The full trailer for The Hunger Games premiered on Good Morning America today, with much more about the plot than the teaser trailer (which is little more than a retread of The Running Man or Battle Royale). Jennifer Lawrence continues to look promising as Katniss, but the supporting cast continues to make my face wrinkle with its almost random assortment of talent, including Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, and Lenny Kravitz. Many (Harrelson, especially) seem mismatched to the tone the trailer is displaying here… but I guess we’ll see if it all comes together on March 23, 2012.
You can check it out in higher definition over at Apple.
The full synopsis is after the cut:
Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Suzanne Collins’ best-selling novel, the first in a trilogy published by Scholastic that has over 16 million copies in print in the United States alone, has developed a massive global following.
I… think I might actually see this? I’ve read the books because, well, they’re a thing, though I didn’t feel they were really for me. Of course, disclosure, I do LOVE alternate future America stuff as a rule, so that’s part of it. The choice for the visuals looks interesting.
Actually, I think Harrelson is one of the better cast actors. Haymitch is an embarrassing, sarcastic, curmudgeonly drunk who acts as a “mentor” to the tributes from District 12- Katniss and Peeta. It’s Kravitz I’m doubtful on, mostly because Cinna is supposed to be the LEAST flamboyant person from the Capitol (A place where Lady Gaga would be deemed “boring”).
As for Hutcherson and Hemsworth- there was a piece commenting on the abundance of 14-25 year old talented actresses (Hailee Steinfeld, the Fanning sisters, Jennifer Lawrence, Abigail Breslin, etc.), but that there are slim pickings for great male actors of the same age. Though I can dig Hutcherson as Peeta more than Hemsworth as Gale.