20 Movies Like ‘The Hunger Games’ to Satisfy Your Cravings
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
With The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in theaters this November the fandom feels more fervent than ever. Between a resurgance on TikTok, the release of Suzanne Collins' prequel book in 2020, and listening to Rachel Zegler sing "The Hanging Tree" as Lucy Gray Baird, we have been "so back" for a while. The new film couldn't have come at a better moment! If you're getting in Ballad mode or looking for something to watch next, here are some films like The Hunger Games with all the complicated heroines, YA romance, and action you can stomach.
What exactly makes a movie like The Hunger Games? There are plenty of copycats, good and bad, but I think we can go deeper. These are movies about teenagers who fight the adult's war. They're movies where the heroine is independent and complex. They're about apocalypses but not about zombies. And they're movies where the chosen one...is a girl. Let's burn with the Girls on Fire, cancel the apocalypse, and watch some movies!
Prey (2022)
If your favorite part of The Hunger Games is Katniss navigating the woods, either in District 12 or the arena, you have got to see this prequel to The Predator. Amber Midthunder is an absolute superstar as a Comanche healer who winds up facing off against a science fiction monster. And as a horror-averse moviegoer, I assure you that you can survive the jump scares.
See the original post on Youtube
Divergent (2014)
This book and film definitely tried to catch some of The Hunger Games' fire, with a little bit of Harry Potter's sorting hat ceremony sprinkled in for good measure. What if a dystopia was held together by a personality test? When Tris' test has a faulty result, immediately endangering and calling attention to her, it's the perfect metaphor for feeling like you don't fit in as a teen.
See the original post on Youtube
Wonder Woman (2017)
I'd feel remiss if I didn't include at least one superhero movie, and of the handful with female protagonists I think this one is the most Katniss-y. The thrill I get at Wonder Woman's all-female warrior paradise is similar to how I feel when Katniss hits her target. They're also both fish out of water stories, in their own ways.
See the original post on Youtube
The Maze Runner (2014)
Like Divergent, this film came at the tail end of the kids-against-the-apocalypse YA literature phase. This one is a bit more boy-focused, but wow the group of boys in this is top tier! Dylan O'Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and Will Poulter? Iconic.
See the original post on Youtube
Battle Royale (2000)
When The Hunger Games first came out it drew a lot of comparisons to this Japanese film–and for good reason. It is about children who are forced to fight to the death. Now you can watch them together! If you can handle that much child murder, that is.
See the original post on Youtube
Winter's Bone (2010)
This is the film that more or less got Jennifer Lawrence the role. She plays a teenager taking care of her mother and younger siblings, much like Katniss is before we meet her in the first Hunger Games.
See the original post on Youtube
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
Why have I chosen this Star Wars movie, out of all of them? Great question. Rey and Katniss share some similarities. They're both loners. They're both kind of forced (no pun intended) into symbolically leading a resistance, which comes across in this movie. Plus, Finn and Rose's excursion to a planet with a lavish casino gives maaaajor Panem vibes.
See the original post on Youtube
Mulan (1998)
Katniss didn't have to disguise her gender to go into battle, but she did have to hide certain aspects of her identity and personality to stay alive. I just don't think we should forget about one of, for many fans of The Hunger Games, one of the first female warriors of our childhoods.
See the original post on Youtube
Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992)
Who's more chosen than Buffy? I highly recommend the campy film that inspired the groundbreaking television series if you haven't already seen it. Hell is a teenage girl!
See the original post on Youtube
The Host (2006)
This is not the best movie but I have a real soft spot for it. Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series already ran in similar circles as The Hunger Games with its addictive, feud-causing love triangle. But with The Host she delved into a science fiction-y post-apocalyptic rebellion territory, too.
See the original post on Youtube
Edge Of Tomorrow: Live Die Repeat (2014)
I like to think that if Katniss had pursued a military career after Mockingjay she would have been a lot like Emily Blunt's character in this movie. The "full metal b*tch" is everything.
See the original post on Youtube
Brave (2012)
So maybe this is only "like" The Hunger Games because it's also a movie about a girl who loves a bow and arrow. Katniss and Merida both have mommy issues? Is that something?
See the original post on Youtube
Jupiter Ascending (2015)
This is one of the strangest films about a chosen woman out there, and I kind of love it?? The costumes alone would make Effie Trinket drool. It's a wild and wacky space adventure about an ordinary girl in an extraordinary world.
See the original post on Youtube
The Golden Compass (2007)
Personally, I prefer the HBO series adaptation of Phillip Pullman's trilogy. However, there's something about glossy film telling the story of the first book in the series that you can't help but love.
See the original post on Youtube
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
The apocalypse of Mad Max is veeeeery unlike Panem. The villain is hoarding resources, but not exactly the picture of wealth and style. However, it's teeming with feminism and one of the most entertaining films of the last ten years.
See the original post on Youtube
Snowpiercer (2013)
This movie is kind of, like, what if you put the 12-13 districts of Panem on a trail with the Capitol at the front? The difference is that the Snowpiercer rebellion is lead by Chris Evans, not Jennifer Lawrence. Fine, if you insist!
See the original post on Youtube
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
A group of pageant girls start dropping dead one by one. That's basically what the Hunger Games is about, just with a dystopian twist.
This film is tragically unavailable to stream at the moment. Should we make like 1999 and see if the library has a DVD?
See the original post on Youtube
Ender's Game (2013)
The success of The Hunger Games and Harry Potter made this adaptation kind of inevitable, if not a little too late. It didn't really make a huge splash. But if you're on a deadly YA kick, check it out. It's about a boy who learns his military exercises might not be the "game" he and his classmates thought they were.
See the original post on Youtube
Pacific Rim (2013)
There's no dystopia in this movie, though they do cancel the apocalypse. What I think Hunger Games fans would enjoy and connect to is Raleigh and Mako's relationship. Their love is built on mutual respect and a quiet understanding, just like Peeta and Katniss. It's beautiful! Yes, this is a movie about big robots punching bigger monsters, and here I am thinking "drift compatibility" is the most romantic thing I've ever heard.
See the original post on Youtube
Tomorrowland (2015)
Finally, this movie pushes back on our cultural obsession with apocalypses. Maybe focusing on the end of the world is a self-fulfilling prophecy, ever think about that? Brit Robertson's character is also, while certainly more of an optimist than Katniss, very rebellious and compelling to follow.
See the original post on Youtube
You Might Also Like
