New ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ trailer debuts. Goosebumple overdose in progress.

I’m finding it difficult to type, Popwatchers, because I’ve just watched the first full trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and my entire body is currently riddled with goosebumples. Before I apparate you over the jump so y’all can watch the trailer and discover for yourself the sensation of a goosebumple overdose, a word of warning: The opening of this trailer includes an iconic and surprising moment between Harry and Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest. Those of you who’ve read the final Harry Potter book know exactly which scene I’m talking about, but those of you who haven’t — those of you who’ve only consumed Harry Potter as a cinematic experience, and not a literary one — may find this scene to be a big honking spoiler. Indeed, pretty much all of the footage ahead, and my thoughts on it, aren’t for those who prefer to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with virgin eyes. For the rest of you: Accio goosebumples!

First impression: Our dear Harry looks like an adult, and not just physically. The Boy Who Lived lived through so much during what should have been his final year at Hogwarts, and you can see it in Daniel Radcliffe’s world-weary eyes. Beyond that, I daresay this trailer actually managed to live up Warner Bros.’s decidedly un-British ballyhooing about the Potter series being a “WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON” and this two-part finale being “THE MOTION PICTURE EVENT OF A GENERATION.” We caught glimpses of Harry’s tussle with Voldemort’s snake Nagini, the flight from the Dursley’s, the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry and Voldemort’s final showdown, and, whoops, yep, the goosebumples are back just writing about it.

I know I should be flustered that that final showdown does not appear to be as J.K. Rowling wrote it — i.e. inside the rubble-strewn Great Hall, with practically everyone in Harry’s life surrounding him — but I’m honestly not. In fact, the only thing that elicited a cocked eyebrow was the notion that I somehow need to complete this journey in 3-D.

But what do you make of the new Deathly Hallows trailer, Popwatchers? Are you currently all with the goosebumples, currently all with the wondering why I call them goosebumples – because, well, why not? – or currently all with the wondering why you’ve even read this far given the fact that you couldn’t care less about Harry Potter?

Posted in: Movie Trailers