OOTP Teaser Trailer Thoughts + Poster
OOTP Teaser Trailer | HBO Special Sneak Peak
So the teaser trailer for Order of the Phoenix debuted in front of Happy Feet last Friday, and in the last few days it's exploded online, with a bunch of other OOTP related videos. The teaser poster is alright, I mean the teaser for Chamber of Secrets was just Dobby. I never really understood the reasoning behind teaser posters other than the possibility that the movie is so far away they don't have a setup for the official poster yet. I know they're still doing filming, and are probably barely entering the effects and editing phase.
To get started, I was confused at first when I saw the broom flying scene. I didn't think that Harry's escort was a big deal, so I feared for a sec that they had replaced the Thestrals with brooms since I counted six riders, but the HBO short made it clear that Thestrals were in the film so I can't see the point of changing them out of the Arrival at the Ministry scene. The Voldemort scenes got me confused when I saw them because they clearly looked like they were from GOF, when it finally hit me that perhaps they will be apart of Harry's nightmares at the beginning of the story because I remembered Dudley taunting Harry about him moaning Cedric's name at night.
One thing that I was happy about was the fact that the director stated that they really wanted to get over the closeness of Harry & Sirius, and I loved the little peaks at Sirius and Harry double-teaming Lucius. Whenever I thought of the prophecy, I imagined a snow globe, for the part where the names of those concerned were listed at the bottom. Maybe it's still like that and just the globe part is removable. I was worried how Bellatrix would look when I saw who the actress was (I wonder how the originally picked actress would've looked) but I thought she looked pretty good. Could've been a lot worse.
I don't get the new Death Eater masks. I was already turned off from the cone hoods that debuted in GOF ( I understand the KKK conatations) but it just doesn't look good aesthetically. Now they replaced those bone-like halfmasks with these like full on face covers. Not going for it. Unless those aren't for Death Eaters, but I can't think of any other thing that they could be.
Luna has such a cute voice! I was all like 'awwwww' when I heard Evanna speak in the HBO piece. I thought Umbridge sounded perfectly, I loved that little clip they showed of her in the forest trying to assert her authority. Great casting choice. It looks like they added Ron to the part where Hagrid introduces Grawp to Harry and Hermione, I can understand that since there's no Quidditch in the movie. The Harry/Cho kiss looked good, hopefully that whole scene works, even though it's not a big part of the overrall story I think it's going to be tricky to execute because it could be interpreted in many different ways.
Now some things I didn't like. The Room of Requirement or whatever room they use for the DA, what is up with the upside down half pillars? It looks weird. Changing the scene of when Umbridge catches Harry by the fireplace because both Hermione and Ron are there (I thought they were outside like Ginny & Luna). During one of the scenes that was Grimmauld Place, i think I saw Neville sitting at the table.. If that is Neville, what is he doing in the Order Headquarters, that seems like a total OOC situation. I didn't see a lot of Ginny outside the DA background, so I hope that isn't a sign of how the movie is. I loved how Newell was able to work her in a lot of the scenes as a minor add-on in GOF unlike how she was pretty much absent in Cuaron's POA. Especially considering what happens in HBP.
So I thought the teaser was ok, but the HBO additional look-in really helped get me hyped up for OOTP. I can't wait to see when the official trailer comes out, I imagine probably in the spring, March or April.