"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!"
OK, I'm still perfecting my Effie Trinket impression, but consider this your official welcome to Hobnobbing, MTV News' brand-new column dedicated to all things perfectly Panem. Each week, we'll dissect the latest "Hunger Games" news, fangirl over Katniss Everdeen or simply share our surefire recipe for Peeta bread. This is one arena we're sure you won't mind entering.
Today the talk of the tributes is clearly the premiere of the full-length "Hunger Games" trailer, set to debut on "Good Morning America" on Monday, November 14. Following the MTV Video Music Awards sneak peek of Katniss hurtling herself through a fire-washed forest, we compiled a list of the five things we wanted to see in an extended clip (which included, among other things, the reaping, Peeta and the Capitol). So in this week's Hobnobbing, we're turning that idea on its head and listing the three things we don't want to see in the trailer.
Let me explain. Trailers of late have garnered a bit of criticism for giving away too much (plot, punch lines, etc.), and I don't disagree. Let's leave a little mystery, studios! While I'll be lining up for "The Hunger Games" regardless, there are a few moments that I think would be best served by a silver-screen reveal. Here they are:
1. Katniss' Girl on Fire costume In my original wish list, I asked for a scene featuring Katniss expertly styled by Cinna and hinted at the possibility of her enflamed entrance into the arena. But on second thought, I've decided this moment deserves a similarly grand introduction — on a 70-foot movie screen. (Though I'll still take Katniss done up for Caesar Flickerman's talk show....)
2. The muttations Though "The Hunger Games" obviously isn't a monster movie, the arena's rife with its own unholy terrors, chief of which are the genetically engineered wolves spliced with fallen tribute DNA. (I shudder just thinking about this.) The best scary-movie trailers leave the bogeyman out of sight, creating heightened suspense, and these lupine nightmares deserve the same sort of treatment.
3. Any character deaths Author Suzanne Collins does not pull any punches killing off the tributes of the 74th Hunger Games, and while we're curious to see how this violence translates in the movie adaptation, a 2-3 minute trailer is not the place for these grisly finales. (Especially if the trailer is to be suitable for all audiences.)
Do you agree, "Hunger Games" fans? What do you not want to see in the trailer? Sound off in the comments below and tweet us at @HollywoodCrush with your thoughts and suggestions for future columns!
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