3-Act-8-Sequence Analysis: The Hunger Games Movie

Hey y’all!

THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES comes out this month, and while I didn’t really like the book, I DO love The Hunger Games movies. In fact, I remember liking the movies better than ALL the books, which is rare…

Also, I’m not doing NaNoWriMo this month, and I need to keep my writing chops going somehow, so behold, a 3-act, 8-sequence structure analysis of the first Hunger Games movie! I tend to watch a lot of movies through this lens, and that’s my curse. If a sequence goes on too long, I feel it. But when a movie fits fairly neatly into 8 sequences, it’s the most satisfying thing in the world! The Hunger Games comes pretty darn close. There are clear, clean breaks almost every 15 minutes, and each drives the plot forward in a meaningful way.

In an ideal world, Sequences 1-3 fit into the first act, 4-6 fit into Act II, and 7-8 fit into Act III. I’m ALL for a little experimenting and deviating, but this is the standard as I learned it! So, let’s take a look at how it plays out in the first movie:

Sequence 1: In the first fifteen minutes, we meet just about all the key players we need to know in this story. Relationships are established, as is the purpose and tradition of The Hunger Games. Katniss, Gale, and Prim are growing up in impoverished District 12, forced to hunt for food. They all attend the Reaping, where Katniss volunteers to play the games in her sister’s place. There can only be one winner, and the odds are not ever in District 12’s favor.

Sequence 2: Katniss says goodbye to Gale and her family, then begins the train ride to The Capitol. We meet Haymitch the mentor, who becomes a sort of window to help us see the contrast between Katniss and Peeta. She’s tough, but guarded and frankly unlikeable. He’s soft and mellow, but knows how to win people over with his charm. Likeability is the key to gaining sponsors and winning the game. We arrive at The Capitol right around the 30-minute mark.

Sequence 3: Big unforgettable set piece, as tends to be the standard for Seq. 3. Big amazing Capitol city with fancy meals and rooms. The district tributes ride in on chariots and wear wild, lavish costumes. Stanley Tucci has a big personality and even bigger blue hair. Katniss and Peeta on fire and holding hands while President Snow watches curiously from the stands. Katniss glares back, establishing the central conflict for the series. During training, Cato emerges as the arrogant asshole of the group, and Rue emerges as the underdog we want to root for. Peeta’s cake skills are totally transferable and he can become a tree. Around the 45-minute mark, Katniss shoots the apple at the sponsors, establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with. *drop the curtain* (Side note: I never noticed Jack Quaid was in this movie! He was so smol!)

Act I of The Hunger Games is structurally perfect. The central conflicts, characters, and tone are established, as well as the stakes, and there’s a nice “kabam!” moment at the 45-minute mark. We get the characters “up the tree,” and we totally care that they might never get to come down.

Sequence 4: President Snow urges Seneca Crane, the game maker, to contain the balance between hope and fear among the districts. Cesar Flickermann hosts a kickoff show where he interviews the tributes. Peeta draws a huge reaction when he reveals having a crush on Katniss, and she draws a big reaction with her fire dress! Peeta and Katniss are both determined to win the games, but the problem is they can’t both win, and they’re not down for the spectacle of killing other tributes.

Sequence 5: The tributes enter the arena around the 1-hour mark. Twelve tributes die instantly. Katniss grabs some supplies and escapes deep into the area, a woodsy environment reminiscent of her home. She hunts, cooks, and hides while the bloodbath ensues. The game makers don’t like that things are going too well for her, so they orchestrate some conflict to turn her around. A huge fire severely burns her thigh and drives her closer to the jerk tributes, who chase her up a tree. Rue points out a nest of tracker jackers that Katniss is able to drop onto her pursuers. (This was a very LONG sequence–almost 30 minutes, but I didn’t mind it. It is, after all, the meat of the actual games.)

Sequence 6: Katniss forms an alliance with Rue, who took care of her after passing out from some of the wasp venom. They make a plan to blow up the jerk tributes’ food. Katniss succeeds, but in the short amount of time it took for her to carry out the plan, Rue gets caught in a trap. Effing Jack Quaid kills Rue, and Katniss holds a funeral for her. A revolt begins in District 11, where Rue grew up. (This sequence makes an excellent set piece given that there is a big explosion, a touching funeral, and a revolt all in the same fifteen minutes!)

Act II establishes that Katniss is in real danger, but that she has everything it takes to beat the games. It makes us root for her even more, and shows us the depth of the Capitol’s horror. This is also a great example of what a second act should look like: Throw rocks at the character in the tree. In this case, it’s pretty literal!

Sequence 7: Haymitch convinces the game makers to give the audience something to root for: young love! With a new change in the rules allowing two winners from the same district, Katniss tracks Peeta down, and they develop their relationship. The game makers lure all the tributes back together for a final battle at the cornucopia, where Cato is the last tribute to die. Peeta and Katniss are the last tributes standing.

Sequence 8: The Capitol changes the rules again… Apparently only one winner can be crowned. Katniss figures out a loophole and ends the games by fooling the game makers into thinking that they’re both going to eat the poisonous nightlock berries. They both win and get to go home! The Capitol is actively pissed… They lock Seneca Crane in a room full of nightlock, and while the districts celebrate Katniss and Peeta’s victory, President Snow metaphorically twirls his brilliant white mustache…

Act III brings us all the feels, all the action, and closes up the story while driving the series forward. If the story ended here, we’d be satisfied knowing that Katniss and Peeta survived the games. But there’s still the overall problem of The Capitol and its horrible ways, and the denouement teases that it’s only about to get worse.

Yay! Thanks for indulging me. I’m gonna do more of these, because they’re fun, and I learn something every time.

May the odds be ever in your favor,

Jacob