Prepare to get goosebumps – Warner Bros. has just unveiled the first trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. After being teased with snippets of footage and a dramatic teaser poster, fans can now get their first good look at the action-packed conclusion to the Harry Potter saga.
Producers David Barron and David Heyman spoke earlier this month about their decision to split the seventh and final Harry Potter novel into two films. They revealed that there were several plot threads and tangents that they may have been forced to gloss over had they attempted to cram everything into one movie. As a result, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 was a more introspective and somber chapter that laid the groundwork for the explosive finale.
And explosive is certainly the right word for this trailer. There are moments from the book I couldn’t wait to see realized on screen and there is quite a bit of jaw-dropping imagery on display here. There’s also a weight and a gravity to these proceedings that wouldn’t exist without the momentum of the previous films. Audiences have been following these characters on film for the better part of a decade and there’s something satisfying and bittersweet about watching them reach the end of their journey.
There's been a lot of build up to the first trailer for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2," from the sneak peeks at new footage to a whole slew of new photos to the opening scene being posted online. Fortunately, the trailer that premiered Wednesday (April 27) on ABC Family made good on all of the hype and surpassed our expectations.
The most exciting and perhaps most surprising thing about the scenes featured in the new trailer is the focus on Snape and his significant flashback sequence. In the opening moments, not only is Snape shown in the now-recognizable scene outside of the Potters' home in Godric's Hollow. But there are also several other key moments included here, including one of Harry's mother, Lily, growing a lily in her palm (a reference to a story Horace Slughorn told in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince").
With the majority of "Deathly Hallows, Part 2" set to focus on the final showdown between Harry and his nemesis, Voldemort, it comes as no shock that most of the trailer showcases plenty of new sequences from the epic last battle. It definitely looks like "Part 2" will have the best fight scenes to date from the series, be it when hundreds of wizards hurtle spells at Hogwarts' defenses, when the statues in Hogwarts come to life to defend the castle, or when Voldemort walks through a room of dead wizards.
But some of the scenes are more poignant than others. Ron weeping over his brother's dead body, Narcissa Malfoy looking troubled (maybe because of a decision she makes in regard to Harry?), Tonks in the midst of fighting and Molly Weasley throwing an attack spell are moments that should resonate with fans of the series or just heighten the excitement for those who've only seen the movies and don't know what's coming next. Harry's line, "I never wanted any of you to die for me," should tug at plenty of heart strings.
There are other extended sequences of previously seen scenes too. Several sequences showing the dragon at the Gringott's breakout have been added into the mix and a longer look at the destruction of the Room of Requirements blends in nicely with the action from the final battle.
But the shots of Snape will likely be considered to be some of the most thrilling in the trailer. It's nice that Warner Bros. is recognizing just how significant a character he is in "Deathly Hallows, Part 2," and using the mystery surrounding him — Is Snape good or is Snape evil? — as the primary vehicle for heightening anticipation for the film.
