The second installment in the Hunger Games series is coming out on Friday, and we couldn’t be more excited to see how Catching Fire translates onto screen. If the first film is any indication, it is sure to be just as exciting.
Katniss (played by Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (played by Josh Hutcherson) may have both made it out of the arena as the victors of the 74th Annual Hunger Games, but their ordeal is far from over. Their act of rebellion against the tradition of only one victor has spread throughout the districts, and people have latched onto Katniss as evidence that they can get out from under the suppression of the Capitol.
So, what are we excited to see in Catching Fire? Read on.
The New Characters
Half of the characters in the first movie were killed off, because well, they had to die for Katniss and Peeta to live. Catching Fire introduces a couple new characters like Finnick Odair (played by Sam Claflin) and Johanna Mason (played by Jena Malone), who are both former victors heading back to the arena. Philip Seymour Hoffman also joins the cast as Plutarch Heavensbee, the new Head Games Maker that isn’t exactly who he seems.
With all the debate over casting choices (opinion seems to be split over Sam Claflin as Finnick), we are interested to see how the actors do their characters justice.
The Quarter Quell
The Quarter Quell is coming up and that means a twist of the government’s choosing. For the 75th anniversary of the Hunger Games, they have chosen to send 2 previous victors from each district back into the arena to fight it out.
The arena and actual Hunger Games competition is the most unique part of the series, so we are looking forward to see the arena come to life. We know the tributes all start out on their own floating dock in the middle of a body of water, but what about the rest of the arena?
How will the older tributes (including Mags, an 80-year-old victor of one of the first Hunger Games) factor into the movie?
The Love Triangle
The love triangle between Katniss, her fellow tribute, Peeta, and her childhood friend Gale (played by Liam Hemsworth) is a huge part of the Hunger Games trilogy. The romantic aspects are engaging without overshadowing everything else the way some YA book-to-film adaptations tend to do (I’m looking at you Twilight Saga).
Gale wasn’t around much for the first film, but now that Katniss is home, how will their friendship change? The trailer even shows them sharing an intense kiss. But Katniss is also attached to Peeta, at first only because she has to put on a show for the audience in the Capitol, but also because they went through so much together, and not many other people understand.
The second book is just when the love triangle starts to heat up, and the movie is sure to reflect that.
The Outfits
The divide between the people of the districts and the people in the Capitol is made visually evident by the differing fashion choices in the first movie. The entire Capitol population, including Ceasar Flickerman (played by Stanley Tucci) and Effie Trinket(played by Elizabeth Banks) dress in wild, over the top clothing that screams excess.
Katniss, living in the poorest part of the poorest district, wore old hand me down clothing. But when she became a tribute for the Hunger Games, she and Peeta were dressed in outfits that actually looked like they were on fire, earning her the nickname, Girl on Fire. The outfits in Catching Fire are sure to be even more dramatic than the first movie.
Related Video: Catching Fire Director Says Jennifer Lawrence Rarely Rehearses
