Is this the last 'Harry Potter' trailer ever?
As we gear up for the final release in the series, one last trailer sets the tone
Wow. The new "Harry Potter" trailer is absolutely masterful in the way it gradually cranks up the mood over the course of its two minute running time, and the imagery on display here is suitably apocalyptic. This really does feel like the end of something.
So is this it? Is this the final theatrical trailer for the "Harry Potter" series? If so, this brings a ten year journey to a close in a way I find very fitting. This series has built to this final film, and instead of wearing out its welcome, I think it's gotten stronger and stronger and smarter and smarter, a rarity for any series of films. And you can't just point at the books and say, "That's why," either. You can have great source material and still totally fumble the adaptations. In this case, so many decisions have been made correctly over the years that it adds up, and as a result, now, when you look at what they're trying to do here, it feels like a genuine accomplishment and not a commercial obligation.
This entire movie comes down to the battle between Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), and the thing that impresses me first as I watch the trailer is that Radcliffe has made that transformation that no one could have predicted, from that open-faced sweet little kid in "Sorcerer's Stone" to the haunted adult we see in this trailer, and without that, none of the rest of the fireworks matter.
We have got to see the toll that this journey has taken on him, and I've said it several times while reviewing the last few films: these young actors got great over the last decade. They have grown into these roles completely, and seeing them broken and bleeding and facing down this enemy like this… I get chills.
I am not a "Harry Potter" superfan, but I respect what they'd accomplished, and as the films have grown up and David Yates has honed the style to the point where it's at right now, I've become more and more impressed. This looks like the ending that the series deserves, and I'm sure I'm not the only one with fingers crossed, hoping this is what they've made it look like.
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" opens nationwide on July 15, 2011.
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April 28, 2011 at 12:25AM EST Reply to CommentThis will be the biggest film of the year.
PS - I'm pretty sure this is not the *last* Harry Potter we'll ever see. Still 78 days to go and the short runtime of this makes it feel like a bigger, "theatrical" one is coming.
April 28, 2011 at 7:26AM ESTBMK I see the joke you tried to make... but he said last "Trailer"... soooo your joke doesn't work or make sense.
April 28, 2011 at 8:36AM ESTJohnChoiniere I think he meant the length of the trailer? Technically, there's another 30 seconds of time they could've used.
April 28, 2011 at 11:13AM ESTlazygarfield Oops. Sorry guys. I missed the word "trailer" in my initial comment. What I meant to say was that I don't think this is the *last* Harry Potter TRAILER we will ever see. I feel like a longer, "theatrical" trailer will come later on in the summer.
April 28, 2011 at 8:17PM ESTjezzleffezzle
April 28, 2011 at 12:27AM EST Reply to CommentZOMG
GuanoLad
April 28, 2011 at 12:42AM EST Reply to CommentWhat impresses me a lot, and I questioned this at the release of the first one in 2001, is that they've kept the entire cast (barring a couple of minor background roles and the necessity after Richard Harris's death). That is unprecedented for a series this long, and really pleases me.
Other consistencies have been the musical themes, the titles, and the overall art direction. A couple of small shooting location changes are the only visible blips.
I hope that is a sign of what's possible and will influence productions for years to come.
Tyson
April 28, 2011 at 2:00AM EST Reply to CommentThat trailer is bloody amazing
April 28, 2011 at 3:15AM EST Reply to CommentLooking forward to Mrs. Weasely's Ellen Ripley moment!
Eldritch
April 28, 2011 at 3:37AM EST Reply to CommentWhile probably not a superfan, I'm pretty sure I'm a big fan. In this day of disappointing finales, the final Potter book simply excelled. It tied up dozens of loose threads, including answers to things I didn't even realize there were questions for. It was great.
The three page epilog may have been a little weak, but the ultimate confrontation with Voldemort was just what you'd hope it would be. Even the final wrap up on Snape's good or evilness was wonderfully satisfying.
The previous movies stayed close to the spirit of the books. We can certainly hope that the 8th movie will be as good.
Mark
April 28, 2011 at 6:58AM EST Reply to CommentCuaron's one is the only good one, imaginatively staged and directed, and a masterful score from Williams. The rest are bland and forgettable, especially Yates' ones. Why on earth did they pick a TV director to helm these large scale films? Maddening.
I. S. Why? Because Cuaron, Newell and Del Toro were all asked, and passed on doing a two-parter. "One story - two movies" is a blatant milking of the audience.
April 28, 2011 at 3:28PM EST
April 28, 2011 at 4:34PM ESTFilms 3 and 4 show how to tell a story with breathless pacing when needed and effective character moments.
April 28, 2011 at 8:39AM EST Reply to CommentI like the brass-ified version of the theme that appears at the end. This means war.
Bring it.
JoeK
April 28, 2011 at 8:56AM EST Reply to CommentI wasn't cynical at all when they announced they would be dividing up the last book into two movies, though a dash of it is probably warranted. Mostly though I was jealously protecting my experience of reading it and hoping that it would all make it the screen which it seems like it will now with parts I and II.
I didn't start reading until after Order of the Phoenix because I was worried about spoilers and frankly couldn't wait any more to find out what was going to happen - particularly once Hallows was in print.
It looks like everything is there and then some.
velocityknown
April 28, 2011 at 1:25PM EST Reply to CommentWhat's with Harry grabbing Voldemort and pulling him off a bridge? I groaned when I saw that. These movies always upset me because they make unnecessary changes in places they don't have to.
Megalodon THANK you. So many unnecessary changes, and they piss me off. (Film 6 was a nightmare!)
April 28, 2011 at 10:22PM ESTdyikini
April 28, 2011 at 7:30PM EST Reply to CommentGonna go out on a limb and say 'no', this won't be the last. They'll find a way to build on the universe. They'll announce it as soon as this hits DVD/Blu. Let everyone think this is it, so it becomes the biggest movie ever and then drop the bomb on us.
Megalodon
April 28, 2011 at 10:26PM EST Reply to CommentClearly Voldemort has exactly one yell. Seriously. Just the one. Also, who is that woman with the half-black, half-white hair? Are they really going to introduce new characters this late in the game?
evolution1085 Pretty sure that's Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mom.
April 28, 2011 at 11:13PM EST
April 29, 2011 at 10:54AM EST Reply to CommentChills is the operative word here. I've still got them, and I finished watching the trailer like 3 minutes ago. This is the end of a long journey, and unfortunately for me, I missed Deathly Hallows Part 1 in the theater. First film in the series I didn't see on opening night, let alone in the theater. That's OK, I'll just watch it on Blu-ray before going out to the theater to see this.