Photo Credit: Lionsgate (2012) Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games book series took the world by storm in 2012 and has since morphed into a massive movie franchise. For good reason---the story has captured hearts and minds of people of all ages, from angsty teens to adults who recognize that the future America is headed for may not be the "dream" we were sold in childhood.

And The Hunger Games stories are good. They're fast paced with a lot of action and an intriguing love story, along with characters and a plot you can't stop thinking about. It's not hard to become an "instant" fan. Many of us have read the books and watched every single movie, and some of us finally caught on to Suzanne Collins' brilliance in adulthood, when the movies were available on streaming services—easy to binge all three of them in one sitting. Whether you've watched the whole series (including the newest addition, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which was released in December, 2023) or just one, and you're itching for another captivating, dystopian movie that involves political activism, speculative futures, and reluctant heroes, here's a list of nine other movies that will help you scratch that itch.

1. Anon, 2018

Written and Directed by Andrew Niccol; starring Clive Owen and Amanda Seyfried

Great for people who love thinking about how technology might shape our future.

Clive Owen plays Sal Friedland, a detective in a futuristic alternative world where there is no privacy, and everything you buy, search, say, and do is recorded by a device implanted in your mind. The lack of privacy has reduced crime to almost nothing, because everyone can record everything that anyone does, at any time. Then, a string of anonymous murders happens, showing a crack in the security of the system.

If you love thinking about the future state of the world, this movie is a great example of what could happen in the very near future. With Apple's recent release of the Vision Pro goggles, the constant surveillance of our surroundings by Ring cameras and traffic cameras, and our ability to access product data by taking a photo, user generated content and data and personal search histories with a few clicks (or with a few hacks)... the future described in Anon doesn't seem that far off.

2. Downsizing, 2017

Written by Alexander Payne and James Taylor, Directed by Alexander Payne; starring Matt Damon, Hong Chau, with Kristin Wiig and Christoph Waltz.

Great for those who want to watch a dystopian movie that will probably make you laugh as much as it makes you think.

Of all the ways to combat climate change, researchers in Downsizing discover that shrinking yourself—and therefore shrinking your carbon footprint—is the most effective. Matt Damon plays Paul Safranek who, with his wife Audrey, decides to take the plunge with this experimental technology to help deal with his financial struggles (not because he cares about the environment). Downsizing enables regular people to live like the wealthy, and Paul and Audrey are ready to retire and live a debt-free life. Unfortunately for Paul, Audrey backs out at the last minute and leaves him, which forces him back into his difficult financial situation. Only now, he’s five inches tall. 

Downsizing is funny, even while it deals with some scary situations such as irreversible global warming and the questionable treatment of political activists around the world. Paul becomes something of a reluctant hero who makes one big decision that ends up forcing him into a role he never dreamed possible, or even wanted, but which brings him more fulfillment than he could have possibly had in his previous life.

3. The Book of Eli, 2010

Written by Gary Whitta and Directed by Albert and Allen Hughes; starring Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, and Gary Oldman.

Great for those who thought The Hunger Games was missing an element of faith in a post-apocalyptic world.

Denzel Washington plays a nomad named Eli who wears dark sunglasses and who travels across the desolate, former United States on a mission to deliver an extremely important book to a safe location on the West Coast. Along the way, it’s hard to find water and he encounters pockets of civilization where some bad people are in charge of otherwise seemingly lawless towns. It’s quickly obvious that Eli has some almost supernatural instincts that allow him to protect himself against people who would try to kill him (or eat him, because in this world, yes… there are cannibals). Throughout the story, Eli shows that he has faith in something greater than himself. His entire mission is based on a “voice” that led him to the book and guided him on his journey. 

The Hunger Games seems to deliberately ignore any mention of God, and the series never references practices of any kind of faith. While this doesn’t detract from the series at all, it does make the world of Panem feel more like a fantasy world rather than an actual potential future world. Personally, I think there would be fascinating diverging viewpoints on faith in a post-apocalyptic world (perhaps even more divisive than today), and appreciate thinking about the future of “faith” no matter what the world looks like. If you’re like me, definitely watch The Book of Eli.

4. The One, 2021

Written by Howard Overman, based on the book by John Marrs, and starring Hannah Ware.

Great for those who want to watch a less desolate (think “society is still functioning”; though perhaps not less depressing) version of the future, and those who think about the future of love.

The One is not a film. It’s a limited series with eight episodes based on a novel by the same name. It’s also not categorized as “dystopian”, but the premise is certainly futuristic and it definitely draws on the themes of human despair and the ways corporations lie to the public. 

In The One, Hannah Ware plays Rebecca Webb, a young DNA researcher who “discovers” that every person has a genetic match, and when they meet that person, they will fall instantly, deeply in love. Webb builds an extremely successful matchmaking app business (also named “The One”) using DNA submitted by curious love seekers—as well as DNA that was acquired with rather questionable consent. The series follows Webb and multiple couples whose lives are dramatically altered by the new technology and the viral success of the company.

I strongly recommend watching the series before reading the book. The book, in my opinion, was much better, and you’ll be delighted by consuming the versions series-first and book-after. Otherwise, you may be disappointed. Fair warning, in the book, one of the couples involves a serial killer.

5. Don’t Look Up, 2021

Directed and co-written by Adam McKay and starring Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as Meryl Streep and Jonah Hill.

Great for those who are frustrated or disenchanted by celebrity culture and mass media.

Don’t Look Up gave me anxiety for weeks after watching it. Actually, thinking about it still gives me anxiety, because as “dystopian” as it seems to have to scream from the rooftops to have your very valid voice heard, it’s not dystopian at all. We’re experiencing it right now with the live-streamed genocide of Palestinian people in Gaza. The film’s tagline is even “Based on truly possible events.”

But if the proliferation of celebrity culture, talking heads in power, and the misuse of mass media in The Hunger Games is what drove you to continue the series, Don’t Look Up might be your next favorite watch. In this movie, Lawrence is back, but instead of a scrappy teenage hunter, she’s a grown up, brainy astronomer named Kate who’s just discovered that an Earth-ending asteroid is headed straight for the planet. Unfortunately, despite mountains of proof, she and her colleague can’t convince anyone to take the threat seriously until it’s too late. Instead, it seems like everyone in the world uses the phenomenon as a way to make money or to grab more fame and power. 

It was a terrifyingly realistic premise that only seems to become more of a probability than a possibility with every day—and that’s exactly why you should watch it.

6. Divergent, 2014

Based on novels by Veronica Roth, directed by Tommy Wirkola, starring Shailene Woodly, Theo James, Kate Winslet, and more.

Great for those who love The Hunger Games but want something just a bit different.

Shailene Woodley plays Beatrice Prior (aka Tris) who learns that, although she was born into an elite government family, she is a Divergent---a threat to the very people she's been raised to emulate. Booktok favorite Theo James plays Tobias Eaton (Four), who helps Tris navigate the social expectations of her society.

I'm a fan of this movie partially because it takes place in a post-apocalyptic version of Chicago, my home city, but also because it deftly weaves the love story between Tris and Four into the overall plot. As they say, every story is a love story (right???), and there's some truth to that. Divergent is also on this list because it's probably the most similar to The Hunger Games: there's a young female protagonist, a selection ceremony for those of age, physical training and "games" to win, and of course, larger theme of political oppression.

If you love Divergent, check out the Hollis Timewire series by Danielle Harrington, starting with The Diseased Ones.

7. Elysium, 2013

Written and Directed by Neill Blomkamp; starring Matt Damon, Alice Braga, Jodie Foster, and Diego Luna.

Great for those who think wealth inequality is one of the biggest issues for the future, and that space is an accurate potential next frontier for the wealthy. 

One of The Hunger Games' central themes is extreme wealth inequality. Candidates from wealthier districts in the nation get better training and more physical aid before and during the games than those from poorer districts, like Katniss's. If this type of wealth inequality was one of the things that fascinated you most about The Hunger Games, you may want to watch Elysium.

In 2154, the Earth is desolate and the most wealthy people have moved to a space station called Elysium where they can continue to enjoy the comfort and excess of their lives, as well as the best healthcare and technology available to man. Matt Damon plays Max Da Costa, who grew up on an overpopulated and resource-exhausted Earth in extreme poverty. He dreams of being able to get to Elysium one day. Unfortunately, the most desperate on Earth are also quickly criminalized for minor offenses, and Max will never be allowed on the space station because of his record. After a major accident at work that threatens to end his life in less than a week, he becomes even more determined to find a way to get to Elysium. 

8. Children of Men, 2006

Directed and co-written by Alfonso Cuarón; starring Clive Owen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Julianne Moore.

Great for those who are fascinated by the plummeting birth rates around the world; especially for those who are following the population crisis in South Korea. 

Children of Men is one of my favorite movies of all time, partially because it forces us to consider the definition of “terrorist”, but I’ll save that discussion for another day. There are many reasons this movie is on this list, and many reasons you should watch it. Children of Men deals with many pointed political and social issues of the 2000s (that continue today), including immigration, policing, health and birth rates, pandemics, bureaucracy and government failure, and the complete breakdown of “civilization”. To top it off, the cinematography is incredible. 

Owen plays Theo, a government employee who is asked by his ex wife Julian (Moore) to help an immigrant woman get to a safe location. Theo seems to only agree because he is still in love with Julian, which makes him a reluctant hero similar to Katniss in The Hunger Games. While Theo escorts the immigrant woman through increasingly dangerous situations, he realizes he might be doing more than fulfilling a favor—he might be saving the entire human race.

If you haven’t yet seen Children of Men, make this your next Friday night movie night watch. You will not regret it.

9. What Happened to Monday, 2017

Written by Max Botkin and Kerry Williamson, Directed by Tommy Wirkola. Starring Noomi Rapace, Marwan Kenzari, Glenn Close, and Willem Dafoe.

Great for those who think about the steps they'll take to protect their children (and those they love most) in any dire situation, including an apocalypse or a severely restrictive society.

While one very realistic and possible future includes a rapidly declining birth rate, the opposite---intense overpopulation---is already happening and causing major issues for the planet. This is how What Happened to Monday begins: with a restriction on the number of children a family can have, and the threat of "cryosleep" if a family has more than one. But there are seven Settman sisters----septuplets, each named after a day of the week---all played by Noomi Rapace, and their grandfather can't imagine putting any of them into cryosleep. He devises a plan for them to live as one person, Karen Settman, which the seven sisters pull off successfully until one day when Monday goes missing.

The premise for What Happened to Monday always reminds me of a picture book from my childhood, The Seven Chinese Brothers, by Margaret Mahy, in that there are seven siblings who all look alike and are fighting against a powerful governmental figure. However, in this much more adult version, there is a lot of death and by the end of the movie, it's harder to tell who has really won.