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The Hunger Games films, ranked worst to best (including the new prequel)

By Sarah Kenchington

Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Photo Credit: Murray Close
Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Photo Credit: Murray Close /
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The Hunger Games franchise was one of the biggest and most recognizable series of the 2010s. Based on the book trilogy by Suzanne Collins, these four films followed Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) as she fought for her life in the arena after volunteering to take her sister’s place, and eventually becoming the (somewhat unwilling) figurehead of the Panem revolution. With a beloved cast of supporting characters (who amongst us didn’t love Finnick, played by Sam Claflin), action-packed scenes and some romance involving Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), these films packed a punch.

With prequel film The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes coming out on November 17, we are set to return to the world of District 12 and Panem once more, a much earlier version of Panem where President Snow is merely a boy, not yet the man with all the powers of a nation at his fingertips.

Ahead of the new movie, It seemed fitting to look back on the original four Hunger Games films, and to rank them worst to best…

Image: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1/Lionsgate
Image: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1/Lionsgate /

5) The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014)

When the third and final book in The Hunger Games trilogy was adapted, splitting the final book of a series into two movies was all the rage; after the Twilight and Harry Potter series did it to much acclaim, Lionsgate evidently felt they had to do the same with Mockingjay.

In my opinion, that decision was a bit of a mistake.

Mockingjay: Part 1 follows Katniss through the aftermath of Catching Fire, where she is now in the (literal) underground society of District 13 and becoming the figurehead of the revolution: the Mockingjay. Her priority, however, is to fight for the safe return of Peeta, who has been kidnapped by the Capitol.

While there are definitely strong moments in this film, such as Katniss returning to District 12 and witnessing the utter destruction which has been wrought on her home, ultimately it exists mostly to set up the action of Mockingjay: Part 2, which feels unsatisfying. The emotional link throughout the film is that of Katniss and Peeta, and that emotional link is very strong and keeps you engaged. But without that, the film would be far less compelling.

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