DH trailer! Uh oh.

[snorkackcatcher]

Here it is:

Not exactly squeeful, to be honest. After seeing this I have a horrible feeling it's going to be more rushed and melodramatised scenes that ramp up the spectacle, and lose the aspects that made the book originals gripping because they had room to breathe. But maybe I'll be proved wrong ...

Comments

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

Hrm. Yeah. You would think that, by splitting it into two parts, they'd be able to fit more in, but the past two have been rather disappointing in that respect.

[snorkackcatcher]

I didn't mind the story compression too much, although it's great that they split the last book into to to get in all the plot and all the bits of plot they never got around to putting in the previous films, but key finale scenes just seemed clunky and stagey, and it really wasn't effective for me.

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

Indeed -- it wasn't the compression so much as the random-yet-important things they left out (I'm still sore about the missing explanation for the Half-Blood prince from the previous film). I'll probably still see it, but I doubt I'll be queuing on opening night like I've done for other things.

[kennahijja.livejournal.com]

Yep, there is that... then again, trailers tend to be rather heavy-handed on action and melodrama.

Not a glimpse of Draco? Hrmp.

[koloagirl.livejournal.com]

There is - a very quick one. Best I can tell, it's during the scuffle @ Malfoy Manor when the trio rescue Dean & Luna -- Dean can be seen in the background as Draco tries to flee.

[snorkackcatcher]

That makes sense. I think you have to practically step through the thing frame by frame to spot everything.

[snorkackcatcher]

Yeah, but they're trailing the final battle sequence -- which IMHO should be tense and dramatic, not overblown and melodramatic.

Draco who? :)

[malinbe.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow, I don't think I'd ever disliked a trailer this much. Worse is, I want to enjoy them. I want to have fun, not be the bitter annoying fan that keeps screaming "that's not how it's supposed to be!" and I hate that I don't see having much choice.

[snorkackcatcher]

Yeah, exactly. It actually just struck me that wait a minute, connecting wands? Neither of them have the phoenix feather wands at that point, that's central to the plot! And why are they apparently all alone outdoors? And ... yeah, sadly I'm kind of with you on this one, and I don't really want to be.

[woldy]

Yeah it seems melodramatic to me, but then that's how trailers are - all the most over-the-top moments stuck together. Hopefully the movie itself will be better.

[snorkackcatcher]

Yeah, but for me the trouble is that it looks very much as if the final Harry-Voldemort confrontation will be a special effects spectacular, and I think that's just a bad storytelling choice -- in the book it's edgy and tense and doesn't need connecting wands and the like. (Also, come to think of it, wtf is that about? The whole point is supposed to be that neither of them have their original wands.)

[ex-jo-blogs.livejournal.com]

Sadly the film makers have never failed to make poor storytelling choices in adapting the books. I get seduced by the trailers because for me where the films do a great job is in capturing the atmosphere of the books with lighting and design. Then I'm inevitably disappointed by the end product. Maybe this time I'll have the good sense to stay away and just watch clips of the bits they do right later!

[snorkackcatcher]

I'm sure I'll go and watch, but it does kind of baffle me that pros with an enormous budget to work with can produce something that limps in terms of narrative. I suppose they really are working on the basis that people will have read the books already.

[parthenia14.livejournal.com]

Ulp. Slightly wish I hadn't looked. Waving aside the special effects, what I do like is how desperate everyone looks. I enjoyed HP6, although it wasn't quite in the same league as Prisoner of Azkaban. I just really hope they don't change anything major.

[snorkackcatcher]

The bit that really makes me think "eh, same old same old wrt changes" is that clip with just Harry and Voldemort, facing off on what appears to be a deserted battlement, and their wands connecting. Which is kind of missing the whole point of the different wands and the very public showdown.

[annuscka.livejournal.com]

Huh. Sadly, that was my reaction as well - mostly I didn't even want to look because then it'll REALLY be over soon (nevermind that it's 3 years since DH came out, but... but....!) But yeah. The films aren't amazing, I might watch HBP again tonight since it's about 6 months since I've seen it and I don't remember hating it, but they just... lack. The best are probably PS and CoS, even though I know I'm very alone in thinking that ;) But those were the books where the least happened too, so...

I think what bugs the most is that the colouring of the trailer is so... varied. They've always been quite sepia-esque ("ZOMG it's the darkest one yet!!!11) - but this is just... choppy.

Do like everyone running through the forest, though.

[snorkackcatcher]

You're definitely not alone in thinking that. :) I suppose it's because they're short books so they didn't have to trim large chunks of plot, and CoS didn't need to do the whole introduction thing, so it worked well. Also, they did them 'straight', using the basic plot without trying to add in random scenes that didn't make a lot of sense.

[easleyweasley.livejournal.com]

Issued in two parts - you mean, two films to make twice as much money. Cynical, moi?

I think the thing to do is to treat them as fanfics. I remember seeing the attack on the Burrow in HBP, and thinking, yep, fanfic all right.

[snorkackcatcher]

Yeah, I think the realisation that the balance sheet would have a large hole in it once the series ended meant they were much more amenable to the idea of two films. Probably a good idea though -- long books don't go very well into film length!