A hugely popular film franchise has landed on BBC iPlayer this week, and fans have labelled the movies the “best dystopian ever”. The BBC has added four films from the series onto its streaming platform.

It means anyone who has a TV lisence and BBC iPlayer account can watch them all for free. The Hunger Games has been added to the platform, with fans re-watching the series all over again. Four films – The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and Mockingjay Part 2 – can be streamed now.

The first movie of the series was released back in 2012 and saw Jennifer Lawrence take on the role of Katniss Everdeen. It is based on Suzanne Collins’ internationally bestselling trilogy of the same name.

The Hunger Games is set in a dystopian North America, which has been divided into 12 districts. The Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each district to send a boy and a girl tribute between the ages of 12 to 18 to compete in a televised event titled the Hunger Games every year.

It sees the tributes fight each other to the death until just one remains. In the first film of the series, Katniss volunteers as a tribute after her younger sister Primrose was picked.

She enters the games and uses her insincts and knowledge to fight against the other tributes. Lawrence stars alongside Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland.

They went on to create The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which was released in 2013. Just a year later, the first part of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay hit cinemas followed by Part Two in 2015.

A prequel to the series, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, was released in 2023 and another prequel is set to air later this year.

The Hunger Games has become a cultural hit among fans, with people still enjoying the movies over a decade later. Posting on review site Rotten Tomatoes, one fan said of the first film: “This movie is, by far, one of the best dystopian films ever made.

“I grew up with it, and I still love the unique feeling it brings me every time I watch it. It’s definitely one of my favorites—if not my absolute favorite—along with the entire trilogy.”

A reviewer added: “The Hunger Games is every bit as thrilling as its source material even if it does make some changes from the book.” Someone else commented: ” A beautiful, deeply affecting, and riveting film with a heroine for the ages.”