8 Things I Learned Watching The Hunger Games Movies For The First Time In 2024

After finally watching the Hunger Games movies for the first time in 2024, I could see why the series became so successful and learned a lot of things I had no idea about Katniss and the world around her. The Hunger Games movies were some of the most successful films of the 2010s, yet I never got around to watching them. Of course, I was aware of the premise of the series and knew about characters such as Katniss Everdeen and President Snow but with little to no context.

With the arrival of the first Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and the announcement of a new one focused on Haymitch, there was no better time to finally watch the Hunger Games films in order. Not only have the movies aged very well compared to other blockbusters from the 2010s, but they were very engaging and made me want to watch the entire saga.

8 The Hunger Games Movies Made Me Wanna Read The Books

It’s Clear That The Movies Left Out A Lot Of Things

Even though I never read Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games books, it’s clear that the movies left out a lot of things from the source material. From the pacing of the films to the sheer amount of backstory and lore in every piece of that world, I could tell that the Hunger Games films were having to make difficult decisions every step of the way regarding what should be brought from the books or not. There is only so much a movie can do in 150 minutes after all.

I was glad that all of the movies were relatively long considering just how much worldbuilding there was to be made. Still, some parts of the films felt too rushed, and I assume that those moments were better explored in the source material. For example, Katniss and Peeta’s history before their first Hunger Games was clearly important for both characters. However, we only get glimpses of it through flashbacks. This is why watching the movies has sparked my interest in reading the Hunger Games book series.

7 Donald Sutherland’s President Snow Steals The Shows In Every Film

President Snow’s Scenes Were Some Of My Favorites In The Franchise

While I was obviously not surprised that the late Donald Sutherland gave an incredible performance as President Snow, I was amazed at how powerful his presence was throughout the entire franchise. The Hunger Games movies put together a fantastic cast of established actors and rising stars, but Sutherland steals the show every time Snow shows up. President Snow doesn’t even appear that much compared to other characters, but he makes such an impact that it feels like he’s always there watching.

A good villain can make or break a YA saga like Hunger Games, and fortunately, President Snow was an amazing one. The way Sutherland would play Snow as calm and almost gentle no matter the situation despite how despiteful the character added a lot of the movies and made me even more interested in the history of that world. Snow was clearly a character that had seen and done a lot, which Sutherland’s performance effortlessly managed to convey. I understand now why a Snow prequel seemed like a no-brainer after the main series ended.

6 Jennifer Lawrence’s Performances As Katniss Are Some Of Her Career’s Best

Jennifer Lawrence Gives A Powerful Performance Right From The First Scene

As successful as the Hunger Games movies were, they were only the start of Jennifer Lawrence’s career. The actress would go on to star in plenty of other successful and critically acclaimed titles, from blockbusters like the X-Men: First Class sequels in which Mystique became even more important to Oscar-winning projects like Silver Linings Playbook. Therefore, it can be easy to assume that Lawrence’s best performances came after the Hunger Games movies. However, I learned that this was not the case.

From The Hunger Games’ first scene, Lawrence plays a compelling main character who makes you root for her despite not knowing too much about that world. Katniss has an almost palpable burden on her shoulders from the opening scene of The Hunger Games to the closing minutes of Mockingjay – Part 2, and while much of it comes from the writing, a lot of it can be attributed to Jennifer Lawrence’s performance. I was expecting Katniss to be more of an action hero, but the character I discovered was far more than that.

5 Katniss And Peeta Are Great, But My Favorite Characters Were Supporting Ones

I Loved Pretty Much Every Supporting Character In The Hunger Games

Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss and Josh Hutcherson’s Peeta are the heart and soul of the Hunger Games movies, but my favorite characters in the franchise were supporting ones. That is not a criticism of how The Hunger Games handled its protagonist but rather a complement to how the movies portrayed the supporting characters. From the casting choices to giving everyone a moment to shine, I was never bored when a scene shifted from Katniss or Peeta to a different character.

In fact, I often caught myself wishing to see more characters like Woody Harrelson’s Haymitch, Elizabeth Banks’ Effie, Stanley Tucci’s Caesar, Jeffrey Wright’s Beetee, and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Plutarch. It’s impressive how many great actors were in the Hunger Games movies, and none of them were wasted with dull or unimportant supporting characters. I also enjoyed how the movies combined larger-than-life characters like Effie and Caesar with relatively grounded figures like Plutarch.

4 The Hunger Games Franchise Is As “YA” As It Gets

All Of The Tropes Are Here, But They’re Well Used

The Hunger Games movies helped establish a Hollywood movie genre of its own – adaptations of young adult movies. Interestingly, while the Hunger Games series was very successful in terms of both the novels and the movies, other YA properties never became that big. The failure of the Divergent franchise was a sad reminder that not every YA adaptation was going to work as well as the Hunger Games movies, to the point that this genre was never the same in terms of theatrical releases.

That said, The Hunger Games is as YA as it gets in a good way. The movies – and I assume the books as well – feature many of the tropes that can be found in almost every other dystopian YA series. Corrupt and oppressive governments, different factions, a lot of worldbuilding and lore that is mentioned but not necessarily shown, and a love triangle involving the protagonist are just some of the genre’s tropes that can be spotted in the Hunger Games movies. Of course, the Hunger Games franchise helped establish those tropes and inspired a lot of other series.

3 The Hunger Games’ Prequels Initiative Makes A Lot Of Sense After Watching The Movies

The Hunger Games’ Universe Is Too Rich Not To Be Revisited

Given how successful the first four Hunger Games movies were, it was only a matter of time before the franchise returned to the big screen. However, considering how definitive and somewhat satisfying Katniss’ ending was, a proper sequel to Mockingjay would not have made much sense. With reboots being so common in Hollywood, I would not have been surprised if The Hunger Games was remade for a new film or even a TV show. However, the franchise preferred to focus on prequels, which I see now makes a lot of sense.

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Almost every line of dialogue or piece of decoration in the Hunger Games movies teases an interesting story that happened in that world before the events of the first film. A prequel about the first Hunger Games and how Snow rose to power seemed like an obvious choice for a new book or movie – and I’m glad that both happened. I’m now interested to see what the Haymitch prequel will look like, especially because Woody Harrelson’s character was probably my favorite in the whole series.

2 It Took Me A While To Understand Katniss & Peeta’s Relationship

I Knew That They Were Going To End Up Together

Since I was aware that Katniss and Peeta were endgame – it was too big of a spoiler to avoid for over a decade – I was curious to see how their relationship was going to unfold. It took me a while to understand why Katniss and Peeta were going to end up together, especially after the first film. Naturally, Katniss and Peeta were playing characters to create a love story that would help them in the Hunger Games, but it soon evolved into something serious.

I realized that Peeta was not exactly playing a character – he did have feelings for Katniss. Her feelings for Peeta are what took me longer to understand, especially without context from the books. However, between their past and their shared trauma, I can see why Peeta and Katniss were endgame. This is one of the aspects that I assume are better developed in the books. Everything happens too fast in the movies, particularly the final two, which can play against the portrayal of complex relationships.

1 I Understand Why Katniss’ Ending Was Divisive (But I Liked It)

Katniss’ Peaceful Life Made Sense

Mockingjay – Part 2 ends with Katniss and Peeta getting their happily ever after as parents living in peace and getting to enjoy life after so much pain and misery. However, I could see why Katniss’ ending was somewhat controversial, or at least surprising. Throughout the movies, we often get to see Katniss as a warrior – someone who will stop at nothing to protect her family and fight for her people. However, a peaceful life makes perfect sense for her character.

Katniss did not choose to be a symbol, let alone the face of a revolution. When asked by Snow if she wanted to fight in a war, Katniss immediately said no. All she ever wanted was to protect her family, but life had different plans. “Warrior Katniss” was a product of the circumstances around her, not what she wanted to be. I enjoyed how the Hunger Games’ main story ended, and how Katniss finally got to live a life in which she would not have to fight for simple things.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games is a multi-movie franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. The films are based on the young adult dystopian book series by author Suzanne Collins. The first film was released in 2012, followed by Catching Fire in 2013, Mockingjay Part 1 in 2014, and Mockingjay Part 2 in 2015. In 2023, the fifth film in the series was released, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Created by

Suzanne Collins

Cast

Jennifer Lawrence , Josh Hutcherson , Liam Hemsworth , Elizabeth Banks , Woody Harrelson , Stanley Tucci , Donald Sutherland , Lenny Kravitz , Willow Shields , Phillip Seymour Hoffman , Rachel Zegler , Tom Blyth , Viola Davis , Peter Dinklage , Hunter Schafer , Jason Schwartzman

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