The Hunger Games Directed by: Gary Ross Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks Rating: Not Yet Rated Release Date: March 23, 2012
TRAILER SCORE: 4/10
Thoughts by TSR: This isn’t going to be an article that picks apart every little detail of this brand new footage of The Hunger Games. Anything like that would be entirely unfair, as I’ve never read Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” series. I have no idea if Jennifer Lawrence looks appropriate for her role (she certainly appears up to the physical demands), but I have no reason to question that aspect.
The question I am left with after watching this teaser that premiered at the MTV VMAs is this: Why? Why am I supposed to care about this? The purpose of a teaser is to get people aware and interested in a film. This doesn’t do a very good job of either and simply leaves me scratching my head. The books have a solid fanbase, but a vocal group of supporters isn’t enough to make a movie successful. They need to appeal to the masses and build buzz from the word go.
I don’t understand the thought process that went into choosing to release this. Sure, Lionsgate wanted to release something during the VMAs. I get that. What I don’t get is why they’d bother releasing something so generic and obscure. If I wasn’t already aware of the film in general – nearly impossible not to be after the onslaught of casting announcements and news about the project – I wouldn’t really have had any idea what I was looking at, or why it’s supposed to be a big deal.
I don’t want to be too harsh since it’s barely one minute of footage. Maybe the full trailer will pull back the curtain a tad and my interest will immediately skyrocket. For now it still feels like they are trying to “make it happen.” With the void being left by Harry Potter and Twilight’s upcoming finale, I guess the world “needs” a new franchise to latch on to. Will it happen? Who knows? The teaser’s tagline states “May the odds be ever in your favor.” That’s a sentiment that feels equally fitting for The Hunger Games film as a whole.