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In perhaps the least surprising news of all: Harry Potter fans online a lot Thoughts on the first trailer for the HBO show. Much of the feedback is very positive, while some feedback is less positive.
HBO dropped a two-minute first look on Wednesday Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Which unveiled its new version of JK Rowling’s beloved book series. The clip quickly introduced all the main characters – including Harry (Dominic McLaughlin), Hermione Granger (Arabella Stanton), Ron Weasley (Alastair Stout), Albus Dumbledore (John Lithgow), Severus Snape (Papa Essidu), and Minerva McGonagall (Janet McTeer).
the Potter A reboot is a hugely important bet for HBO, so even the first reaction from fans can matter. In the lead-up to the trailer, the fanbase seemed divided: some were so excited about the idea of HBO delving deeper into Rowling’s books that they fleshed out the story in ways the Warner Bros. films couldn’t. Others took the “I love movies I don’t need this” attitude. Still others were willing to criticize the project for various reasons (such as Rowling’s trans views, or complaining about a black actor playing Snape).
Now that the trailer has been released, fan reaction seems to be split along fairly similar lines, with a few notable new wrinkles.
The strongest reaction seems to be nostalgic joy, along with fans getting very excited about the small details in the trailer. Philosopher’s stone Which was not included in the Warner Bros. film. the first. Several accounts gushed to X that the trailer made them cry.
“I’ve already cried three times while watching this Harry Potter clip,” one wrote. Another wrote: “I cried like a baby when I saw the trailer, and I saw my childhood and adolescence reflected in every picture.” “I cried… The little children of the Golden Trio gave me so much affection. I hate JK Rowling and I will always recognize Daniel [Radcliffe] As the author of Harry Potter idfc. What a nice trailer, help.
Some other positive feedback, drawn from YouTube, X, and Reddit:
– “I love how accurately it depicts the 1991-1998 scene, rather than the 2001-2008 scene in the films. I loved the shot of Harry watching Molly hugging Ron goodbye, something he never knew he would ever know. 25 years later, the magic is still there.”
– “This is what I always wanted. Books made into TV series. No movie can do justice to the amount in the books.”
– “There are so many iconic moments from the first book in the teaser! The knock on the door! The haircut! The ’90s vibe! Oh my god, it looks good!”
– “Harry is bullied by Dudley at school when he ends up on the roof. This is it for book fans.”
– “Obviously the original Harry Potter can’t be beat, but just from the trailer I have very high expectations for this series, and aesthetically, it’s already a big yes for me.”
Many others discussed feeling strangely strange when watching the trailer, due to its “similar but different” vibe to the popular films.
“I think I’m overwhelmed with optimism. With the cautious optimism, the fear of this failure, the excitement of returning to my childhood, the anxiety about the enormous pressure of child actors, the disappointment with Snape’s casting and the producers saying it would take years between seasons today. All of it.”
Several commenters — including the top-voted comment on a Reddit post about the trailer — pointed out the lack of John Williams’ signature score (particularly “Hedwig’s Theme”). Hans Zimmer is composing the music for the new series (although what’s in the trailer looks like it might be temporary).
– “I can deal with reboots and reworkings and probably all the alternative interpretations. But I have a nagging feeling that it would all still be wrong without John Williams’ music.”
– “Dude, the music in this trailer was so bad it was all I could focus on.”
Some found it too similar to the movies…
“It seems well made… but it also looks like a movie. Oddly enough, some of the images and shots look almost identical. Which makes me wonder… what’s the point of it?”
While others found the trailer to be somewhat “TV”, despite its high production value, and did not look as cinematic as the films.
“This may seem like a redundant statement, but it definitely looks like a TV show. And using the same iconography as the original films makes it feel like a more sterile version of that, more so than it does.” [director David Yates] verb to [movies]. It looks cheap, like generic fantasy television, and it really shows what a huge accomplishment it is [original director] Chris Columbus has brought the original back to life.
– “It’s remarkable how far TV shows have come in terms of production value, but they still lack the ‘magic’ of a movie (pun intended). This just seems like a bland copy of the movies, and the trailer’s music is so distinctly modern that it breaks all immersion. I don’t feel any whimsy or wonder watching this.”
Then there were those who sought to remind fans of Rowling’s stance on transgender rights issues, making the series a deal-breaker for them.
– “The most important fact in this show is that Rowling is using billions of dollars of her personal wealth to lobby against the rights of trans people to exist in public. I’m sorry that so many of Reddit are so self-absorbed and out of touch that they think Rowling is someone who has said some ‘controversial’ things and not someone who has dedicated her life to opposing the existence of a minority group. My trans friends’ lives are all worse off because of the people and organizations throwing money at them but whatever, why would any Harry Potter fan care when attention is getting in the way of Indulging teenage nostalgia.
And those who were against Essido’s casting seemed unimpressed by his brief glimpse in the trailer and the first-look image of the Potions Professor: “Overall, everything looks great… until Professor Snape shows up” and “It’s nice to see that almost all the characters are instantly recognizable by the personality they portray, and then you get to Snape looking straight out.” twilight“.
Here’s the trailer for the show, which will be released on Christmas 2026.
