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books are great, and the movie adaptations are almost as good. Unfortunately, the films don't peak in the same places as the books, with the adaptations even ruining the best parts in the series. This was most obvious with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.

Mockingjay was the best book in the series, showing off ' fresh ideas for the series while dealing with heavy themes and delivering a powerful ending. The excellent writing did not translate as well to the screen, thanks to one of the most infamous choices in the franchise's history. The book's pacing and tension were muddled in the lackluster first part of Mockingjay, which ended up being the worst film in the series.

The first Hunger Games book was good because it was new and original. The second book, Catching Fire, wasn't nearly as good, but it had a clever way of bringing Katniss Everdeen back into the arena, ending with a riveting transition to the next book. .

Mockingjay was the only book in the trilogy without a proper Hunger Games ceremony, having no Reaping or other related events. However, Suzanne Collins didn't just abandon the series' roots. Instead, she reimagined the Hunger Games as traps for the rebels entering the Capitol. It was a clever choice that also introduced audiences to some of the most horrifying and harrowing deaths in the trilogy.

What makes Mockingjay the best book in the series is what happens after the "games." The rebellion seems like it's accomplished all of its goals, but Katniss isn't so sure. District 13's president, Alma Coin, uses President Snow's downfall as a way for her to gain power. Katniss does the unthinkable, publicly executing Coin when she's supposed to execute Snow, which reveals some of the deeper meanings behind Mockingjay. .

In a 2023 People article, . It's brave of Lawrence to admit his mistakes like that, especially because splitting Mockingjay into two parts was such a terrible decision. Mockingjay – Part 1 mostly handled the third book's setup, making it the most uneventful film in the series, as it was unable to match the tone or pace of the books or other movies.

In some ways, it made sense to try to split the book into two films. A few years before the Mockingjay movies came out, other books, like The Hobbit, were being spread across multiple film adaptations. While this strategy did create an opportunity for distributors to make even more money from one book, it also allowed filmmakers to include even more details from the original novels they were adapting. . "In truth, we got more on the screen out of the book than we would've in any of the other movies because you're getting close to four hours of screen time for the final book," Lawrence told People.

Movies and books are completely different mediums, though. Books use heavy detail to help with readers' imaginations, whereas films show audiences what they need to see. Films shouldn't need to include all the details in a book, especially when books are often read in more sittings than movies. .

The biggest factor for Lawrence's regret was that audiences had to wait for the second part. He told the magazine that It can be obnoxious for audiences to wait a year or more for the second part of a movie, especially when the first part ends so dramatically. However, that's not really the case for the Mockingjay films, with the first part showing the rebels safe and Peeta freaking out at the end. It's not unexpected, and it pales compared to the ending of Catching Fire, which has the shocking twist that Katniss has been taken to District 13.

Anyone who wants to revisit their rankings of the original Hunger Games films is in luck. . The movies are also available to rent or buy on digital retailers, including Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video. Now's the perfect time to watch the films with a new movie, Sunrise on the Reaping, coming out at the end of 2026.