Since 2012, fans of the popular book series “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins have enthusiastically watched their favorite characters come to life on the big screen.
Now, 14 years later, the fandom eagerly awaits the new “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” film as an addition to the incredibly successful trilogy: “The Hunger Games” (2012), “Catching Fire” (2013) and “Mockingjay” (Part 1 and Part 2), as well as the somewhat recent prequel film “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” (2023). “Sunrise on the Reaping” is set to hit theaters on Nov. 20.
The five movies in the Hunger Games universe serve as phenomenal examples of when a book-to-movie adaptation goes right. With this in mind, fans eagerly await the release of “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” which portrays the story of Haymitch Abernathy’s games.
The film features up-and-coming star Joseph Zada (young Haymitch), famous child star McKenna Grace (Maysilee Donner) and several stars whose popularity as fancasts on social media helped them get the roles — such as Elle Fanning (young Effie Trinket) and Maya Hawke (young Wiress).
Speculation about the new arena, specifically its vast size in comparison to those in other films, and how this film will follow 48 tributes instead of the usual 24 are just some of the aspects of “Sunrise on the Reaping” that fans impatiently await.
The original “The Hunger Games” started the critically revered journey into the fictional world of Panem, in which the series is set. The massive 2012 hit featured acclaimed actors Woody Harrelson (Haymitch) and Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinket), as well as then-rising stars like Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen) and Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark).
The first movie introduces the audience to the fear of the Hunger Games themselves. Each annual “game” takes place in an arena with a Cornucopia full of survival equipment and weapons situated in its center. The arena is also full of creations and creatures designed by game-makers to make sport of the child-tributes’ death, in which the last child standing becomes the sole victor.
The fast sequence of various shots, specifically in the Cornucopia scene, helps to create the sense of fear and urgency that the tributes themselves felt. Special effects, including fireballs that are used by the game-makers to push Katniss closer to other tributes, play a huge role in illustrating the arena’s chilling unpredictability.
The second movie, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” continues the journey with a new arena. The cinematography continues to place viewers into the shoes of the tributes with another action-packed scene at the Cornucopia.
Special effects continue to show the lethality of the game-makers and how far they go to portray death as sport, such as poisonous gas, vicious killer monkeys and mockingjays that mimic the cries of loved ones. The movie climaxes as Katniss fires an arrow lit by lightning at the ceiling of the arena, signifying that the spark of rebellion that continues through the next two films is vividly lit.
The final two movies of the original series, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part One” and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part Two,” show the journey of the rebels in their fight to overthrow the Capitol. The first film of the two-part series features scenes of the rubble of Katniss’ former home, District 12, and the fear within District 13. Once wrongly thought to have been wiped out, District 13 becomes where the residents of District 12 now live.
The final scenes include the reunion of Katniss with Peeta, only to find out he has been tortured and brainwashed by the Capitol. With this, “Part One” continues to portray the story to viewers through the emotional lens of a broken 17-year-old girl who has been thrown into the spotlight of the rebellion.
In “Part Two,” the audience is taken through tunnels under the Capitol while Katniss and her team work to close in on the city center. When Katniss and her squad encounter the Capitol-created mutts, the shots shift in quick succession between the team of soldiers and former tributes, adding to the chaos of the situation before Finnick Odair’s unexpected and tragic death.
When Katniss finally gets her chance at revenge on Panem President Coriolanus Snow, the aerially filmed slow march down the runway where the tribute chariots once rode captures the massive crowd of rebels watching, establishing a sense of finality to the trilogy of movies.
In 2020, Suzanne Collins released the prequel book “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” which recounts President Snow’s (Tom Blyth) early life, and was also adapted into a movie in 2023. Unlike earlier releases, this film has a much more gritty feel. Set only 10 years after the first rebellion against the Capitol, the polished elements present in predecessors are intentionally left out of this iteration of the series.
Fans on social media have pointed out that Collins has allegedly said she “only writes when she has something to say,” leaving many ready to discover what the renowned author — along with director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson — have decided to emphasize in the film. Unfortunately for excited fans, the film still has over a month until it hits theaters. In the meantime, it sounds like the perfect month for a Hunger Games movie marathon.
This article was edited by Vaughan Noble, Jessica Ackerman and Gabrielle McNamee. Copy editing by Avery Grossman, Arin Burrell, Nicole Kariuki, Mattie Lupo and Jaden Maitland Anderson.
