Inspired by the trilogy of novels by Suzanne Collins and comprised of four movies, the story follows Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) as she volunteers for a fight to the death to save her sister. Along the way, she meets other “tributes,” who become her lovers, friends, and foes, and discovers her ambitious to liberate the nation of Panem.
The final movie of the initial film series, The Hunger Games: Mockingbird — Part 2, released in 2015 to positive reception and award buzz, which saw Lawrence taking home an MTV Movie Award.
Decider’s Anna Menta praised the latest flick, writing in her review, “Songbirds is the best Hunger Games film since Catching Fire, thanks largely to a new talented young cast and a compelling story that is sure to satisfy old fans while also bringing new ones into the fold.”
Curious to watch more movies like The Hunger Games series? Here are seven movies that will remind you of the dystopian teen adventure.
The Giver (2014)
Photo: Everett Collection
Teen romance? A seriously fucked-up world? Based on a novel? The Giver is the perfect follow-up to The Hunger Games series. Based on the 1993 novel by Lois Lowry, the 2014 movie follows a teen boy named Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) and his life in an emotionless and uneventful world. He is assigned to spend time with an old man called The Giver (Jeff Bridges), and becomes privy to the community’s dark secrets.
If you’ve heard of The Hunger Games, you’ve certainly heard of Twilight. The 2008 movie is an adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s popular novel. The film series ran until 2012 and quickly developed a cult following before concluding with its fifth movie, Breaking Dawn – Part 2. The story isn’t dystopian, but it heavily leans into fantasy elements as Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), and learns about the cultural clashes between covens, and between the vampires and werewolves.
Salazar (right) in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials.
Shocker! The Maze Runner is also a film trilogy based on a set of novels. Starring Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, and Thomas Brodie-Sangster, the series follows Thomas (O’Brien) as he wakes up in a maze with a few others. He has no memory of the outside world, aside from an evil organization. Much like The Hunger Games, it’s an adventure story about found family and overcoming adversity caused by a grand evil.
Looking for another strong female protagonist? Look no further. The 2016 sci-fi movie The 5th Wave stars Chloë Grace Moretz as Cassie Sullivan, a high schooler trying to reunite with her brother after a series of alien attacks. She meets a young man, and together they brave the next attack. It’s action-packed, a little scary, and highlights a brave heroine.
M. Night Shyamalan‘s 2013 post-apocalyptic action movie After Earth stars Will and Jaden Smith as a father-son duo who live in a space colony. The two crash land on Earth, which was previously evacuated, and the young son must journey through the wilderness to send a distress signal. Along the way, he encounters extraterrestrial creatures, deadly animals, and other threats. Much like The Hunger Games, this movie follows an epic fight for survival.
Before Saoirse Ronan reached new levels of fame with Lady Bird and Little Women, she starred in the movie adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s less-popular novel, The Host — which came out shortly before the final novel in the original Twilight series. In this story, Earth has been taken over by aliens; Melanie (Ronan) is one of the few survivors and is captured, but she refuses to let her mind be taken over. When the others catch on, they seek vengeance.
Shailene Woodley and Theo James lead the Divergentfilm trilogy, which takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where people are divided into groups based on their characteristics. Beatrice Prior (Woodley) doesn’t fit into one of the groups, and is considered a threat to the government. When she learns of an evil plot, she makes it her mission to stop it.
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