Hunger Games: Catching Fire Preview
Are you pro-Capital or pro-District? Which District would you be in? Team Peeta or Team Gale?
These are amongst the debates surrounding the buzz of the newest mega-book/movie franchise. Said to be the most anticipated movie of the year, “Catching Fire” is creating excitement for fans around the world.
Talk-show after talk-show, interview after interview, the stars of the Hunger Games are always a sought-after bunch, partly due to the promotional tactics of Lionsgate, and the roar of impatient fans demanding information about the new movie. At every convention that the cast visits, it seems, there’s always a flood of children and adults alike, craning to get a glimpse of the faces that portray their beloved characters.
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth are the three main actors portraying the popular characters Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, and Gale Hawthorne. To some, this gives the cast members a status not unlike teen idols. What at first was an immensely popular book trilogy, now has the potential to be as big or bigger than the Harry Potter or Twilight franchises.
The first book, in short, introduces Katniss who is essentially a very poor girl in a very poor District run by the very corrupt government of a futuristic country named Panem. The Hunger Games are brutal competitions aired on television every year featuring two children for each of the twelve districts fighting to the death for money. The wealthy are living with comfort, while the poor die of hunger and sickness.
Typical dystopian story, some might say, but the reason for the huge fanbase may be due to the underlying themes of the story. As the three books are told as Katniss Everdeen in the first person, it really gives the reader perspective about the true horrors of the human nature, and finding the strength to do the right thing.
“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” comes out in theaters on Nov. 22, and advance tickets are currently on sale for most cinemas. As most critics have said, this highly anticipated film might just be even better than the first installment, so going to see it may be worth your while.
