“Every revolution begins with a spark.” This is how the plot of the second installment of the successful trilogy of books by The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, written by Suzanne Collins, which in 2012 alone sold 27.7 million copies worldwide. And despite all the criticism that the saga has faced – yes, we already know that it exists battle royale and that we have seen love triangles a thousand times in sagas for teenagers—there is a common denominator that seems to be the primary driving force of the story: the character of Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence.
“In the first movie, it wasn’t her intention to be anyone’s heroine. She just wanted to save her sister’s life, her own life, and then Peeta’s. “She now has an enormous responsibility to many people,” Jennifer Lawrence comments to PREMIERE Cinema, who had to resume intensive training five days a week to get back into shape for the role. “She started out as a reluctant hero and now she has to make the decision to face it all or run… and she wants to run.”
And many fans have classified the “Girl on Fire” as the Joan of Arc of modern literature, a heroine who, due to circumstances, will have the fate of Panem in her hands, whether she wants it or not. But what makes her so relatable?
“Suzanne Collins created a character that is very real and relatable. “I have always believed that if you can imagine yourself in the character’s shoes in a difficult situation and can understand the decisions she makes, she is someone believable who will stand the test of time,” explains filmmaker Francis Lawrence. “And I think that’s what happened with Katniss, he’s not a superhero, he doesn’t really want the responsibility and if you combine that with Jennifer’s performance… that’s where the magic happens.”
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Lawrence (I’m legend) replaced the director of the first installment, Gary Ross, after the production considered directors such as Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity), Bennet Miller (The game of fortune) and Juan Antonio Bayona (The impossible). In addition, he will be in charge of making the two films based on the third book of the saga, Mockingjayor (to be released in November 2014 and 2015, respectively).
On this occasion, the winner of District 12 must face the consequences of her subversive actions during the previous Hunger Games. Since, without intending to, Katniss has created a social conscience that has been triggering small acts of rebellion in the different districts. This has put her in the sights of President Snow (Donald Sutherland), who will not sit idly by and seek to destroy her, of course, in a way that benefits her own interests.
Added to that is the emotional conflicts he suffers from having to fake a loving relationship with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), protect Gale (Liam Hemsworth) from the President’s constant threats and ensure that his family is safe despite his actions. .
And it is no secret that adapting the many events unfolding in the story was a great challenge for the director: “I think the most difficult thing was weaving together the many events that are happening. There’s the love triangle, the beginning of the rebellion and the idea that she is becoming a revolutionary symbol, the whole intrigue of what President Snow and the new head of the Rangers – whose intentions are not always very clear -, Plutarch Heavensbee (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), are planning, and the recurring theme of allies and enemies that cause him distrust.
New rivals
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire It stands on the foundations of the dystopian world explained in the first installment and brings to the table new places, objects and characters that will result in more intense moments and that will raise the stakes.
The prime example is the arena of the 75th edition of The Hunger Games, since now it will not be children who participate, but the skilled winners of previous editions. That’s why creating the dangerous new arena for Quell 25 meant a lot of work for the production and several accidents, including a fall that left Jennifer Lawrence partially deaf for six days. It was necessary to find a tropical environment with a beach where, in addition, the tributes could enter the jungle.
“The sand was one of the most fun elements while making the film, but also one of the most difficult because it is not a place that exists. We had to figure out how to build it,” explains Francis. “The entire jungle and beach part was filmed in Hawaii, and everything you see on Cornucopia Island—a place where the tributes find weapons and supplies, but which means direct combat—had to be done in Atlanta. “Then we married both environments digitally.”
With the expansion of the world, we also find new characters who will be vital to the development of the insurrection. The most relevant being Finnick Odair —played by the British Sam Claflin, who we can remember for his roles in The pirates of the caribbean and snow white and the huntsman— and Johanna Mason —played by Jena Malone (Sucker Punch)—, interesting competitors
with mysterious intentions.
And this time the scope of the story aims to go further with the use of the IMAX format in the quest to create a more captivating and larger experience. “They chose a great moment to enter the IMAX format, right when Katniss is going up the elevator to the arena and her eyes open to this new world for the first time,” says Jennifer Lawrence.
With all these elements, expectations are enormous, thanks to the resounding success of The Hunger Games —which obtained almost $700 million worldwide—. Now we only have to see if the spark that created the flame will actually allow itself to spread.
The politics behind fantasy
Even though it is a fantastic world, the parallels in history with our current world are a frequent and constant theme in the subtexts of Panem.
“I think it is a reflection of what is happening today and of the entire society. How we see fashion and technology. For example, no matter how poor someone is, they still have a cell phone,” Claflin reflects.
And that is where the story takes on a value that goes beyond casual entertainment and what called director Francis Lawrence to participate in the filming of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
“I think the novel deals with current issues today. I think there are things that occur as a result of war and violence, and that is what these books are about. It is something very important, whether it is a war or social violence. It is to see how society is affected as a result. And it is something that surrounds us all the time in the real world,” he concludes.
A version of this article was first published in Cine PREMIERE #230 in November 2013.
Cristina Vales Cristina Vales was editor of Cine PREMIERE for almost three years, however, her geek side has kept her close. Look for her if you want to talk about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, books and everything that has to do with entertainment.