Here at Mockingjay.net, we were as surprised as any other fan when The Hunger Games Explorer unveiled not one, not two, but a whopping TWENTY new Catching Fire character pictures last Friday. To say we were freaking out is an understatement.
But now that we’ve had time to process and look at the pictures repeatedly, we can now write down our opinions about these stills and what we think they tell us about the movie. Sorry about the delay, we had a bit of technical trouble when we tried to post this a couple days ago. But it’s ready to go now and with the full versions of the pictures recently released by ScreenCrush, we’re good to go! Take a look below to see what we think of them. (Click on the pictures to see full size!)
Tiffany: Beetee also looks like he is most likely in the training facility. He looks like he is taking it all in, in this photo. As we all know, he has a brilliant mind, a mind that works in very mysterious ways. I know for me, I was trying to figure him out from the beginning. He is someone who has so much on his mind, it’s not always easy to tell how he is feeling or what he is going to do. He also looks like he might be thinking about talking to one of the other tributes? Since we have no idea what the movie is going to do with his character it’s hard to tell what exactly is going on in this photo, all I know is that he is definitely deep in thought about SOMETHING!
Erin: What strikes me the most about this photo of Brutus is that he doesn’t look self-assured or cocky or any of those arrogant adjectives that come to mind when you think of a Career Victor from District 2. Instead, he looks very serious. Deadly serious. You get the feeling that Brutus isn’t just bulging muscles and brawn… there’s a cunning in him, a calculating solemness that is unnerving when you stop to consider what brutal thoughts must be running through his mind. (Also, did anyone else look at the thumbnail of this pic and think there was a Nike swoosh on his chest?)
Tash: We’ve seen plenty of Caesar so far so I don’t really find anything ‘new’ about this picture, other than the closer look we get at his costume. I really like the detail, from the shiny buttons and collar, to the jacket and then those amazingly white teeth and the bright purple eyebrows. It looks like Caesar is interviewing a tribute and I’m going to guess by his smile he could be chatting to a certain tribute who can’t wait to get back into the games…
Camille: I love this picture of Cashmere. We haven’t seen a lot of pictures of her yet and I am really happy to see this still of her. I think she has a perfect look for Cashmere here: beautiful yet dangerous, with that look of contempt on her face. She looks like she is holding a weapon in her right hand and we get a nice look at her outfit. I think she looks strong in this picture, just like she is supposed to be. Stephanie will probably show us a perfect Cashmere in November.
Tiffany: Cinna is one of my favorite characters in the series, but it’s a little too close up in this photo to tell where he may be. He does seem to be very sad; as though heartbroken and he doesn’t know what to do about it. We all know how much he cares for Katniss and how he would do anything for her. I think that he is watching Katniss do something she isn’t supposed to be doing, which is almost all the time or that he is thinking about her and what her future may become. Like Katniss I think Cinna’s face is SO expressive. It’s easy to see how he is feeling just by looking at him.
Erin: This picture is the visual definition of Effie Trinket. THIS is how she should have looked in the first movie, what I always imagined she would look like. I’m not a big fan of the color pink, but she pulls it off in a way that only Effie could. I adore everything about her outfit–from the bright pink frills of the dress all the way down to the designs on her gloves. I can’t tell where she is, but I’m going to guess that it’s in the District 12 apartment in the Capitol before the 75th Games begin.
Carla: I was one of those who thought, when the cast was announced, that they wouldn’t bother including Enobaria’s teeth. I thought if they did, it would come across as funny-looking and take away from the threatening nature of the character. Well, I stand corrected. They pulled it off marvelously! Meta Golding is a gorgeous woman, but as Enobaria she looks absolutely terrifying, and that’s everything I ever wanted from the character. Feeling the D2 pride right now!
Sarah: I love Finnick, don’t get me wrong. I just think this image is a huge let down for me. Its nothing that new or different than what we’ve seen already featuring his character. The facial expression leaves something to be desired too. I’m not 100% sold on the pouty thing he has going on here. I also feel like he looks really vulnerable in this image, and presuming this is in the training centre, he really shouldn’t look vulnerable as that is when Katniss sees him as the greatest competition. I’m just not sure this one impressed me much at all.
Carla: I’ve heard people saying that, in some of the Catching Fire stills, Gale looks too “put together” for a miner from the Seam. Personally, I like the look they’ve given him in this second film. If you compare his clothes with Katniss’, they still look “cheaper” and the style is almost old-timey, like the clothes are his father’s hand-me-downs, which I can absolutely see happening. One thing about this still is the bright, almost orange-y coloring; makes me think he’s standing near a fire or under an old-fashioned lamplight, so could this possibly be before/during the burning of the Hob?
Carla: Gloss was one of my favorites from the moment I saw this still, because it was unexpected. I always imagined Gloss would be smug and overconfident, like the Careers in the first movie were. From what we’ve seen of him so far, he seems much more serious and angry, like there’s real rage simmering under the surface. I really like that, because he’s not just a cocky kid who doesn’t know what he’s going to get himself into. He looks crazy scary holding those knives like they’re nothing but toys, and those arms of his are CRIMINAL. I really, really like this picture. Top three for sure!
Sarah: It’s no secret to anyone that Haymitch is one of my absolute favourites, so maybe I’m a little biased, but I loved this new still of him. The way he is totally surrounded by darkness is so metaphorical and thoughtful, in fact, I’d say the whole image is generally very thoughtful and well put together. From the clothes he’s wearing (the almost suffocatingly tight neckline, again with the metaphors – Trish has really gone to town with this movie!) to the far-off expression on his face. He looks totally trapped but at the same time fragile and emotionally wounded. Just genius.
Tash: Anyone who has read our ‘By the Book’ series will know that I love Johanna and I think this shot of her is fantastic. This seems to take place just before what we saw in the trailer, looks like she is getting ready to fight the simulation figures. I love her relaxed grip on the axe, just like Finnick and his trident the axe is an extension of Johanna’s arm and she can do some serious damage with it. I also love the detail on the axe itself, it is a futuristic and even more sinister looking version of the tool. It gives us a good look at the training outfits too, which I think they’ve done a great job with, knowing how hard it must have been to ensure the tributes didn’t look ridiculous in them.
Tiffany: I love this still of Katniss. I know we have all seen a ton of Katniss photos before but this one, being that it’s SO up close and personal, it really shows the emotion in her face for whichever scene this may be. I tend to think it’s the training facility. She looks like she is wearing the training gear and little to no makeup. I love when Katniss looks as natural as possible. She looks as if she is thinking about something very intently. We all know that Katniss is an intense person so I feel like we can almost FEEL what she is at this moment. I can’t wait to see how Katniss does, not only in the training center but also in the arena.
Crystal: When I look at the photo of Mags my heart just melts, and I can’t help but think that Lynn Cohen must have been a ray of sunshine to all around her ever since she was very young. She’s got such a beautiful, bright, radiant smile and it really just makes you happy and sad at the same time since we book fans all know what happens to Mags in the arena. And what a sense of humor, too! Her Facebook page is always great for a fun laugh. Can people adopt grandmas?
Tash: I must admit that I would have rathered a new Mrs Everdeen still, instead of them just recycling the image we have already seen her in (standing in the doorway beside Prim, who they have cropped out). It is nice though to see her closer up where we can see more of the detail in her costume and more of her expression, where she seems to be holding onto this hope that everything is alright, but her smile is tense. I think this could be one of two scenes – Snow leaving the house after his visit or Katniss trying on the wedding dresses. Either way the photo is spot on with what I envisioned when reading the books.
Carla: I have loved every single picture of Peeta we’ve seen so far, but I think this one might be my favorite. Mainly because he looks much more Peeta– that is, not posing as the Capitol’s pet Victor or under the stress of speaking in the Victory Tour. He’s in the Training Center so he’s not completely relaxed, but he seems to be observing his fellow tributes. He looks surprised, or maybe almost amused– perhaps he’s looking at Mags/Beetee/Wiress, or trying not to laugh at something Finnick did? His hair is the best I’ve seen it yet, and you can really see that Josh put on a lot of lean muscle this time around. I love everything about this picture.
Crystal: I know everyone looks first at the orange eyebrows, but what draws my eye first is how perfectly groomed Plutarch looks. He definitely looks like he spends a lot of time at the Capitol spas! I love his clothes, but really wish I could see more of how it all works. The belt looks like it loops out over his jacket, but not all the way around. He looks great in dark colors and purple has a very regal feel for me, definitely very fitting for a Head Gamemaker from the Capitol!
Camille: Prim is such an important character, I can’t seem to get enough pictures of her. This one looks amazing to me. She still looks like delicate little Prim, and yet changed by the events that happened in the first movie/book. Her clothes (what we can see of them anyway) are different from the ones she wore in the first movie, and it actually looks like life changed a lot for her, regarding money. I love this look in her eyes and her hair look like it has a nice hairdo. I can’t wait to see the movie and discover who she is facing in this scene. I loved Willow in the first movie, and I think she will continue to be the perfect Prim in the next one.
Crystal: We’ve seen Snow in this set before with those set photos of him announcing the Quarter Quell, but this professional photo really makes him look so regal and commanding. I’m really interested in the pin holding his rose on his jacket. I know it’s a weird thing to be interested in but since I grew up in the floral industry, it intrigues me! And while Donald Sutherland looks smashing in that fur, I can’t help but feel sorry for him having to film in that outfit during the summer in Georgia.
Sarah: Well the first thing that is obvious about this image is the closeness of it. I feel like she is literally in my face. I’m thinking this image is from one of the training centre scenes, just from the way she seems to be closely watching someone or something. I think the super-closeup effect, although slightly intimidating to look at, is a brilliant way of introducing her character. She gets into your head, and there’s almost something trance-like about her look. I think she’s spot on.
Do you agree with our opinions? Or maybe you don’t? Let us know in a comment!