First teaser of 'The Hunger Games' now online

The first teaser for 'The Hunger Games" is now online.

"The Hunger Games" adaptation may not be hitting theaters until March, but the buzz has been red hot the last couple of weeks since it was announced the first teaser would be released during last Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards.

Well, the VMAs came and went, and we got our first 60-second glimpse of actress Jennifer Lawrence ("Winter's Bone") as heroine Katniss Everdeen.

When I first watched the teaser (available below), I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed. Not by the footage itself, but by how lacking in context the clip was. As a fan of the books, I knew what was going on, but I'm betting a sizable proportion of Sunday's audience has never read the books and quite a few had never even heard of them until the clip interrupted their "musical" entertainment.



A few seconds of Katniss creeping through the woods, a burning tree and several lines of voice-over dialogue were probably not the best way to introduce newcomers to the franchise.

That all being said, I was please with what I saw. Lawrence seemed to be pulling off Katniss quite well, and nothing in the clip gave me any concern over the final product we'll be seeing on March 23, 2012. The special effects on the tree were a bit sketchy, but considering they're still filming, they have plenty of time for touch-ups.

In case you haven't seen the teaser yet, feel free. And, of course, may the odds ever be in your favor.

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music

In "The Hunger Games," Katniss, along with Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson, "Bridge to Terabithia"), are forced to enter a battle to the death with other teenagers from the 12 districts of Panem.

The film's cast also includes Donald Sutherland ("The Mechanic") Lenny Kravitz ("Precious"), Woody Harrelson ("Zombieland"), Liam Hemsworth ("The Last Song"), Elizabeth Banks ("The Next Three Days"), Paula Malcomson ("Sons of Anarchy"), Wes Bentley ("American Beauty"), Stanley Tucci ("The Lovely Bones") and newcomer Willow Shields ("Beyond the Blackboard").

"The Hunger Games" is being directed by Gary Ross ("Seabiscuit," "Pleasantville") based on a screenplay from Bill Ray ("State of Play"). It is set for a March 23, 2012, release and is expected to be rated PG-13.