A series of movies that defined our generation and entertained all of us growing up were the 2010 Young Adult dystopian movie series. Action-packed and intense, these movies grew in popularity throughout the 2010s and slowly disappeared throughout the decade. Adapted from popular young adult book series, they quickly amassed a devoted audience that was invested in every aspect of these attention-grabbing movies. Movie series that definitely stand out from this era are The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner. No other movie series can compare to these in terms of grabbing every teenager’s attention in the 2010s. Although these movies are in the same genre, they differ immensely. As a lover of this movie era and someone who has seen these movies a million times, I will be ranking them starting from my favorite series to least favorite.I will then also rank each movie within the series from favorite to least favorite.
The Hunger Games
One of my all time favorite movie series is The Hunger Games. This saga started the trend of the YA dystopia when the first of its trilogy was released in 2012. Nothing can beat how entertaining and substantial this series is, and its impact is insane; from everyone wanting to learn archery, to seeing parallels between The Hunger Games world and our current one.
Catching Fire, 2013
Starting at number one, Catching Fire is one of the best sequel movies to any franchise. With the obviously increased budget, this movie offers everything and more. We get to see Katniss and Peeta’s love story grow as well as meet new characters that competed in the previous games. Finnick and Joanna are my favorite new characters that are introduced. Seeing the tributes come together to stop the games, and the beginning of the revolution at the end of the movie after District 12 is destroyed, starts to intensify what this revolution will mean. I also can’t forget to mention Peeta’s iconic line, “If it weren’t for the baby,” that had everyone floored.
The Hunger Games, 2012
My second favorite movie in the series is the first movie in the franchise. With its indie-style directing and lower budget, this movie shows a more gritty and raw version of the games. The opening scene of the interview with the game-maker, Seneca Crane, then cutting to Prim’s piercing scream shows the dichotomy of the Capitol and the districts. This movie really showcases the horrors of the games and how the tributes are just kids having to fight to the death for entertainment.
Mockingjay: Part 1, 2014
I know a lot of people didn’t like this movie when it first came out because it felt a little slow and the plot was less intense than the previous two. I actually really enjoy this movie, although Peeta and Katniss are separated due to Peeta being kidnapped by the capital :(. I find the revolutionary scenes and the slow-growing impact that Katniss has on the other districts very empowering. The scene of a district overrunning the Capital dam and planting bombs while “The Hanging Tree” sung by Katniss plays in the background gives me chills every time. The only annoying thing in this movie is—you guessed it—Gale. I cannot stand his character in this movie, and although he rescues Peeta (which I do appreciate), he is constantly making negative comments about him. Sorry Gale, you just never had a chance against Peeta.
Mockingjay: Part 2, 2015
This last installment of the series is ranked last, only because of how sad it is!!!! I was stressed the entire movie, and I just couldn’t take all the character death. I will never forgive the troop that was trying to reach the Capitol that included; Katniss, Peeta, the camera crew, and other District 13 people for leaving Finnick to die. He saved all of them from the mutts that were attacking them, and they just left him! I was also very sad about Prim’s death—although I know it symbolizes the cruelty of war, I can never watch the scene where she dies. It is very satisfying, though, when Katniss kills President Coin, because she really was going to become another version of Snow. Katniss did what she had to do, I said what I said. I do really love the ending with Katniss,Peeta, and their kids; even though they will always suffer from the impact of the games, they have their love for each other.
The Maze Runner
The Maze Runner series is my second favorite YA dystopian series. This series is also very intense and has a lot of action-packed scenes. I really like this series because of the whole maze concept and having to fight against the zombie-like disease. I overall just enjoy the strong friendship that the main characters have and how they always stick together.
The Death Cure, 2018
My favorite movie in the series is the last one in the installment. This movie takes place after Minho is captured by WICKED—the company who trapped all of them in the maze—and does experiments on him to try to cure the disease that has wiped out almost all of humanity. I like how the few boys that are left in the group—Thomas, Newt, Gally, and Frypan—risk everything to save Minho. This movie has a fast pace and eventually ends with a group of revolutionaries overrunning WICKED and destroying the city. Before this, Teresa, Thomas’ love interest, finds out that he has the cure to the disease. Although this is good news, it’s unfortunately too late, as Newt succumbs to the disease. His death scene makes me cry EVERY TIME. A character death that I am actually happy about is Terea’s. I’m sorry, I just never liked her; she was the reason Minho got captured, and she just never really added anything to the story. The movie does have a happy ending, as the group settles on a beach and Thomas reads a note that Newt left behind for him (it’s so sweet, I can’t).
The Maze Runner, 2014
The first movie in the series is my second favorite. This movie is also really good and is a great introduction to The Maze Runner universe. It follows Thomas, who arrives in the maze with no memory and has to then learn the ropes of this makeshift society that the people of the maze built. Thomas showcases determination as he is selected to become a runner, the people who run in the maze all day to try to figure a way out. Thomas basically just shows up, finds a way out of the maze, and they find their way to WICKED. This movie basically establishes all the friendships between the group and leaves suspense for what will happen to the group next.
Scorch Trials, 2015
This movie is my least favorite of the series. It starts off really strong when Thomas finds out that WICKED is actually trying to harm them instead of sending them somewhere safe. The scene where the guards are chasing the group and Thomas slides under the gate at the very last second is my ultimate favorite scene in the movie; it’s so suspenseful and satisfying. After the group walks through a desert, finds shelter, and joins another group that is trying to find safety, the movie starts to get boring. From the middle to the end, there aren’t many attention-grabbing scenes, and I always find myself skipping to the end.
Divergent
The Divergent series is my least favorite in the dystopian genre. It starts out very strong with the first movie but then quickly goes downhill. The last movie is notoriously bad, as it made the least amount of revenue of all the movies on this list. Although the last movie disappointed fans, the series is still very iconic to this day. Everyone was fascinated by determining what faction they would be in, and many people still rewatch the series.
Divergent, 2014
As the first installment of the series, Divergent establishes a futuristic dystopian universe centered around factions. The factions included Erudite, Dauntless, Amity, Abnegation, and Candor. I would’ve been in Abnegation myself, because getting to wear cute outfits and farm all day? Sign me up. Anyways, Trin, our main character, is originally in Abnegation— a faction that prizes modesty and selflessness—where they feed the factionless and wear gray . At the age of sixteen, you take a test to see what faction you belong in, and from there you choose to either leave the one you grew up in or join the new one entirely. When Trin takes her test, she finds out she’s Divergent, a combination of all of the faction. Divergents are not allowed in this society, so she chooses Dauntless to be in. From there, we meet the people of Dauntless who she competes against for her place, lest she become factionless. From the training, the fear test, meeting Tobias, (Trin’s love interest and a fellow Divergent), having to fight against other factions who are trying to kill Divergents, the movie is enjoyable and fascinating to watch. The Divergent world is very interesting, and the first movie will always have a special place in my heart.
Insurgent, 2015
This movie is my second favorite of the series because it starts off very strong, but then, slowly, it just gets weird. We start off with Tobias, Tris, Marcus, and Caleb running away from the people of Dauntless, who want to capture them because Tobias and Tris are divergent. We then find out that Tobias’s mom is still alive and lives with the factionless. Tris then turns herself in to the Erudite faction (which never really made sense to me) to enter a simulation where, if she’s killed in, she will be killed in real life. Watching the scenes of her in the simulation is where I grew bored. It is filled with CGI, and knowing it is a simulation, it doesn’t have the same intensity as real life action scenes, even though the stakes are the same. The movie ends with everyone finding out that their society is an experiment, so they finally leave the walls that they were previously stuck in and enter the real world to face the reality of a faction-less society.
Allegiant, 2016
When I first saw this movie, I had no words, and not in a good way. There really was no plot, and to be honest, I have only seen this movie once because it was that bad. I do remember not being able to follow along to the storyline and just being very uninterested, which is why it’s my least favorite movie of the series.
Overall, I just really want this genre of movies to come back. They are so nostalgic, and it is important and fascinating to imagine what dystopian worlds would be like and how the people within the different societies interact. I also think a lot of people can relate because the main characters often showcase extreme levels of determination, which I think everyone should learn to have.