'The Hunger Games' Movies, Ranked From Worst to Best

In 2012, the YA film franchise trend was at its peak as diehard fans sought to fill the void after the release of Breaking Dawn: Part 2 and the highly anticipated Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Bursting out of the gate came the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins' popular YA novel series, The Hunger Games. One of the last successful YA dystopian adaptations, The Hunger Games still stands ahead of the pack with its powerful portrayal of political control, inequality, and survival. It also features critically praised performances by Jennifer Lawrence as the heroic protagonist and female tribute Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as the golden-hearted baker's son and male tribute Peeta Mellark, and Donald Sutherland as the chilling head of Panem, President Snow.

Despite the success of the first and second films, however, the final two Hunger Games films suffered from a dying interest in YA film franchises. In 2014, Mockingjay – Part 1, the first part of the series' epic conclusion, was released during a year oversaturated with YA content, including the debut films in the YA novel adaptations of Divergent, The Maze Runner, and Vampire Academy, following the release of Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Beautiful Creatures, Stephanie Meyer's The Host, and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones the previous year.

'The Hunger Games' Best Change From the Book Expanded This Fan-Favorite Character's Role

Author Suzanne Collins agrees that this character couldn't be left out of the final two films.

However, in 2023, the long-awaited Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, revived the beloved YA dystopian franchise, with the 5th installment coming out on top at the global box office. Despite the waning interest in YA film franchises in recent years, the success of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a testament to the enduring power of The Hunger Games franchise, which still stands ahead of the YA pack even now, over a decade after the first film's premiere. Without further ado, we present to you a ranking of the films in the Hunger Games series from worst to best:

5. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015)

Directed by Francis Lawrence, the franchise's epic conclusion The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 was mostly faithful to the novel. Unfortunately, also like the novel, Mockingjay – Part 2 was not met with great critical success. The final film in the Hunger Games franchise struggles with quick, disjointed pacing, and the last 30 minutes of Part 2 feel particularly dissonant. Major plotlines are glossed over, especially the aftermath of Prim's (Willow Shields) death, which should have been given more screen time. The major characters, particularly Katniss and Gale (Liam Hemsworth), undergo major character changes that are relatively unexplored. That being said, there are still great moments in the trilogy's conclusion, from Katniss's unexpected arrow that kills Coin (Julianne Moore), to quieter moments between Boggs (Mahershala Ali) and Katniss. After the first three films built up the tension for an epic conclusion, Mockingjay – Part 2 was a slight let-down.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

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4. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014)

Like Mockingjay – Part 2, the third installment of the series, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, directed by Francis Lawrence, came out right as the popularity of the dystopian YA movie franchise trend was beginning to fizzle out. Despite the success of the first two films in the franchise, the lukewarm hype surrounding Mockingjay – Part 1 was a sign that the clock was ticking on YA dystopia stories — even ones as popular as The Hunger Games. That being said, Mockingjay – Part 1 is not necessarily a bad film, despite its flaws. Like with many YA dystopian book/film series (see Divergent, The Maze Runner), by the time the third installment rolled around, the narrative started to move away from the successful formula of the prior films and branch out to do some more complex (albeit, necessary) world-building on a grander scale.

Mockingjay – Part 1 is the first film in the franchise to not feature the annual Hunger Games, which for some, may have caused a drop in interest. However, Mockingjay – Part 1 gave us some of the most powerful, gutting scenes in the entirety of the film series, from the bombing of the District 8 hospital to the heart-wrenching final scene of an unrecognizable Peeta restrained and thrashing on a gurney. Jennifer Lawrence gives a moving performance as Katniss post-Catching Fire, severely struggling with PTSD and trying to balance her role as The Mockingjay with her overwhelming grief over losing Peeta.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

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3. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)

Directed by the returning Francis Lawrence, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes introduces us to an 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, played beautifully by Tom Blyth. The prequel film excels in its worldbuilding, delving into the corruption and moral ambiguity of post-war Panem, 64 years before the events of the original trilogy. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes features some of the most compelling performances in the entire franchise, from Blyth's morally conflicted Snow to Viola Davis' maniacal gamemaster, Dr. Volumnia Gaul. Unfortunately, the film stumbles in its third act, which feels both rushed and narratively disjointed.

Through no fault whatsoever of Blyth's, who gives an excellent performance, Snow's heel turn at the film's conclusion feels jarring and — in the same vein of Game of Thrones' Daenerys — unearned. Where The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ultimately falters is in laying the groundwork for Snow's moral corruption. The YA genre in general is often guilty of being too heavy-handed when it comes to ambiguity, often lacking the nuance necessary for a character as complex as Panem's future tyrant. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes film unfortunately falls victim to this, and Snow's inevitable heel turn simply doesn't translate as well on screen as it does on the page.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

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2. The Hunger Games (2012)

Directed by Gary Ross, The Hunger Games, the first of the franchise, was the most highly anticipated YA adaptation since Harry Potter and Twilight — and it's safe to say it lived up to the hype. The Hunger Games burst onto the scene with crackling suspense and sharp performances by a stellar cast, most notably, Jennifer Lawrence. Largely appearing in independent films prior, The Hunger Games pushed Lawrence to stardom with her moving, striking performance as Katniss Everdeen, one of the YA genre's most daring, inspirational heroines. Released in 2012, the same year as The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, The Hunger Games still soared at the box office and proved to be the next big YA series, one that stood on its own despite Twilight's massive YA legacy. From the dazzling, blindingly oppressive pageantry of the Capitol to the heart-stopping intensity of the games, The Hunger Games is a triumph for book fans and non-book fans alike.

The Hunger Games

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1. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

Directed by the series' then-new director, Francis Lawrence, the second installment, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, stands above the pack, even with the immense success of the franchise's first film. Catching Fire introduces some of the series' most memorable characters, including previous victors and fan-favorites Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) and Johanna Mason (Jena Malone). The stakes of the game have been raised as all the returning champions are forced to compete to the death once again in the 75th Hunger Games, aka the third Quarter Quell. With the return of the victors, the second film digs deeper into the politics of the games as alliances are secretly formed in order to ensure Katniss's survival as the symbol of the rebellion.

Catching Fire also shows the extent of Katniss's reciprocation of Peeta's love now that she sees how truly good Peeta is to his very core. Their steadfast determination to ensure the other's survival, even knowing it could mean their own death, shows the evolution of their relationship after surviving the first games. Due to the massive number of YA franchises, there are a lot of ships out there, but Katniss and Peeta are arguably one of the most beloved, and Catching Fire captures this perfectly.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

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