Philip Seymour Hoffman and Julianne Moore in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
It is only a minute long; Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), Johanna (Jena Malone), Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), and Finnick (Sam Claflin) are nowhere to be seen; and Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) speaks only four words. Nonetheless, the first teaser for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 still manages to entice with a dark and tense glimpse at the fallout of the events of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
The teaser debuted during a special preview at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, as part of a thorough promotional tie-in with Samsung. Fans could only view the teaser after waiting in line to walk through a special Mockingjay pavilion, complete with a holographic Peeta and Johanna’s rotating living portraits. Then, fans were guided into a special room decorated exclusively in white, seated in a spherical pod, given a Samsung tablet, and invited to watch the teaser with headphones. The experience was elaborate and impressive, but also weirdly at odds with the teaser itself, which was released to the public late Sunday night.
3. Watch the teaser here:
4. The teaser opens with Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and President Coin (Julianne Moore), the leader of District 13, debating whether Katniss is ready to be the symbol for the rebellion against the toxically materialistic Capitol.
5. We barely see Katniss’ face at all, in fact, as she tours a makeshift hospital in the war-ravaged District 8.
6. There are very few spoken lines in this teaser, and the late Hoffman speaks the most of them.
7. The brief preview also gives us our first glimpse of Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer as Cressida, who is tasked with documenting Katniss’ life.
8. We also get a brief shot of Gale, because Liam Hemsworth.
9. And we see Katniss landing in District 8, which looks like… Pittsburgh, maybe?
10. And this viewscreen behind Beetee (Jeffrey Wright) seems to be related to the subterranean District 13.
Or maybe it’s just a really cool screensaver?
11. This shot also looks like it’s from District 13.
Fans of the book will have a pretty good idea of what’s happening here. Hint: It’s not good!
12. We also see a bit of the rebellion itself…
13. As the Mockingjay symbol takes on even more significance.
14. And President Snow (Donald Sutherland) attempts to destroy it…
16. The teaser ends with one bloodied (and very young) citizen of District 8 asking Katniss, basically, where she’s been this entire teaser.
17. And then Katniss finally speaks only four words:
Katniss looks shell-shocked and unsure of herself, which is very much in keeping with Suzanne Collins’ book. Mockingjay largely revolves around Katniss slowly shaking herself free of a paralyzing bout of post-traumatic stress disorder, which removes her from much of the action — as is reflected in how little of Katniss we see in this teaser.
Was it enough for you?
20. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 opens on Nov. 21.
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