Which Teen Dystopia Film Series Is The Best?
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- čas přidán 15. 06. 2024
- There was a time in the early to mid-2010s when movie theaters weren’t exclusively ruled by superhero films, there were still plenty of other genres and even subgenres that were doing incredibly well. Perhaps one of the strangest sub-genres to find success during this time was the era of the teenage dystopia films.
0:00 - 1:51 - The Teen Dystopia Era
1:52 - 7:44 - The Hunger Games
7:45 - 13:09 - The Maze Runner
13:10 - 20:01 - Divergent
20:02 - 27:05 - The YA Dystopian Awards Ceremony
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Hunger Games is my favorite distopian movie franchise by far. I just love how Katniss isn't the 'chosen' one. She is just a teenager who tries to save herself and her loved ones from the capitol. It has beautiful themes about human nature even Peeta and Gale was supposed to represent showing kindness and being true to yourself or choosing revenge and contribute to cycle of violence but sadly most of these got overshadowed by love triangle ugh.
edit: 5k likes??? when did this happen lol anyways the ballad of songbirds and snakes is on the way we won!!
@@never_stay_pink no, everyone else saw her volunteer and thought ‘wow this is tragic she’d make a good chosen one’
U firing shots at Harry Potter ?
@@rarexxrarirose79 no i love hp too i was talking about the chosen one trope in general
@@feiobsessed3821 would u say hp is teen dystopia?
@@rarexxrarirose79 Fuck Harry Potter
We need a resurgence of teenage dystopian stories. I loved them as a kid and it sucks that new kids don't get new original stories and are instead left with stories our generation grew up with
I blame divergent for killing the series
Maybe I’ll bring it back if I ever achieve my dream of writing and publishing a novel.
@@theoutsiderjess4869 Agreed, even the books were uninspired hunger game knock offs that really tried to milk it
There is a new Hunger games movie coming out later this year
I agree! The Darkest Minds didn’t get the effort it deserved. I hope someone revisits it and gives it another shot!
The Maze Runner will always have a special place in my heart. The author of the books actually had cameos in the films.
The author is trash though so let's not
@@_jolie_what did he do?
@@k.cthedogofficialtheog #metoo
@@_jolie_that doesn’t explain anything though
@@k.cthedogofficialtheoglooked it up, apparently he had assault allegations.
All 3 Maze Runner movies are actually really good. And the third one has a truly epic and intense ending. Those movies just have such a unique style and feel to them.
Yah, I guess they are good movies but they are horrible adaptations to the books. After reading and loving the books, watching the movies was very disappointing. From the book fans the movies are garbage. But there is definitely an audience to the movies that have never read the books so they enjoy that. Which is good.
I agree, the ending was so much different and super intense, so sad when Newt died...
Late but tbh the books were pretty trash, especially the second and third ones @@davidrussell3112
@@zizzywarrior9362i already knew about this cus i read the books but no one likes spoilers 🤨
@@davidrussell3112I kinda liked the movies more. I think the books pacing was too slow and the characters too bland to be memorable, though I liked Thomas as a protagonist
I think part of the point in Mockingjay was that Katniss didn’t want to be a leader and she really wasn’t, she was a figurehead that they were using. She gave a lot of speeches because that’s all they would let her do, but in reality she’s more like a soldier want to be on the front lines making an effort. She doesn’t start being a leader until she finally decides that she is going to break off from the group and kill snow.
Yeah and I think all this sounds really great on paper, I remember really liking it in the books, but the execution just wasn’t really there for me personally 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah Katniss is great and she’s still just a kid, a whole thing about her is that she is selfish. She doesn’t want to be part of the rebellion, she’s too traumatised to even do much at all. Everyone is just pushing and shoving her to make her do stuff for them. She only really does stuff by herself when she’s affected by something. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, she never wanted this at all. All she wanted was to save her sister, she isn’t leader material. People tend to get annoyed with mockingjay because she isn’t this massive hero who basically does everything, it’s a group take down and by the end Katniss is way too traumatised and out of it to do much.
Katniss was also filled with Ptsd so they expected this stron warrior or symbol of hope not someone who is broken through 2 hunger games who lost their rock. For me Katniss became the leader the minute she made the speech after the bombing of district 8
@@clover2739 she’s a Slytherin being shoved into a Gryffindor mold
@@thethriftytypewriter the mental state of katniss is a necessary component in mockingjay, the story becomes bland without it (in my opinion)
The problem with teenage anything is the lack of depth. The world building is either superficial or missing alltogether. In Hunger Games it's actually pretty well done. Even plausible
Thats sarcasm right?
No. Vision a future world - could it be? How would people live and behave? Nothing is impossible, but a tyrannical surveillance society rings scary true. The HG tech is not only possible, it's realistic even. And most importantly, there is no mystery. The system is in your face and you know where you stand.
Of course, being YA literature, it is paper thin.
@@mrgray5576why sarcasm? The Hunger Games actually explores many important themes with quite a bit of depth, specifically in the books. Suzanne Collins makes excellent social commentary that absolutely relates to our society and gives all of the main characters a lot of depth, we understand their ideologies and what motivates their actions.
@@nourtrabelsi4696 Its about as plausible as a zombie apocalypse.
@@mrgray5576 But none of these stories are necessarily meant to be plausible. They are sci-fi, or sometimes fantasy novels. A story doesn’t have to be true to our reality for it to be good. And I think it’s safe to say that with all the atrocities that humans have committed against each other throughout history, it might not be too outlandish to imagine such an occurrence taking place in the distant future.
The problem with the adaptation of the Hunger Games is that you lose Katniss’ internal dialogue. In the books it’s clear that the things that she says and does are often done just for the audience, whereas it’s more difficult to show that in the film. Also the books are first and foremost about how the things that happen to her change her - Collins inspiration for the books was her soldier father’s PTSD. But, again, without a direct pipeline to the inside of her head, this is much harder to portray. The third book in particular isn’t about the rebellion or the wider world, it’s about Katniss’ internal journey. Since the films can’t do that they have to make it about everything that’s going on externally (almost all the scenes of the rebellion which Katniss isn’t direclty involved in aren’t in the source material) which, as you say, the story suffers for.
That said, it’s easily the best of the three options here.
I’d also say that Katniss not really doing anything is the point. Throughout the trilogy, she basically has two moments of agency - volunteering in Primrose’s place at the start, and killing Coin at the end. For all the rest of the time she is doing what she’s told to do because it’s the only way she can keep herself and the people she loves alive. That she’s not a hero or a leader is the point.
finally, someone brings this up
Katniss has a lot of agency. Giving Rue a funeral, sparing Fox face, intervening at the flogging, giving a speech about Rue, defying the game makers at her individual assessment, demanding saving the Tributes from Snow right in front of Coins fac..... Katniss is a role model not because she is chosen but because she manages to bend the rules to defend her ideals and is willing to pay the price for it.
On the other side of the pond, the anime Fate Stay Night suffers from this exact same problem with its main protagonist, Shiro Emiya, when translating it from the original visual novel into an anime. It loses his inner monologue, which goes a LONG way into explaining his actions and choices. Without that internal monologue, some people read him as just a reckless hero type, which is pretty generic in anime. Still, in Shirio's case, it's a result of a combination of mental factors that form the core of his character, which is of someone who is absolutely not alright mentally with the survivor's guilt he carries and a horribly naive and obsessed hero complex that forms the crux of what drives him through the story and depending on the "route" (VN had three branching overarching storylines that all play things out differently). But this can be missed without that added context of his inner monologue. Katniss sometimes receives the same criticisms for her character that Shiro does, mainly because what is going on in their head isn't communicated fully.
PERIOD
catching fire is so unbelievably good it actually blows my mind, so many stand scenes and performances, and endlessly rewatchable.
It's my favorite book too, I can't grow tired of it.
Agreed
i still remember watching it in IMAX
that scene in the movie where wiress claps at the end of katniss's training session and everyone just stares at her lives in my brain rent free
fun fact, the kid at 10:07 actually had a death scene filmed where he dies in the mall, but apparently test audiences were confused at the death scene because they never really noticed him before, so it was deleted from the final movie
LMAO thats funny asf
bro died off screen and majority of audience didn’t even notice LMAO poor guy
Imagine being that actor 😭😭
The screening I saw back during the film's release actually included his death scene! I remember him getting yanked back by the infected and I believe he fell off a ledge, I rewatched the movie years later and was thrown off by the scene's absence. 😅
his name was jack
I watched every Maze Runner film before I read the books and I will always be happy I did. I was able to enjoy all of the movies without constantly comparing them to the books, while also having respect for the books being the source material. It also made it super easy to visualize and put voices to characters.
the books are better
Yeah the same here and the movies are great on their own but if you read and liked the books first then I can see how it was a let down because of how disconnected they were.
@@ArtyKibbles2190 for me, I noticed a bunch of scenes that I felt couldn’t work on film either because of scope or that they just wouldn’t make sense. The earliest example is in Scorch Trials, I think the guys are going through a pitch-black tunnel and people are dropping all around them. A scene like that wouldn’t work in film given how long it took and how dark it was. But yeah after this, the books and movies really detach from each other
Oh, lucky you. I had read all the books (that had released at that point) before the movies came out and I was really happy with the first movie. Of course there were some changes, but I didn't mind those because they didn't change much of the essence of the story. I was so hyped up for Scorch trials and when I watched it for the first time it was... Highly disappointing. I still enjoyed the work that the actors and production put in the movie, but the story fell so short in my eyes I just couldn't enjoy it.
I am really happy that you could enjoy all the movies and later the books. The books are still some of my all time favorites and I'd like a more faithful adaptation in the future, but I think all the actors were perfect in the original films.
Yeah same, I like the books and movies both and I don’t really like to compare them because of how different they are from each other, but I think the movie in the end was a good take and different perspective on the book series.
The Hunger Games is definitely the best. Everything about the series was excellently thought out and well planned. I've read it over 5 times now, and each time I pick out something new to analyse that's fascinating
💀
this is about the films
@@ASlickNamedPimpback Movie wise I think they were still the best (despite the last two being split into 2 parts) and with the ballad of songbirds and snakes it kinda shows that they're the best. Also I like your username.
For me the Hunger Games trilogy easily holds a special place in my heart. There were so many interesting themes, the world building (albeit a little flawed) was pretty engaging and fun to learn about and it's one of the rare instances where the main characters themselves make the dystopia look like it was personal and not just an info dump through the main character. Additionally, The Hunger Games still remains politically relevant at the time so that's a bonus for me.
So, I have one criticism of your take on the Hunger Games, and it's a very important one. Katniss ISN'T the leader of the rebellion. She's never the leader or even in power until she's given a vote in the very end of the story because of one incident where she stuck up for herself. She's a propaganda tool created by Coin. That's key to understanding her story. The movies DID do a poor job of making that clear.
Edit: it doesn't matter what all these commenters interpretation of the movie was, you guys. I'm talking about what this creator said IN HIS VIDEO about what he understood, and I was being NICE when I said "it might not be clear". I thought it was perfectly clear. I was being KIND and not mocking him for saying she was a leader.
Yeah and I think all that sounds great on paper, but the execution just wasn’t the greatest which is sad, cause it really could’ve been interesting
How was the point not clear in the movies? When was it ever implied that Katniss was the leader in the films?
@@nathang6376 when she was making literal content and speeches all throughout MJ part 1 😂😂 DID YOU NOT SEE THAT MOVIE??
@@miggysavior9903because she was basically forced to?
@@miggysavior9903 that were scripted by other people to begin with. She’s TOLD to make speeches, as thats all she’s allowed to do before she abandon’s 13 after Bogg’s dies to assassinate Snow
As for the best movie between these franchises it’s between The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and The Maze Runner.
MHM
True but I think all 3 maze runners could be thrown into conversation
@@landonszazynski1025 maybe! I love all 3 of them. It’s just that I liked the first more so I only included that one. You are right tho!
My best friend and I watch the maze runner every time we have a sleepover and we both agree that The Death Cure is really, really, good. Good stakes, I cried, and Frypan had a crane.
@@coffeejellyyyy that whole trilogy is super underrated
the thing i love most about maze runner is just the fact that it doesn’t care for your attachment to characters, the only characters that don’t have a scene where they’re almost dead are frypan, vince and jorge. im still gaslighting myself about newts death but i think it’s a really interesting thing to do to kill off most of the main characters in your story while still having people watch.
stoppp , newt is literally alive and well , wdym!!??! 😁😁
Maze Runner is probably my top pick because I love the world, the characters, and the action. The world itself is a little unique. I also think you could adapt some good prequels by following the other books like Kill Order and Fever Code. I also would have to give best supporting role to Haymitch but I’d also give it to Newt! 😊
The book Newt was already my favorite character and then after watching movie I was like: 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
Newt was great. When I read page 250 I cried for so long that part was so sad and well written
I whole heartedly disagree with your take on mockingjay p1. While slower in pace, the film was all about the politics of running a rebellion. The propaganda, the difficulty of getting everyone united, the horrors of war, etc.
This film also has many memorable moments. The dam scene for example
Agree 100% I preferred part 1 because of the propaganda and character moments, also can't forget the iconic hanging tree and you burn with us speech
I love the dam scene! it really makes you realize what people are sacrificing, it was a great addition to the movies.
Same! I feel like it was a great setup especially after reading the books
Dam scene gives me chills everytime.
The dam scene and the "did i lose them both tonight" and lifechanging
I just loved the mystery aspect of maze runner and how you were really put into Thomas's shoes as you were just as curious and confused as he was as the viewer
@@stickmanstudios71 exactly
@@stickmanstudios71 the hunger games were also meant to be on katniss point of view but the movies change that
@@stickmanstudios71 I saw a review that just WOULD NOT shut up about things being confusing because the audience gets no info. He made it sound like he was baffled by poor writing, like he didn't get that it was an intentional choice.
Divergent is so fascinating to me. It went from a juggernaut to sputtering out in a whimper. It literally quit half of the last book adaptation, that was practically unheard of. I can’t be sure, but I think Divergent was the one that killed the practice of splitting the final book into two films.
And I would say it kill the genre in itself. It did so poorly movie after movie that I think studios didn't want to risk anymore. That's why the completion of The Maze Runner was even more surprising for me. It survived as the last man standing, literally.
The hunger games is by far the best book series and franchise of the three. It may not be as visually entertaining but it is more of a social commentary and really thought provoking and psychologically thrilling.
I need this genre to come back, it's so specific but I love it so much
It might slightly be coming back with the PJO show on Disney and a ballad of songbirds and snakes coming out soon
Absolutely! It's my favorite genre too tho
If we get an Arcane animated version of Red Rising then yeah
hope it doesn't
@@gabis314PJO series isn’t really dystopian, but the teen aspect is the same.
It’s weird in the hunger games movies, particularly the last two bc I think they chose to cut out all the best and most interesting plot points from the movie in the hopes of simplifying the storyline. We don’t get to see D13 torturing capital citizens or katniss and Johanna’s sisterly relationship that they had in the books. They even cut the infamous finnick odair in his underwear scene. Her relationship with commander Boggs was also a lot more comedic and loving than in the movie which would have helped the overall tone. They had so much run time but chose all the wrong scenes.
Really weird that they extended something needlessly and left out a lot of the good stuff
But there were also things that they would’ve had to have cut, as they may’ve paid off book moments cut from the prior films
Agreed. I think the movies tried to be too many things, resulting in them failing at most of them, which is a shame, because _Mockingjay_ is the book that took this series from good to _amazing_ in my opinion.
I'm a 35 year old man, I discovered Maze Runner for the first time a few months ago and instantly loved the trilogy. So glad to see it getting respect. I read the books afterward and it was a rare case where I thought the movie was better overall.
Agreed, the 1st movie was more enjoyable than the books. I wish the 2nd and 3rd movies could live up to it haha. I can't say much about the prequels because I couldn't get into the 1st one.
*book
The books are just wayy better imo
The first movie lived up to the book. The second one was fine but not as good as the book. The third one has really good parts but also bad parts that weren’t even close to anything in the book. Overall the books are better but the movies could be so much worse.
as a book fan from 2011, maze runner has always and will continue to be my favourite series ever. i have all 8 books (original trilogy, fever code, kill order, crank palace, the maze cutter and the godhead complex) and they honestly always live up to my expectations. the first book and movie is my favourite, as it will always have a special place in my heart. i still remember opening the first maze runner book back in 2011 when i was only 7 years old. 19 years old rn, and TMR is still my absolute favourite series. reading TFC rn ❤️❤️🙏
I loved the Maze Runner Books, and I distinctly remember liking the movies despite how different the plot became on paper. For a long time I didn’t know why i felt this way, but I think it’s because the characters and their relationships stayed the same, with the same moments of bonding and betrayal still occurring despite the different story direction. The stuff that got cut and/or added largely made the story more exciting and less clunky for a movie. No telepathy which i don’t even remember the explanation for, no huge puzzles being built overnight after the kids escape the maze, and doing a lot less wandering around the dessert/city. I think the movies were just really well paced, while keeping the stuff I loved about the world building and character development in the books, while keeping the same end result in general.
I love divergent but it doesn’t stand a chance compared to hunger games or maze runner it lacks the depth that the other two have even in the books the story is a lot more flat compared to the two still great movies and even Bette brooks tho!
The books were good, not as good as maze runner, but the books of divergent were very better than movie.
@@nextphaser 100% agree
@@nextphaser only the first one, the other were as bad as the movies
i only wish we got the last movie solely bc of how tris’ story ended. so different from these kinds of stories at that time and i remember crying reading the last book!
@@Sav.W0 divergent lacked world building
I’m a hardcore book fan AND I TOTALLY AGREE! TMR did the right choice in changing the plots for the second and third film because if they did the books, it would feel rather dragging due to the slower pace which Isn’t horrible in a book but for a movie, it’s VERY DIFFERENT!
They did it perfectly and kept us on our toes for EACH ONE.❤
As a hardcore maze runner fan since I’ve read them since I was a lot younger, I actually agree with you on the point that Maze Runner 2 & 3 were not bad. Yes they vary ALOT from the books but they do it in a tasteful way if you ask me.
Mockingjay (the book) was pretty solely focused Katniss’ character and what she endured during the games. It’s not nearly as much about the revolution as presenting the mentality of a teenager who’s been through ridiculous amounts of trauma, going insane, and is still continually expected to be “the girl on fire.” It definitely has some glaring pacing (and other) issues when it comes to the revolution arc, and the purpose of the book is not at all suited for the Hollywood teen dystopia action thriller vibe, but the story is pretty well written if you interpret it through a more psychological lens.
I loved the mockingjay movies. It evolved the series and turn it into a great social and political commentary in my opinion. The movies didn't really add extra stuff to the source material, so splitting it into two was a good decision. It gave it the opportunity to completely adapt the book.
I agree with u and disagree with the guy making the video... maybe its an age thing because I was in my 30s when the movies came out... but I loved how they showed Katness's struggle with PTSD.... it shows the ugly truth of what happens after a tragic event... life doesn't always have a happy ending and goes back to normal.... but with time and support you can get thru it... Also her love and support for Peta and the other tributes who were held hostage in the capital.... everyone else was so quick to judge but never Katness... she wanted to save them! I just could really relate to the Mockingjay Movies because I had been through stuff in my life as well and will forever have to deal with that emotional struggle... even though it may not been as tragic as these films it is still relatable and this guy needs to have more respect for those films. Just saying.
Right it was so annoying having to listen to him complaining about it for so lomg saying its bland? Like how it was iconic
The Maze Runner Trilogy is honestly my favorite out of all these films
Same
same
same
Same
saaaame
I actually really like all the hunger games movies. I personally think it’s the only series that sticks the landing all the way through.
Agreed. I think the rebellion is generally a less interesting shift that could’ve been condensed a bit, but people also seem to forget that the entire viewing experience is intended to be a means to an end. The Mockingjay pt.1 is predominantly set-up for a more interesting conclusion. With a bit more characterization for some of the side characters (Johanna, Finnick, I’d also wish they characterized some of the other dead victors of the 75th to emphasize how egregious the quarter quell was)
I'm glad Maze Runner won in this fun lil video! I honestly love the maze runner movies so much, especially the first, and it feels so underappreciated sometimes
For The Maze Runner I think it is the best example that it is possible to adapt a book series making it different from the source material but keeping it fresh and memorable, unlike the divergent and 5th wave movies, which changed everything without reason or sense, killing the spirit of the books (more notoriously in the second case. Seriously I will never forgive how they killed the 5th wave) they actually tried to create a new vision that would accommodate movie audiences without driving fans of the books completely crazy.
YES and you can see how the maze runner fandom love the movies just as much as the books. (I also mad for the 5th wave, the book was almost like a spiritual journey to me lmao,)
I agree. Maze Runner did well in keeping the heart of the book while changing the aspects of it that best would fit for film. They did a great job in my opinion. It still feels like Maze Runner, but almost like it's been matured and made a little more plausible.
The story changes they made save the movies because some of the stuff that happens in the Maze Runner books would look absolutely ridiculous on screen. The script and the cast also really keeps the soul the teen characters (Thomas, Theresa, Newt and Minho) had in the books and make them even more loveable.
@@tarikarajani5381 Was there ever a second movie?
With the prequel of the Hunger Games coming out this year, I hope we see a resurgence of these types of movies. They're so fun to watch. If we do get more, I hope the producers and writers do them justice.
Edit: also give us the last movie of Divergent smh 😤
Another edit: for all of these series, THG is the only one that I finished all the books for. They were just so entertaining and I couldn't stop listening to them. I've tried to go through the first book of Maze Runner... I've tried to read it twice and still can't get through it. Idk what it is. Divergent is just as boring (to me) but in a different way. I finished the first book but I have zero interest to read the next ones. The actors really do keep it engaging for me. Maybe one day I'll finish both series but we'll see lol
I read all of Divergent and I really liked the concept and the first book but the other two were boring.
suzanne collins has the power the revive the genre 🙏
We need the full trilogy of the Darkest Minds series too. Everyone keeps forgetting about it and it's upsetting 😮💨
Wait. A prequel to Hunger games is coming this year ????
@@Unknown-bs1kzyup, Suzanne Collins released a prequel book a while ago and the movie is coming November 17th :))
There's something in The Maze Runner that I just love
I don't really liked any of the other Teenage Dystopia films, but the post-apocalyptic world from The Maze Runner was just so interesting to me
Yes. Also, 69 likes :)
Bc it's realistic
No matter which one you think is the best, can we all agree that we need more stories of this genre?
J Law is definitely the best actor across the whole genre. She's the reason it exists.
She was also the first female action movie star, according to her at least.
@@thethriftytypewriterI don’t think I’ve hear a more cap statement before
@@thethriftytypewriterthat’s literally not what she said, but okay.
@@lennzo9231dude watch the interview because those were her exact words. I get being a fan I love Jennifer too but she did say that and she had too apologize for it
@@ariallucas8913 she clearly says “we were told”, meaning it’s not her words.
They were told that The Hunger Games wouldn’t work because there had been no other female action leads before.
She had to apologize, because people like you couldn’t take someone on good faith and understand that she isn’t retarded.
I know many of these movies were mid at best, but i have to say that i kinda miss them..
same, feel kinda nostalgic for the whole era of ya dystopian movies
@@chaaaargh ye a lot of us grew up with them im guessing
I Miss midd movie overall, nowadays it’s either marvel or Oscar baiting or bad
I didn’t hate any of them. I know divergent got a lot of jokes thrown it’s way for being bad but I found it entertaining enough. Even tho it’s clearly the weakest of the three. A-list cast all around too
I was always big into the Maze Runner but I loved what they did in the movies. Even if they were different from the books, I thought they still told such a great story and kept to the original idea, even if not the original story
I'm glad someone mentioned just how insanely stacked the Hunger Games cast was. If it weren't so well cast I think it would be forgettable and entirely worse than the books, but the cast adds so many layers to their characters. Stanley Tucci comes to mind, Flickerman was described as charismatic in the books but he took it to 11 with his performance.
Every cast members charisma at a 10
I'm glad somebody covered this. It's something I didn't know I wanted
I would slightly recommend the movie, "The Giver", which granted isn't the best or wholey original. But as for a teen focused dystopia film it was a breath of fresh air compared Hunger Games and Divergent.
i agree,- not too dark and deep but interesting all the same
Book was good too. It was mandatory read for me in 7th grade.
And Taylor Swift was in the movie 😭
@@johannaelloso9418 I had no idea that was her.
i actually love the giver, i think it's a very unique take on a dystopian film. the scenes where he sees the givers memories and the beauty of humanity make me cry every time.
Hunger Games definitely wins when looking at both the books and movies. The movies were amazing and stayed pretty true to the books besides for changing some things. The characters themselves and the writing of the books were by far more developed than Divergent or the Maze Runner in which I found myself being incredibly bored for both at times. Also for the Hunger Games the movies were beautifully made and they created such a distinct dystopian universe that was easily recognizable. Also for Mockingjay at least it made sense for them to split the movies into two parts!
I only saw the first maze runner movie, but I read all 5 of the books, and oh my god, was the fever code absolutely wonderful. I need it to be a movie
Also, the 2nd hunger games book is a lot more similar to mockingjay than the movie is. They cut out the majority of the first half of the book. It would have been difficult to adapt bc it’s mostly katniss’s internal monologue and being traumatized from the first games.
THG series is probs my favorite out of all of them. While I agree that the mockingjay movies drag bc they got split into two separate parts, I really appreciate the fact that THG feels so grounded and ends in the way it does.
but for movies, I understand that that can be a drag, esp bc the books are from a first person POV and thus make everything feel more intense and personal
I loved both the maze runner books and movies, and even tho they change stuff in the later two movies, I think it still works. I think they just wanted it to flow better for a movie rather than like a book
Maze runner takes it for me, anytime i want to watch a teen distopia movie i immeditatly think of thomas and minho running to get through the maze before the doors close, the tension, the yelling, the mustery just perfect watch. coming in close second would be hunger games
As far as I'm concerned Maze Runner winning here is better than any of the Oscar's
In the books I love how divergent ended cause I wasn't expecting it. However, I think overall hunger games was the strongest
I read the last Divergent book when I was really young (probably 8-10 years old) and it was the first book that made me cry
The Maze Runner ones have just something special about them. The only dystopian movie series that makes me wanna rewatch it multiple times.
I disagree on the point that Mockingjay didn’t need to be split into two movies. It either needed two movies or one 4 hour movie because they still cut a LOT (e.g., Johanna and Katniss training to go to the battlefield in the second half immediately comes to mind) of content to get it to fit into Part 1 and Part 2. Even though the book is short, the events in it take place over such a long time that there are noticeable gaps in the book’s timeline that doesn’t translate well into film where audiences generally expect to see things stitched together. I think there’s a lot missing when you’re talking about Mockingjay.
The no named kid from the maze runner (scorch trials) was named Jack and he did have a death scene but they cut it out so it’s in the deleted scene section. It confused me as well when watching it how that kid was just randomly there and then he just disappeared with no mention.
@10:00 funny you mention the cast member who disappeared after the mall, so there is a deleted scene that showed him being killed by the cranks and according to a CZcams comment for the deleted scene the commenter said that apparently the director chose to cut out his death because he apparently wasn’t being noticed by test screeners. Ironically when the movie released the audience did notice.
Which is utterly ridiculous. You don't cut a scene like that, regardless of how un-eventful it is. It wouldn't have even added any runtime lol. Wes Ball (Director) I looked up and the Maze Runner series was his directorial debut. So that poor choice comes from being a novice in this field, and probably a lot of pressure.
@@loveRCDtv Wes Ball did an absolutely fantastic job with that trilogy though
Your not wrong I agree with pretty much everything you said. Maze runner is also by far my favorite and I’ve been obsessed with all of them at one point or another.
The way you described Divergent made me realise it could be a great movie if it wasn't for the whole... divergent thing.
In a world divide by factions, a romance blooms between the MC and her instructor bonding over their trauma or whatever sounds very interesting already, it's just perfect coming of age movie material, not dystopian rebelion movie material.
Considering the ending of the Divergent series I'm kinda glad we didn't get that final movie.
Where you think Mockingjay was bland, is where I have those same feelings for Scorch Trials. It’s decent, but kinda forgettable compared to The Maze Runner and Death Cure, in my opinion (also Newt is the best character in that series).
Mockingjay is definitely not like the first two movies, but I still think they are fantastic. Did they need to be split? No, especially because Mockingjay is furthest from the book when it should’ve been the closest to it considering it had two movies. But even then, I love the hell out of every single one of them. I think every scene was well acted, well thought out, well delivered, well made, pretty much anything you can think of.
Also, very much disagree with your take on Katniss. What I love about her character (and what makes her the best main out of these three series to me) is how reluctant she is to everything. She never wanted to be the face of anything and while a rebellion was good for the whole of Panem, she never asked to be a part of it, much less be the one that people look at for wisdom. All she ever wanted was to protect her sister (and isn’t that just depressing to see how that ends?) The PTSD of this character is insane and so well done. I can’t praise that character and Jennifer Lawrence enough for her portrayal of Katniss. I couldn’t see anyone giving this character the justice that she gave her.
I find it nuts when people say that… the mockingjay movies overall are actually closer to the books than the other ones? I don’t know why people think this?
@@clover2739 I think Catching Fire was closest to its book counter part. Mockingjay 1 and 2 are still great adaptations from the book, but there are a good bit of things not implemented. All the major plot points are the same, but minor things are different. One thing I’m glad the movies did was have Effie because she is barely in the third book.
I agree as a teen I wasn't so keen on Mockingjay Part 1 but as an adult I like it alot more of course Part 2 is better but I love how they show katniss ptsd and how broken being through a second hunger games made her. I love how with the bombing of the capitol both Snow and Katniss realize what Coin was doing all along and how in the end despite how mich she hated snow she killed coin not only for prim but for not ending the hunger games
@@clover2739 because movies shouldn't be copy pasted of the books otherwise it becomes boring to watch. Why watch the movies when you could read the book. Mockingjay wasn't Deathly hallows it didn't need a 2 parter they could have cut out most of the fluff and made it 1 movie it would have been just as good as Catching fire
@@theoutsiderjess4869 what are you on about? Why are you replying me with this? The original comment was saying that mockingjay isn’t like the book despite it being 2 movies and I said I find that nuts people say that because mockingjay specifically is the closet to the book. People say it often that mockingjay is the closest.
I don’t see what your reply is got to do with me, never once did I complain about the movies not being the same as the books not nor did I say that they need to be. Your reply just doesn’t seem fitting to what I said. I never said anything about how it should be or shouldn’t be. That’s nothing to do with my comment
the 100 - took the genre and made a whole series that was extremely popular and release quite a bit after, shows still demand possibly
The nameless character is actually named Jack. He’s in a few scenes in the first maze runner and I’m the second movie there’s a deleted scene where he gets jumped on by infected and he falls off the escalator. Why it was deleted I have no clue, but I noticed it my first time watching as well. Great video by the way 😄
10:04 The "No-Name" kid is actually called Jack and there's a deleted scene of his death while running up the escalators while escaping from the Cranks in the mall
Weird that they would take that scene out and just have him disappear.
@@nate3556 I’ve read that the scene was deleted because the test audience were confused as they didn’t really notice him beforehand.
I've never seen anything on Divergent, so I cannot comment on the series. However, I LOVED the Maze Runner and read/watched the first two books/movies and honestly I was more upset that they didnt stay more true to the source material. Thats where the Hunger Games took my top spot for my favorite book to movie adaptation. I rewatched the entire series was so nice for me and I would do it all again.
True maze runner is my favorite too, but I’m with the book bias. If you read all 6 books in release order, you can still find throngs hidden in the first 3 books that you would have never noticed the the first or even second read through. Soooo good.
The action and color grating in the maze runner trilogy were unreasonably good
The "nameless kid" in the scorch trials movie who disappears during the mall scene was named Jack. They don't necessarily do anything with his character in the movies which is totally understandable but he did actually die in the mall chase. It was in a deleted scene but still canon to the franchise
I just finished binging hunger games on Netflix, fantastic films that hold up really well
The REALLY unfortunate thing about The Hunger Games movies was the switch of Katniss's attitude toward the rebellion and her placement as the Mockingjay symbol. Katniss did not want that defacto forced leader position. She just wanted to get home and care for her family and friends. In the films I felt like instead of her slowly growing into her from reluctant girl thrown into the rebellion to the Mockingjay persona, they forced her to just be the leader with little hesitancy. Katniss fought because she knew she had to save herself, family and friends. Katniss didn't fight for the rebellion until she realized and saw that the people around her were willing to die for her and what she represented. It made the deaths during the seige of the capitol mean more and prim's death mean more because Katniss was not brutal enough until she lost and saw enough of what not fighting meant. The last 2 movies would have been better if they stuck more to the reluctant leader than just a poor and annoying one as she came across.
So happy I grew up with Maze Runner and Hunger Games. It actually made me get into english class through middle/highscool
You never know how dark something is until you begin to see the beginning of it in real life.
This is some awesome, well thought out content. I had never watched past the first Maze runner movie so now I’m watching the second one now and it’s got the “zombie” content that we need right now since TWD and TLOU (for now) is over. 👏🏾 Thanks for this!!
None of these would exist without The Giver by Lois Lowry, written in 1993, probably the teen dystopian novel these authors would have read when they were kids. Parts of Divergent seem to be clearly lifted or at least inspired by The Giver. They made a movie of it, too, but it was overshadowed because it came out the same year as Divergent, The Maze Runner, and The Mockingjay Part 1. It was a pretty good movie, with Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, and Katie Holmes playing some of the adult roles. The kids in it were very good actors, but I think they were all unknowns.
Have you ever seen Battle Royale? Seems like Japan beat every one to this concept except for the dystopian future.
The Hunger Games books were very well written. I picked it up as an impulse buy with no expectations when it first came out and was very pleasantly surprised at the quality. Most other distopian books really do not reach the level of good writing I found in this book, and many of them come across as copies of Hunger Games. The story was compelling enough for me to grab each new book as it came out. In many other similar series, I either was not that invested or I found the follow-up books to be less than engaging.
I really love dystopian novels, my favorite saga of the genre is The Fifth Wave, followed by The Maze Runner and Divergent, I just think teenage dystopia is a really interesting and entertaining genre in books and movies, I wish the industry kept making this kind of films. Hopefully The Hunger Games prequel and the upcoming Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" Netflix adaptation will kind of revive the genre.
Personally it made me mad that the maze runner series turned the flare into a generic zombie infection. In the book these people slowly degrade and lose their minds showing bit of humanity still in them long after being infected by the flare. There’s one infected in the book obsessed with noses and it still send chills with how scary that scene is in the boom
Yes! The movies aren’t terrible, but man. Zombies are just not the Cranks from the books, can’t be.
The Maze Runner was just different, i just fell in love with world and the characters
I love The Maze Runner books and movies. I watched the first movie before reading the first book, but I read the last two books before watching the movies. I’m not sure how popular of an opinion this is, but I actually enjoy that the movies and books are so different. I see it as two versions of the same story, so it’s just more time with the characters and world that we enjoy. Instead of one story told twice, we get a story told in two different ways.
Really loved your analysis! Even though I wholeheartedly disagree with giving MR best overall series over Hunger Games. It was interesting to see someone else's perspective. While I enjoy MR, it feels, ironically, really juvenile compared to HG. Where other dystopian teen movies only explore the "what would teens do in these extreme situations?" and suddenly turn all of them into military experts, Hunger Games explores so many other themes; politics, the use of propaganda, PTSD, as WELL as personal relationships in times of war. And it never sugarcoats or "badass coats" anything that happened to the characters. They all end up extremely fucked up, whereas in the other franchises it always feels like the characters just get cooler and better at using guns with little to no effect to their psyche. Personally, I just think the Hunger Games movies were able to capture and portray ten times more depth and layers to the story than Maze Runner or Divergent. Though I admit, some of it can come down to personal preference of course. Where some people might think HG feels slow in comparison with Maze Runner's action packed movies, I personally prefer that.
I will say though, they can pry my Divergent Ellie Goulding soundtrack form my cold dead hands lmao.
😂😂😂 yeah I see all your points! Who knows maybe in a year I’ll think Hunger Games is far better, but I was just going into these movies looking for fun adventure movies, and hunger games surely is not that, for better or worse 🤷🏻♂️
@@thethriftytypewriter Oh absolutely! Hunger Games IS kind of a bummer lmao. Recently rewatched the whole franchise and I found myself needing to watch a comedy afterwards cause they sure are depressing lmao. And who knows, maybe next time I'm craving a teen dystopia, I'll be like nah, I need some fun Maze Runner this time haha.
@@thethriftytypewriter That makes so much sense for your preference, I adore THG but it is NOT a fun adventure story 😂 The first time I read through the whole trilogy I actually did not like the third book because I was used to happy endings, but knowing how it ends upon rereads has me genuinely deeply appreciate it. So I very much get expectations influencing opinions - I think the reverse may have happened for me with the Maze Runner, expecting something deeper but getting something more action-focused might have been what made me not like them so much.
I'm a massive Divergent series fan and so disappointed they didn't finish it. I also agree though that if they went the route of a TV movie and a recast it would have been an even bigger slap in the face rather than finishing it. I still watch them every chance I get when they are on stream. Nothing wrong with the other movies I love and watch them too but Divergent by far is my fave.
The books do have a end to the story and they should have went that way with the movies
Preach
@@travissanchez7401they only went bad when they didnt follow the source material... :(
Same for me … they killed their own franchise when they deviated from the third book story to try extending to four films. I was annoyed watching - thinking ‘just get on with it’! Would have been successful (maybe not most favorite, but successful) if they had stuck with three films that followed the books.
I love the series as well and think that if it had finished then it would have easily gotten at least top two
Fantastic video! Thank you!
I never watched any of the movies but I read all the books. It was really fun revisiting these series and hearing your thoughts on them. Great video
I always had a head canon that all three of these series plus the 100 , are connected but are just on different parts of the world or different time periods
The different part of the world thing actually makes total sense. Or at least it could
Make total sense
@@thethriftytypewriter thanks
The 100 is a good mention for a tv show it was mostly solid
@@theoutsiderjess4869 I’m still on season 4
@@theoutsiderjess4869 now I want to start watching that show …
Hunger Games and Maze Runner are so far my favorite book series, If it wasnt for the movie adaptations i wouldnt have read the Hunger Games and Maze Runner books. Cant speak on divergent as i have no interest in reading or watching it.
Divergent makes no sense so you're not missing out
Nice!! Really on point about pretty much everything
The hunger games did go a different direction than I anticipated. I thought all the books would take place from the perspective of Katniss inside the game. And unknown to her, her actions in the game affect the factions outside the game. And by the time she finished her last game. The world outside has undergone a radical/fast rebellion. That she inspired. But because she is inside the game. She doesn’t know the effect she is having.
Like, she makes friends, saves other people from other factions, resulting in all our war outside the game.
Great video! Hunger Games will always be my favorite but I really like The Maze Runner movies a lot. First time I saw Maze Runner I didn't know much about it and the first movie blew me away. First Divergent movie was okay/pretty good but then it just dipped and fizzled out.
Divergent is so underrated its soo good. I love hunger games as well. I never watched maze runner tho. But i think its good. All 3 of them are good.
The Maze Runner was my favorite cause it seemed pretty consistent throughout despite the changes. It was a bit forced at times like Teresa's death, but you could at least see the reasons behind all their actions when they don't explain it. Though, they really should have gotten rid of most of the vines in the maze since they definitely go to the top.
I can't wait for The Hunger Games to return this november. The book is amazing
I love Divergent. It was an infinitely better book to me as a teenager than Maze Runner or THG honestly. I thought the first movie was great, and Neil Burgers on screen adaptation was honestly very on par with the book but after the director change is when everything went down :/
The new guy didnt care about the source material from what I remember, “the box” in Insurgent was a completely different plot than the book. What ended up killing the franchise honestly is that the entirety of Allegiant was so far off ANYTHING in the book, I assume everyone who watched it opening night (me included) or the days after told everyone else how absolutely horrendous it was and so no one else went, not even accounting for the fact the trailers for the movie showed just how much they had strayed from the original plot… I was honestly glad when they didnt make Ascendant in the end because Allegiant disappointed me so bad I almost left the theater crying when I was 14 😅
literally same, i expected them to end it with tris' death. when the credits started rolling me and my friend screamed WHAT and then sat in complete shock as everyone left lmao
i didn't go opening night, but remember seeing complaints about it. still went and saw it anyways, and i felt like i wasted my mom's money. and no wonder, because i always joked that the new director "diverged" from the original plot. allegiant felt too futuristic to me. the ony thing i remember about the theater was me thinking "she doesn't die?!" and the guy a few rows back saying in disbelief"she didn't die??"
I kinda wish they still made these teenage distopian movies 😢
Reading the hunger games trilogy as a child who had c-ptsd, just like katniss, she and the series as a whole were extremely important to me. It was the first book I read that made me really relate to a protagonist, and made me feel like my struggles weren't in solitude.
In fact, some of the only coping skills I had growing up I picked up from The Mockingjay. I managed to pick up a similar habit to finnick tying knots in his rope over and over, in that I would the same with hairties. That and specifically the grounding technique katniss would use of saying her name, where she lived, what she had been through, etc. in order to come back down to earth I still use to this day. She was the first person I'd ever seen have flashbacks like mine, nightmares like mine, and a way of thinking like mine. Her flashback at the beginning of catching fire resembled the type I experiance perfectly, and her running off when she learns she has to go back into the arena was something i had done plenty of times myself when facing returning to abusers.
In addition to that, it depicted a lot of strong, capable people going through mental health crisis' WITHOUT being villainized or infantilized - and who were treated kindly and helped during those periods of duress. They were capable before and after, and it didn't make them any less of people to be struggling. Plus, the main cast of younger characters (katniss, finnick, johanna, peeta) were the first characters I had ever seen who acted out and rebelled against authority like I did who WEREN'T completely written off for doing so. It was, for once, depicted as a strength rather than an issue.
I wasn't fortunate enough to have been shown the same kindness about my issues, but that series made me feel more accepted, seen, and okay about who I was as a person than I had ever felt before. Its been a comfort series of mine for a long time. A rather specific bias, I admit - but for that, and many other reasons, it will always be my favorite
The Hunger Games is by far the best, both the books and the movies!
Yeah, i think if they had had the last two films as one, it would've easily been the best, because the last 2 films weren't even bad they were just mid and only because the story was dragged out in the most boring part of the sereis, had it been shorter, that wouldn't have been a problem. I'm really hoping the new movie solidifies this, I havent read the book but most people have said its a very good prequel. And the fact it was made to be adapted into a movie makes me happy too because otherwise we wouldve just had another J.K Rowling trying to write a screenplay (fantastic Beasts) when she can very clearly only write books. Hoping we see more Teen Dystopia in the future.
@@LpsfudgeandMlpTV the prequel is going to be very hit or miss. I’ve read the book 4 times and it’s very different to the original trilogy. I’ll give you a little insight without spoiling it. The book follows President snow as a student at the capitols school “academy” and to get ideas and viewership for the Hunger Games, they decide to use the mentors as students in the 10th games. The Hunger Games at this stage is very primitive and rudimentary. The showmanship isn’t there and a lot of the stuff from the games as we know them haven’t been created yet: it makes it much darker as the districts are openly viewed as animals which draws a lot more parallels to slavery, and feels a lot more adult than the games being mixed up in the pageantry of it all. The book itself focuses much more on oligarchy and political theory, and more specifically why the games exist and why it’s important that they continue for the survival of both the capitol and the districts.
Agreed
The Hunger Games is so good but The Maze Runner will always have a special place in my heart. I love those movies so much, and the books are even better.
I remember watching hunger games with my mom who grew up in a dictatorship in Nicaragua, and it almost brought her to tears because she said all the tactics that the government used in the movie were eerily similar to the tactics she grew up being oppressed by. So in my book Hunger Games did it best.
as a former maze runner fan, im happy that the movies still hold up pretty well. i remember i didn’t like how they changed some things from the books but i still really enjoyed the experience of watching them in the movie theatre as a middle schooler
My fav book dystopian series from back then is Legend by Marie Lu. I would have loved to have seen a live movie series adaptation. But there’s a show in the works currently which is exciting!
The moives are so good because Suzanne (the author) had a lot of say in the moives personally pt2 was my favorite movie
I think this was an incredibly fair ranking. Your pick for best series makes a lot of sense given your movie rankings. I imagine if the Hunger Games franchise didn’t split its last book into two movies, it would be ranked the highest.
Great video!
My fellow book readers will know that in terms of now similar they are to the book both The Maze Runner and Divergent are horrible in that aspect they are so incredibly different. But what I don't think people do is look at them separately. If you do that then you can realize that both are incredibly well made and amazing to watch. The maze runner is my favorite of thoes 2 because there is just so much action. But I'm sure we all agree that the hunger games is the best because of the plot and it follows the books really well. And the ballad is coming out soon so hopefully that will live up to the other hunger games books