Games. For this special anniversary of the rebellions, he changes the rules, surprising everyone by saying this round will be made up entirely of previous victors. This poses a problem for district 12, as there was only one victor before Peeta and Katniss. As soon as they return home from the tour, a little earlier because of the sparks of rebellion, they are both sent out to immediately repeat the terrifying Hunger Games.
As they return to the capitol for everything that comes before the game, Peeta and Katniss are still causing issues for Snow as they continue to rebel in their own ways, though some of these moments are more public than others. The arena has been redone into a beachfront scene, and as the match starts, they find allies in some other previous victors, and they all work on a way to try and survive the games together. The political allegories are elaborated in this installment, which also doubles as a tense movie about survival.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
In The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Katniss and Peeta are separated after Katniss is rescued from the 75th Hunger Games arena but Peeta isn’t. She and a few of the other Hunger Games participants are brought to district 13, a district no one knew existed after it was destroyed long ago for starting a rebellion, and now lives underground. Her act of defiance in the last Hunger Games sparked rebellions around the districts, and in order to try and quell them, Snow uses Peeta as a figurehead. Reluctantly, Katniss agrees to retaliate by becoming the figurehead of the rebellion.
Along with her childhood friend Gale, Katniss begins to help fuel the rebellion, traveling around the different districts, filming herself at different sites of the rebellion, and then hacking the broadcast channels so that everyone can see. Snow does his best to try and stop her, bombing a hospital she was in while she was broadcasting, but her survival only helps to further fuel the rebellion. He continues to use Peeta as a puppet until he warns that Snow is going to attack district 13 on live TV, after which a special forces team is dispatched to rescue Peeta and a few of the other Hunger Games survivors from the capitol.
The only thing that stands in the way of the rebellion completely taking over and being able to overcome the capitol is district two. District two is the capitol’s military stronghold, and the only district that still remains loyal to the capitol. Together, they have to subdue the district before finally moving onto the main target — the capitol itself. This installment of The Hunger Games is emotionally stirring, as one of the best revolutions depicted on film is born.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
The series comes to a violent close in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, and begins with Peeta in recovery as the scientists of district 13 tries to find a way to break his mind control. Meanwhile, Katniss works with the rebellion to convince district two to turn on the capitol and join them in taking over. However, the rebellion leader isn’t sure she wants the symbol of the rebellion to be hurt or killed, fearful of what it would do to the rebellion’s morale, so she’s hesitant to send Katniss out on anything too risky.
Katniss decides to sneak out on her own, joining a small team through the streets of the capitol that includes her friend Gale as well as a supposedly recovered Peeta. They make their way through the streets, avoiding and deactivating the deadly traps wherever possible, as the rebellion leader uses clips of their movements as propaganda. Of course, not everything goes to plan, and most of the squad end up dying due to traps they accidentally activated.
After Snow bombs a house the remaining survivors had hidden in and believes them to be dead, he tries to quell the rebellion with news of Katniss’ death, but the rebellion leader cuts over his broadcast, insisting they are close enough that they need to give the final push to win. Meanwhile, Katniss and the surviving members of her crew are stuck in the sewers, trying to find a way to President Snow’s mansion to stop him; there are even more hardships still coming for Katniss, some that will change her life forever.
