The Hunger Games: Catching Fire TV Spots Focus On Survival And Hope

By Rudie Obias | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

“We’ve never seen anything like this, and we will never see anything like it again.” Lionsgate has released two new TV spots for the upcoming The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It’s only been a year and a half since the release of the first Hunger Games film, but fans are eagerly anticipating the sequel. Considering the state of modern Hollywood blockbusters, it’s good that the films in the Hunger Games series come out every year, instead of every other year. Nevertheless, the two new TV spots highlight two of Catching Fire‘s main themes: survival and hope.

The first TV spot opens with a sweeping shot of the Capitol as a speeding bullet train races to its center. “I think these Games are going to be different.” That sentence could refer not only to the 75th Hunger Games, but to the film itself. Catching Fire looks and feels very different from the first Hunger Games movie that was released in 2012. While The Hunger Games was rough and gritty, Catching Fire looks polished and slick. Director Francis Lawrence has to be credited with doing a better job, at least the film’s photography, than his predecessor, Gary Ross.

The second TV spot is an international offering from France. It highlights the theme of hope. After being reunited with her sister, Primrose Everdeen tells Katniss that something in District 12 has changed since she won the 74th Hunger Games with Peeta Mellark. There’s now a sense of hope that lingers throughout the District that could empower its citizens to rebellion. Considering that District 12 is the poorest District in Panem, hope is a foreign concept for many of its people.

Meanwhile, according to Variety, Lionsgate and Republic Records have added a few new tracks to international releases of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire‘s soundtrack. Brazilian rockers CPM22’s track “13” (a possible teaser for Mockingjay), Berlin-based ABBY’s song “Again,” and Spanish alternative band Lori Meyers’s single “Hombre a Tierra” were all added to regional versions of the movie soundtrack. The new songs will also run during the end credits of the sequel film in their respective countries and regions. I guess central Europe and Brazil don’t like Coldplay’s “Atlas” either. All versions of the Catching Fire soundtrack will feature songs from Patti Smith, Christina Aguilera, The Lumineers, Lorde, Imagine Dragons, and Sia, featuring Diplo and The Weeknd.

A few days ago, Catching Fire‘s first TV spot was released and viewers got an extended look at the Capitol in all of its extravagant glory. The film’s training sequence definitely gives you a sense of the sequel’s larger budget. The sequence also features a longer look at the other Tributes — Johanna Mason, Gloss, Enobaria — reaped for the 75th Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will hit theaters everywhere on November 22nd, in IMAX, while its soundtrack from Republic Records will be available in stores and digital retailers three days earlier, on November 19th.