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Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry.
The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.
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It’s impossible to talk about the new trailer for the Harry Potter television series without referencing the old movie series, and that’s a big problem.
The trailer showcases parts of the iconic story that we all remember. Harry’s life in the Dursley household before discovering that he’s a wizard, his interaction with Hagrid, and a smattering of classic beloved characters, like Dumbledore and Snape.
If you’re going to be watching the new TV series, you’re probably a fan of the originals. If you’ve somehow never heard of Harry Potter, (like, maybe if you’re a child? Or a teen?) then maybe the TV show is appealing to you. But… is it really? Does this trailer make you want to watch this show? Does this even make much sense if you’ve never heard of Potter’s journey to Hogwarts, finding friends, and battling enemies along the way? It does not, and that makes the whole thing even more baffling.
Let’s go through some of the many, many issues that people have been pointing out. It’s a show that no one asked for in the first place, and now it has a trailer that is widely disliked. So hop on the bandwagon, because all of the internet is collectively roasting this show.
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Is this series for kids, or adults?
Before you come for me, know that this isn’t just X discourse. Mainstream media has picked up on the bad vibes, too. Vulture deemed the trailer as “gray” and “Muggleslop.” Forbes called it “uncanny valley.” Parade noted that the “colorless” trailer had lots of fans feeling down in the dumps after watching it.
None of that is what you traditionally think of as children’s media. The original Harry Potter movie series showcases children going to a magical school, and yes, it was made for a child/teen audience. This new series, however, has people noticing how unappealing it looks for children.
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Will the child actors age out too quickly with the extended release schedule?
The Harry Potter TV series won’t be sharing one season per year. Instead, the production pipeline will be slower than that.
Fans are worried that these young actors will age far quicker than their characters! An immediate comparison is the recently-ended Stranger Things, in which the actors began the show around 13 years old, only to end a decade later, still pretending to be young teens while in their 20s. -
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Although audiences can suspend their disbelief and try to pretend that 20-somethings are still in their teen years, it’s not ideal. The original actors playing Harry, Ron, and Hermione began filming Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at age 11, and wrapped up the final movie when they were each around 21. This TV series is planning 7 seasons, so… who knows how long that will take if the release schedule isn’t yearly. Maybe these new actors will gracefully age into their wizarding roles, but people still have a lot of jokes to say about it.
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Why is the lighting like that?
The darkness of the trailer is undeniable. Instead of being bright and colorful to entice kids into the magical environment, this show seems to be channeling the darkness of Game of Thrones. Today’s TV shows and movies are often so dark that you can barely see what’s going on! Fans are hating that, and are, instead, reminiscing about the good old days when movies and TV had lots of color instead of dreary, dingy lighting throughout the whole runtime. -
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Where is the iconic music?
John Williams created the very iconic score for several Harry Potter movies. Remember “Hedwig’s Theme,” and “Leaving Hogwarts?”
These songs, like much of Williams’ creations, conjure up instant memories of Hogwarts. However, the soundtrack for this new series, created by Hans Zimmer, ditches the iconic sound and provides a less unique ambiance. Zimmer is an award-winning composer, and created the sounds behind The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Interstellar, just to name a few, so there is potential there. We will just have to wait and see how he handles the sound of the new Harry Potter. -
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There are AI-like/uncanny valley/ unpleasant aesthetics.
As an OG Harry Potter fan, when I watched this trailer, I found it very jarring to see the faces of different people on the characters I know very well. It looks like a Dollar Store bin movie. It looks cheap, fake, and conjures up uncanny valley vibes. I watched a lot of the Harry Potter movies over and over, memorizing scenes and characters’ expressions, and I know I’m not the only one. So to watch these remakes as grayer, lacking heart, without key actors, and unscored by John Williams, is just deeply unpleasant.
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In the end, this person said it best:
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No matter how good the new Harry Potter TV series is, it isn’t going to bring back the nostalgia in any good way. Because The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios already exists, the show can’t deviate too much from the original source material.
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But I’m hoping that all of these critiques will find their way back to the showrunners, who could potentially adjust the show before it actually premieres. All of this rejection can be redirection. They’re being given free consultations on a massive scale, because audiences are stating exactly what they do and don’t like before the product is even finished. So who knows? By the time we see the Harry Potter TV show premiere, perhaps the wizarding world will look a whole lot more magical.
The Newest Trailer for the ‘Harry Potter’ Series has Actually Disenchanted Fans
People are having lackluster reactions to the newest Harry Potter trailer release, potentially Avada Kedavra-ing the series.
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