Much to the relief of "Hunger Games" fans worldwide, Lionsgate finally has debuted its first full-fledged trailer for the dystopian adventure due out March 23.
In a few short minutes we meet vulnerable but strong heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and her fellow tribute Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) and see the ostentatious Capitol that serves as a brilliant contrast to the poor, drab environments that make up District 12, from which both Mellark and Everdeen hail.
For "The Hunger Games" uninitiated, Suzanne Collins' bestselling novel depicts a future in which the opulent Capitol rules the planet and the majority of districts are impoverished nations that must serve the central government. As a reminder of a previous uprising against the Capitol, an annual "Hunger Game" contest is put into place in which two youths between ages 12 and 17 from each of the 12 districts are forced to compete in a brutal fight to the death. As the trailer says, only one comes out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgsdblVq8wo
Director Gary Ross seems to have gone all out in capturing the Capitol's http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/ opulence with the garish Effie Trinket, played by Elizabeth Banks, cheerfully determining the fates of these impoverished kids. We see quick glimpses of Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman and Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane, and we also get a quick peek at Woody Harrelson as Haymitch, a previous Hunger Games winner, now a useless drunk who serves as Peeta and Katniss' biggest ally.
Katniss' District 12 pal, and unrequited love, Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth), is given prominent placement in the trailer, suggesting that the character who mostly appears in Katniss' memories throughout the book will receive some solid screen time in the upcoming http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/ movie.
The trailer will debut on the big screen coco palms this weekend in front of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1." Check it out below.
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-- Nicole Sperling
Photo: Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth in "The Hunger Games." Credit: Murray Close / Lionsgate
