Harry Potter HBO Trailer Reactions: Fans Are Finally Getting Excited About the New Series

[Dumbledore]

The wait is finally starting to feel real.

 

HBO has released its latest look at Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, giving fans the most detailed glimpse yet at the new television adaptation. And the reaction so far? It’s looking surprisingly positive.

 

 

The new trailer takes us much further into Harry’s first year at Hogwarts than the earlier footage did. We see the Hogwarts Express, the Sorting Ceremony, lessons, Quidditch, the troll in the dungeon, the Mirror of Erised and several of the professors who will be taking over some very familiar roles.

For longtime fans, though, the biggest question was always going to be one thing… does it actually feel like Harry Potter?

Judging by the early reaction, quite a few people think it does.

 

On Reddit, fans have been particularly enthusiastic about the atmosphere, the young cast and the amount of material being shown from the book. Some fans have described the trailer as epic, while others have said the new footage captures the magic, scenery and friendships extremely well. Fans have also started pausing the trailer and trying to work out exactly what some of the mysterious shots mean.

And Dominic McLaughlin is getting plenty of attention.

 

The young actor playing Harry appears in much more of the new footage this time, and early fan reaction has been strongly encouraging. Some viewers are already saying that he looks incredibly convincing as Harry and that he seems capable of carrying the role.

That's probably one of the most important things for HBO.

 

The sets can look incredible. The costumes can look perfect. The special effects can be improved. But if Harry, Ron and Hermione don't feel right, none of that matters.

 

So far, fans seem to be warming to the trio.

 

The trailer also gives us much more of John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall and Paapa Essiedu as Snape.

Snape in particular has finally been given some proper dialogue, including his first Potions lesson with Harry. The reaction to the supporting cast has generally been encouraging, with several fans saying Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape already look convincing in their new roles.

 

And then there's Quidditch. A lot of fans noticed that the marketing has been heavily focused on the sport, with the trailer showing Harry entering the pitch, the players, the crowd and parts of his first match.

That has led to an interesting discussion about whether the television series will give Quidditch a much bigger role than the films did. Honestly, I'd love that.

 

The television format gives HBO something the films never really had… time. If they want to spend more time on Harry's first Quidditch season, his lessons, his friendships and all those smaller Hogwarts moments, this is exactly the opportunity to do it.

The troll is another part of the trailer that has people talking.

 

It looks noticeably different from the creature we saw in the 2001 film, and some fans are already saying the new version looks much creepier. There have also been comparisons to other fantasy creatures from modern films, while other viewers simply think the new troll looks more frightening and more suited to the darker moments of the story.

Then there are the little details.

 

The Sorting Ceremony gets much more attention this time around, including Harry's famous request not to be placed in Slytherin. We also get the Mirror of Erised, Herbology, the invisibility cloak, more of the Great Hall and our first proper look at Professor Quirrell, played by Luke Thallon.

And fans have already spotted something particularly interesting.

There are two figures running across a bridge with their wands drawn.

Nobody knows for certain who they are yet.

 

Naturally, the Harry Potter fandom has already started investigating. Some fans believe they could be Lily and James Potter, while others think the scene could involve witches and wizards celebrating Voldemort's downfall. There are plenty of theories, but nothing has been officially confirmed.

That sort of speculation is probably exactly what HBO wanted.

Give fans enough footage to get excited, but leave just enough unanswered questions for everyone to start analysing every second.

Of course, not everyone is completely convinced.

 

One of the biggest criticisms is that the series still looks very similar to the original films. Some reviewers have questioned whether the reboot is visually different enough to justify telling the story again, particularly when several scenes and even some of the performances appear to echo the original adaptations. There are also still concerns about the visual effects. After 25 years of advances in technology, some fans expected the new series to look dramatically more impressive than the original films. Others aren't bothered by that at all, arguing that the atmosphere, storytelling and performances are ultimately much more important than having the most advanced effects possible. Interestingly, the new trailer also seems to have answered one criticism from the first footage.

 

The colours. Some viewers previously complained that Hogwarts looked too grey and muted in the first teaser. The latest footage is noticeably warmer and more colourful, with Hogwarts looking much more like the magical place fans remember.

And then there's the question that keeps coming up everywhere…

 

Is this actually different enough?

I think that's going to be the biggest debate right up until Christmas.

Because there are two very different things fans want from this series. Some want the books brought to life more faithfully than the films managed to do. Others want something that feels completely fresh. HBO seems to be trying to do both.

 

They're keeping the moments everyone remembers, but they're also giving themselves room to include scenes, details and character moments that were shortened or left out of the films. And that could ultimately be what makes the series work. The first movie already gave us the magic. The new series needs to give us the details.

 

For me, the most encouraging thing about this trailer isn't one particular shot. It's the feeling that we're going to spend much more time inside Hogwarts.

More lessons. More Quidditch. More interaction between the students. More of the teachers. More of the smaller moments that made the books feel like a real world rather than simply a sequence of major events.

 

The reaction is still developing because the trailer has only just been released, but the early fan response is definitely giving HBO something to celebrate.

There are people who still don't see the point of remaking the story. There are people who think it looks too similar to the films.

 

But there are also a lot of fans saying they are suddenly excited again.

And honestly… that's probably the most important change.

A few months ago, a lot of the conversation was simply, “Why are they remaking Harry Potter?”

Now people are arguing about the troll. They're debating the house designs. They're analysing Quidditch. They're trying to work out who is running across that bridge. They're discussing Dominic McLaughlin's performance.

In other words…

 

They're talking about Harry Potter again.

And with the series arriving on Christmas Day, we've still got several months for HBO to show us what else they've been hiding.

After all… we've spent a long time talking about this new Hogwarts. Now we're finally starting to see it.

 

What's your honest reaction to the trailer?

Does this finally feel like the Harry Potter series you've been waiting for, or does it still look too much like the original films?

And the really important question…

Who do you think those two mysterious figures running across the bridge are?