While the Hunger Games series has divided viewers over whether the hugely successful film adaptation lives up to the quality of the utterly brilliant book series, there is no denying that it is one of the biggest franchises of all time, with legions of devoted fans all around the world.
While it mostly follows a unique driving force behind its story, there are a few films that draw parallels in tone or have similarly dystopian, child-killing storylines to push them forward. This list gathers 15 of the best films/franchises to have a go at if you’re a Hunger Games fan.
Updated March 25th, 2020 by George Chrysostomou 5 years removed from the release of the final film in the Hunger Games saga and fans are still looking for alternatives to the hit young adult series to binge, so we dipped back into this article to provide you fine people with even more alternatives to check into if you’re hungry for more!
The Percy Jackson Series
Many young adult novels feature a young hero getting introduced to a brand new world which they will quickly have to adapt to. While Katniss goes through her training to compete in the games, Percy Jackson goes through a very similar journey.
Joining Camp Half-Blood, Percy learns about his demi-god heritage and must quickly assimilate himself into this new world of myths so that he can survive and one day live up to the prophecy that he’s destined to full-fill. It’s action-packed and a lot of fun!
Stormbreaker (2006)
Alex Rider is another young hero that must live up to high expectations so that he can protect, or in this case avenge, what happened to a family member. After the death of his uncle, Alex is thrown into a world of spies and espionage.
Based on the best selling book series, this is set in modern Britain and therefore doesn’t share the post-apocalyptic tone of The Hunger Games. However, the action and focus on a teen out of their depth certainly brings back memories of another fan-favorite franchise.
Mortal Engines (2018)
Another young adult novel which is set in a post-apocalyptic world, this story is one of the giant cities that move across the country, in a war for resources and survival. It seems as if this is an alternative to what could have happened to Katniss’s reality.
One of the more recent movies on this list, while it does match The Hunger Games with a strong female lead, it also surpasses it with an incredibly imaginative realization of what the future could be. It’s an adventure any fiction fan would love to go on.
Red Sparrow (2018)
For fans of Jennifer Lawrence, this is a film that has to be sought out. Not only does it show the evolution of her career, but the actress also relies upon some of the action training from her days as Katniss Everdeen.
Starring as a Russian spy, expertly trained to be a weapon in every capacity, if Hunger Games fans are looking to spread their wings into new territory, this is a great way to introduce them to a slightly grittier tale.
The Road (2009)
Another gritty addition to this list now and this is also based on the best selling, post-apocalyptic novel. The story centers around a young boy and his father as they travel cross country during what appears to be the outbreak of a zombie apocalypse.
Protecting his son at all costs, this is really about the emotional journey the father and his child go through and the sacrifices he will go through to protect his family. It’s an emotionally powerful film that touches upon some of the themes of the Everdeen saga.
The Harry Potter Series
Honestly, you’ve probably seen Harry Potter. It’s one of the few franchises that has (hugely) outsold Hunger Games and is quite literally one of the biggest brands on earth, having spawned everything from theatre productions to theme parks. However, if you haven’t, its tone overlaps a lot with the escapades of Katniss and co.
Focusing on children with way too much life or death responsibility on their hands, both film series’ are able to create a relatively dark universe with moments of feel-good joy and almost unlimited re-watchability. On top of that, you can get deeper into both universes by comparing the films with the books.
The Mad Max Series
Mad Max (particularly the relatively recent reboot) doesn’t exactly follow the same teen-friendly, kid-focused storyline of Hunger Games, but there are certain similarities between the dystopian future worlds in which protagonists exist.
The driving force behind the entirety of Mad Max: Fury Road is survival, with the main cast desperately trying to stay alive while fleeing the army of Immortan Joe. The Hunger Games follows Katniss desperately trying to survive the wrath of President Snow and the dystopian society he leads.
Enders Game (2013)
With the added bonus of also having the word ‘game’ in its title, Enders Game sees a child sent into training for an upcoming alien invasion. While the sci-fi alien elements aren’t exactly similar to the struggles of Katniss Everdeen, her training for a fight she doesn’t want to be a part of has a lot of overlap with the character of Ender.
The large-scale drama of this film effectively encapsulates the tone and scope of the entire Hunger Games series, rather than the just the original film.
Circle (2015)
While Circle is much more adult-oriented and doesn’t have a specific focus on the fight for survival amongst children, its brutal central plot device creates a distinct overlap between both films. Inspired by 12 Angry Men and its one-room drama, the film sees 50 people in (you guessed it) a circle, killed when they try to leave or one by one every minute.
They form various alliances (not too far from what we see arising in the Games itself) and are able to kill people off selectively, with the idea of ‘one survivor’ permeating the mindset. Familiar?
Lord Of The Flies
There is no competitive, enforced element here, but there is no denying that Suzanne Collins must have taken at least some influence from the legendary William Golding novel Lord Of The Flies. After they crash on an island, a group of children must form a society. We see the interaction between children that Hunger Games focuses on so much, and eventually, we begin to see some dramatic, violent tensions amongst a group of people forced to mature way too quickly.
While the 1990 version of the film is much a more recent recreation, it is widely agreed that the 1963 film is a better watch.
The Truman Show (1998)
With Jim Carrey taking the lead role, this film certainly doesn’t have the teen overlap that Hunger Games is so well known for. What it does have, however, is the uncanny 1984-like setting that creates a creepy vibe in a film that (for a while) aims to give off a sunny, positive feeling.
Watching Truman live his life painfully unaware that everyone around him is acting and the world is watching his every move is similar to the process of the reaping, in which the hosts and sponsors merrily promote a show they know ends in the death of multiple children.
Hanna (2011)
Again, there is a distinct element of this film that goes above the teen drama of Hunger Games. However, Hanna follows the titular Hanna Heller, a 15-year old (just a year younger than Katniss at the start of the first film in the series) with immense skill in combat. While we don’t really get to see Katniss’ prowess until she grabs the attention of sponsors during her training, Hanna was trained by an ex-CIA operative since the age of two. As such, she is a skilled assassin.
The plot that follows doesn’t have the same dystopian nature as Hunger Games, but there are certainly overlaps between the main characters.
Battle Royale (2000)
Battle Royale came long before the Hunger Games universe was created. From the mind of Koushun Takami, the novel of the same name is what first gave rise to the cultural phenomena that inspired the name of the currently booming battle royale video game genre.
Taking a group of kids and placing them on an island, leaving them to fight to the death until one victor is left seems overwhelmingly similar to the Hunger Games. In fact, the only real difference between the films is that this one isn’t broadcast on TV and the kids used are described as ‘unruly’ rather than drawn at random.
The Divergent Series
With teenage characters fronting this trilogy and a dystopian future provided for them to roam in, the similarities between Divergent and Hunger Games are numerous. Firstly, everyone in this future world is divided into factions based on traits. Not exactly the same, but it certainly has an overlap with the idea of districts.
Also, just looking at the costume Tris wears in much of the film immediately makes you think of Katniss’ attire in the latter films. On top of all this, love stories, teen drama and over the top action turn this into a film perfect to explore after Hunger Games.
The Maze Runner Series
Again, there is just something about this series that connects so distinctly to Hunger Games that it’s almost hard to separate it. Set in a dystopia in which teenagers form a society, the abundance of teen romance and overly heroic action sequences make this a natural follow up viewing. The mysterious maze is the only way out of the grassy area in which the group is trapped, and, a bit like the Games itself, it’s pretty hard to survive in there.
Thanks to some cool twists and turns towards the end of the film, The Maze Runnermight top Hunger Games in quality.
