By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 12 seconds ago

Over a decade after the release of the first film, and nearly 20 years since the debut of the first novel, people still can’t get enough of The Hunger Games. The dystopian sci-fi franchise that turned death games into entertainment has stood the test of time. It was a record-setting classic before the end of the first film’s opening weekend, and now, all five films in The Hunger Games franchise are on Netflix. 

The Hunger Games Set The World On Fire

The Hunger Games turned Jennifer Lawrence into a star as Katniss Everdeen, the volunteer tribute from District 12. Her fight for survival during the nationally televised Hunger Games kickstarted a revolution that would eventually take down the corrupt government lording over the remains of North America. It was also so packed with stars, you forgot that Jack Quaid played the Tribute from District 1.

Compared to the Japanese cult-classic Battle Royale, The Hunger Games took the existing genre of death games and took it to the next level. Catching Fire, the second film, went back into the arena for another go, while the final films in Katniss’ story, Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2, put the focus on the raging Panem civil war. Every single one of them was a hit, and every single one of them has been among Netflix’s top movies since joining the service.

The One Franchise That Does Prequels Correctly

The outlier is 2023’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel focused on the backstory of President Snow (Donald Sutherland in the first few movies, Tom Blyth in the prequel), and his love for Lucy (Rachel Zegler), a District 12 tribute. It proved that the dystopian world could expand beyond Katniss Everdeen, and that the movies didn’t need Jennifer Lawrence to sell them. It’s also available on Netflix right now, slipping in and out of the Netflix Top Ten. 

A new film, Sunrise on the Reaping, will arrive on November 20th, and this time it’s the story of Haymitch (Woody Harrelson in The Hunger Games, Joseph Zada here). McKenna Grace plays Maysilee Donner, who joins Haymitch as another Tribute from District 12. The novel has been out for awhile, but if you saw the first few films, you know Haymitch is a man haunted by his past, so it’s safe to say that things don’t go well during the 50th Annual Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games Has Outgrown Its YA Roots

The Hunger Games franchise has gone from Young Adult novels to the big screen since 2009. Most studios would kill to have five films of this quality, and a lot of that can be attributed first, to the original author, Suzanne Collins, and secondly, to the franchise’s director, Francis Lawrence.Lawrence has directed all but the original film and he’s been so good at bringing the teenage death games to life that he was the first one to figure out how to adapt Stephen King’s The Long Walk.  

All five of The Hunger Games films are the best of the 2010’s young adult adaptation trend. Yes, there’s a love triangle, but as the stakes get higher it fades into the background. What’s left is a dystopian franchise that embraces its cruel, callous setting with open arms, puts all of its heroes through the wringer, and always remembers that there’s hope for a better tomorrow. 

The Hunger Games franchise is now streaming on Netflix.

A federal judge has temporarily stopped Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, marking the biggest legal setback yet for what would become one of the largest entertainment mergers in Hollywood history.

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín issued a 14-day temporary restraining order, preventing the companies from closing the deal while the court considers a request for a preliminary injunction filed by a coalition of 12 states led by California. A hearing has been scheduled for August 3, when the judge will decide whether the merger should remain on hold while the broader antitrust lawsuit moves forward.

The states argue the proposed merger would violate federal antitrust law by giving the combined company too much control over the entertainment industry. According to the lawsuit, the new media giant would command roughly 27% of the U.S. wide-release theatrical distribution market, while also combining major television networks, cable channels, film studios, and streaming services under one roof. State attorneys general contend that level of consolidation could ultimately result in higher prices, fewer movies and television shows, reduced competition, and job losses across Hollywood.

In granting the temporary restraining order, Judge Martínez-Olguín determined that the states had raised sufficiently serious antitrust concerns and that allowing the merger to close before the case is heard could create irreversible consequences. Once two companies of this size begin integrating operations, undoing the transaction later would be extremely difficult if the court ultimately rules against it.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose office is leading the legal challenge, praised the ruling as an important first step in protecting competition within the entertainment industry. The coalition maintains the merger threatens consumers, creative workers, theaters, and distributors alike.

Paramount Skydance, however, continues to defend the transaction. The company argues the merger is necessary to compete against technology and streaming giants such as Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and Disney, insisting the states’ antitrust claims are without merit. Paramount has expressed confidence that it will ultimately prevail in court.

The timing is especially significant because the merger agreement includes substantial financial penalties if the transaction is not completed by September 30. Reports indicate Paramount could owe Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approximately $7 million per day in fees for delays beyond that deadline, increasing pressure on both companies to resolve the legal battle quickly.

While federal regulators previously declined to block the deal, several state attorneys general elected to pursue their own antitrust challenge. International reviews also remain ongoing in some markets, meaning the merger still faces multiple regulatory hurdles even after the upcoming August hearing.

For now, one of Hollywood’s most ambitious mergers remains on pause as the court weighs whether the entertainment industry is on the verge of becoming too consolidated.

Former Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Duane Ward abruptly left a dinner with a group of former teammates shortly before his death was announced on Sunday, July 19. He was 62. 

“That wasn’t like Wardo to leave early,” Ward’s former Blue Jays bullpen mate Tom Henke told the Toronto Sun on Sunday. “I asked him, ‘Are you feeling alright?’ I didn’t like the way he looked, to be honest.”

Ward, Henke, 68, and a group of former teammates were in Toronto over the weekend for the unveiling of a statue commemorating the franchise’s back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. The group had dinner on the evening of Friday, July 17. 

When the team was scheduled to head to Rogers Centre the next day, however, Ward was nowhere to be found. 

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“I didn’t know where he was,” Henke said. 

Former Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston told the Sun, “I thought something was wrong when he was late. Wardo was one of those guys who was never late. He was always on time.”

The statue unveiling went on in Ward’s absence before Toronto’s game against the Chicago White Sox. The Blue Jays announced Ward’s death on Sunday morning, revealing he had died by natural causes. 

“Duane will be deeply missed by our fans, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family,” the team said in a statement. “Duane will always be a cherished part of the Blue Jays family, and we will be forever grateful for his contributions to our organization and to baseball in Canada.”

No other details about Ward’s death have been publicly revealed. 

A moment of silence was held for Ward before Sunday’s game against the White Sox. 

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“I’m shocked right now,” Henke said about Ward’s sudden death. “How can you not be? I had supper with Wardo when he came in. We got to visit. I’m thinking now, I’m so glad I got to do that. I’m glad I got one more time with him.”

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Gaston, 82, lauded Ward’s important role on the back-to-back title teams, saying the late pitcher “made my job easier.”

“He was just a good pitcher, man,” he recalled. “He took no prisoners on the mound. Sometimes I’d go out to the mound to talk to him just to bust his balls. I’d ask him, ‘How are you going to get this guy out?’ He’d tell me to get the hell back to the dugout and that he knew what he was doing.”

Gaston added, “We never worried about the 8th and 9th innings when we had Henke and Ward in the bullpen.”

Shamea Morton is speaking out about her explosive dinner with Porsha Williams on ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta.’ In the episode ‘Highland Games and Explosive Claims,’ the two ladies got into a heated argument as the rest of the cast looked on.

RELATED: Falynn Pina Blasts Porsha Williams & Simon Guobadia For Allegedly Having An Inappropriate Relationship While They Were Still Married (VIDEOS)

Shamea Morton Talks About What Happened Following Dinner Argument

Morton and Williams got into an argument while having dinner with the rest of the cast in Scotland. As Cynthia Bailey, Pinky Cole, K. Michelle, Phaedra Parks, Drew Sidora, Kelli Ferrell and Angela Oakley looked on, a feud between their mothers — Sarah Yvonne Morton and Diane T. Williams, entered the chat.

The argument intensified, leading Williams to make accusations on social media. During an appearance on ‘Watch What Happens Live,’ Andy Cohen wasted no time in asking Morton about the fallout.

“What has been your reaction to the dinner bringing up the mothers? You guys had kind of previously agreed, let’s, let this lay,” said Cohen.

“To be honest, Andy, um the timing wasn’t good,” Morton replied. “I definitely shouldn’t have brought it up at the dinner, but I just, I don’t know. Oh, I guess it just, it just came out. I was so fed up and it was like festering for so long…. The dinner was not the appropriate time to do it.”

Williams Accused Morton of Sleeping With Pastor After Explosive Episode Aired

The argument between the ladies began after Morton claimed that Dennis McKinley said Williams didn’t want their daughter, Pilar, going to Shamea’s home. Porsha Williams copped to it before Morton accused her of blocking her from becoming a full-time housewife.

That accusation led to Morton bringing up the feud between their mothers. Shamea’s mom bought Porsha’s mom’s child daycare center last season on the ‘RHOA’, and a feud ensued.

Then, Morton blurted out, “Everybody doesn’t know that your mom tried to sleep with my dad.” Williams replied, “Your mother tried to sleep with your father’s brother.”

After the episode aired, Williams took to social media to drag Morton, and she did not mince words.

“Now let’s discuss YOU—sleeping with your manager (who’s married to one of your high school friends), as well as a pastor in Decatur who’s 100% on your roster… along with many more.”

Morton Says She Apologized To Her Pastor

During ‘Watch What Happens Live,’ Morton also said that apologized to her pastor after seeing Williams’ accusation.

“Yeah, I saw it,” she told Cohen. “I felt bad for one, my pastor, ‘cuz like, not y’all trying to get me kicked out the church. Hell. I need all the prayers I can get right now.”

“So, I apologized to my pastor,” she added. “Um, and he said, you know, he understood. Uh, you know, they were just like, ‘you’re fine.’ Like, it’s fine. It’s okay. And, you know, obviously it’s bull crap.”

Morton also joked that she was done engaging in the drama.

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Released in 1997, Warriors of Virtue arrived during a decade filled with martial arts action, fantasy adventures, and larger than life creature movies. While films like Mortal Kombat, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Power Rangers dominated pop culture, Warriors of Virtue quietly carved out its own bizarre and surprisingly memorable corner of the genre.

Directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Ronny Yu before he went on to helm Bride of Chucky and Freddy vs. Jason, the film combined martial arts, fantasy, Taoist philosophy, and five kung fu fighting kangaroos into a family adventure unlike anything audiences had seen before.

A Truly Original Premise

The story follows Ryan Jeffers, a young boy with a physical disability who is transported to the mystical world of Tao after falling into a whirlpool. There, he discovers a land threatened by the evil Lord Komodo and meets the legendary Warriors of Virtue, five anthropomorphic kangaroos, each representing one of the elements and virtues of Tao.

It’s the kind of premise that sounds almost impossible to explain today, yet somehow it works. Instead of relying solely on spectacle, the film mixes coming of age themes with lessons about courage, teamwork, and believing in yourself.

Martial Arts Before CGI Took Over

One of the film’s biggest strengths remains its action.

Long before every blockbuster relied heavily on digital effects, Warriors of Virtue featured performers in elaborate creature suits executing real martial arts choreography. While some of the effects haven’t aged perfectly, the physical stunt work gives the action a tangible quality that many fans still appreciate nearly three decades later.

The film also benefited from Ronny Yu’s background in Hong Kong action cinema, giving many fight sequences a style that stood apart from typical American family films of the era.

Warriors of Virtue [credit: Law Brothers Entertainment]

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Campy in the Best Possible Way

Let’s be honest, this movie is weird.

Kung fu kangaroos.
An evil villain named Lord Komodo.
Mystical life springs.
A fantasy world inspired by Taoist philosophy.

On paper, it sounds like a studio brainstorming session gone completely off the rails.

Yet that’s exactly why the film has endured. While critics largely dismissed it upon release, many viewers who grew up during the late ’90s remember it as one of those unforgettable VHS rentals that felt unlike anything else on the shelf. Today, discussions across movie communities frequently describe it as a forgotten childhood favorite or a “fever dream” that people were convinced they imagined until rediscovering it years later.

A Box Office Failure That Found Cult Status

Unfortunately, originality didn’t translate into box office success.

Produced on a reported budget of around $35 million, Warriors of Virtue earned just over $6 million domestically, making it one of 1997’s biggest commercial disappointments. Critics were equally harsh, and the ambitious franchise plans never materialized beyond a direct to video sequel released in 2002.

Despite that, the movie has quietly developed a cult following over the years. Collectors still seek out the original action figures, while nostalgic movie fans continue introducing the film to new audiences who can’t believe a movie about martial arts kangaroos actually exists.

Warriors of Virtue [credit: Law Brothers Entertainment]

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Final Thoughts

Not every movie needs to be a masterpiece to be memorable.

Warriors of Virtue is ambitious, wonderfully strange, occasionally cheesy, and packed with enough martial arts action and practical creature effects to make it a fascinating time capsule of late ’90s family filmmaking.

If you missed it back in 1997, don’t expect the next great fantasy epic. Instead, expect a movie that swings for the fences with an original idea Hollywood probably wouldn’t greenlight today, and that’s exactly what makes it worth revisiting.

For fans of forgotten cult classics, Warriors of Virtue remains one of the most unique martial arts fantasy films of its generation.