One Of The Best Dystopian Sci-Fi Movie Franchises Of All Time Is Streaming For Free

The late 2000s and 2010s were the golden age of Young Adult (YA) novel adaptations in Hollywood. "The Twilight Saga" led the charge, exploding onto the scene with 2008's "Twilight." Other YA adaptations tried to capture that success, but the only one that came close was "The Hunger Games" franchise. It's based on the book series by YA author Suzanne Collins, starting with the first book "The Hunger Games" in 2008. Now, all five movies from this sci-fi dystopian movie series are streaming for free on Fandango at Home, which was formerly known as Vudu.

The story of "The Hunger Games" movies takes place in a nation called Panem (current-day North America). It's a post-apocalyptic nation ruled by a tyrannical president, Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland), and divided into 12 impoverished districts and the affluent Capitol. Each year, the Capitol conducts the titular Hunger Games, where each district offers two tributes (a boy and a girl) to fight in an arena until the last person is standing. Why? For entertainment and as penance for a failed rebellion. 

The first four films follow Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) as she goes from reluctant tribute to a symbol of another rebellion against the Capitol. The fifth film, "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," is a prequel about the rise of Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth). The movies are available on Fandango at Home through October 31.

The first movie sees a 16-year-old Katniss from District 12 (the poorest social class) volunteering to replace her younger sister after she's chosen to take part in the 74th Hunger Games. These arenas where the Hunger Games take place are human-engineered death traps, with the events televised for all of Panem to see. Katniss' defiant win challenges the authority of the Capitol, bringing us into the second film, "Catching Fire." Snow forces her to return to the Hunger Games, where she fights against past victors in the Quarter Quell. Before the games begin, Katniss goes on a Victory Tour of the Capitol and other districts. This is where she starts getting a sense of unrest brewing within Panem. 

In the two "Mockingjay" films, Katniss becomes the symbol of the rebellion as the rebels infiltrate the Capitol to overthrow Snow. But Snow is not going to make it easy: He fills the Capitol with traps that effectively make it another Hunger Games arena.

These sci-fi movies grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide combined, making them commercial successes. They also received positive critical reception, ranging from a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes for "Catching Fire" (the highest-grossing movie in the franchise) to both "Mockingjay" movies scoring a 70%. Katniss was a breakout role for Jennifer Lawrence, and she has gone on to star in other sci-fi movies including the "X-Men" prequel movies, and 2016's "Passengers" that she regrets.

2023 saw the release of a prequel to the previous "Hunger Games" movies, "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes." You wouldn't be wrong if you watched this one first: It's also based on a book by the same name and takes place 64 years before the Katniss saga. It follows Snow, whose family is not doing too well in the post-war Capitol. He is reluctantly assigned to mentor a tribute from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler). As Lucy's popularity rises, Snow starts to see her as an opportunity to turn his family's misfortunes around.

In 2026, we will get another prequel set 24 years before Katniss defied Snow, "Sunrise on the Reaping." This one tells the story of Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada), one of the tributes from District 12 to win The Hunger Games. In the original movies, he is played by Woody Harrelson, and is Katniss' mentor for the 74th Annual Hunger Games. That's another one to look forward to after you binge the rest.