The U-Bend #22: 1 Minute 19 Seconds Of Trailer Fun

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by Andrew Lee and Robert Lanto

“How many other Viktors do we know?”
–Hermione Granger (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)

Crud, just when we think we manage to post something on time, the trailer is released the same day we get our last article up on MuggleNet. Son of a…well, we can’t do anything about it. At any rate, the Goblet of Fire teaser trailer has arrived like Errol with the morning post. Not much fanfare, but when it arrives it does so with a bang. Clocking in at a moderate 1 minute and 19 seconds, the trailer is a mix of old and new. Starting with the Warner Brothers logo… well, that’s boring. Instead let’s break it down shall we?

Minutes
0:00-0:02 The ever famous green MPAA warning.
0:03-0:11 The Warner Brothers logo. Given the new silver millennium look this time.
0:12-0:15 Watching Harry’s look change throughout the movies.
0:16 See the new Harry.
0:17-0:20 Hermione through the ages.
0:20-0:21 Yule Ball ready Hermione.
0:22-0:25 Watch Ron’s hair get shaggier by the movie.
0:26 Ron with the ever delightful dazed but not confused expression.
0:27-0:29 The Adventure Continues (and not because there’s money to be made).
0:30-0:34 Movie footage begins. The Durmstrang arrive.
0:35 Dumbledore speaks!
0:34-0:36 The trio sitting. The term “trio” of course represents Harry, Ron and Hermione. It also represents a popular fast food option.
0:37-0:38 Beauxbatons arrive. Madame Maxime doesn’t really look like how the book described her.
0:39-0:42 Scenes of adding an entry to the goblet, Dumbledore speaking, Harry and Cedric running.
0:43 Harry running.
0:44 It’s Harry. Just plain Harry.
0:45 Krum (featuring his bad boy attitude, making the look that girls will swoon over).
0:46 Fleur (a little something for guys).
0:47 Cedric (the girls can swoon again).
0:48 Dumbledore (again).
0:49 The Goblet of Fire. Not for drinking.
0:50-052 The Maze. Fun activity: This summer, re-create the hedge maze in your backyard.
0:53-0:54 Under the sea! Under the sea! There will be no accusations, just friendly crustaceans, under the sea. (Wait. That wasn’t so friendly!).
0:55-1:00 The Hungarian Horntail vs. Harry Potter (AKA: Rumble in Pit-Hole. The Fire Breathing Threat versus The Lightning Scarred Head.). 1:01-1:19 The Credits, November is confirmed as the release date.

Seconds of Credits or Text: 31 seconds
Seconds of old footage: 9 seconds
Seconds of new footage: 33 seconds
Total Trailer Length (including scenes of darkness): 79 seconds

Let’s see, we’ve seen the Hungarian Horntail, the merpeople, the Triwizard Cup and the Goblet of Fire (among other things). The trailer covers the tasks, the tournament and a bit of the Yule Ball. We see all the important characters (except for Mad Eye and the Crouch family) and the other Triwizard challengers. It’s a good preview of what is to come, but we know there’s more. There are also a few disappointments. Mysteriously absent from the trailer (or we still have no information on them) are Moaning Myrtle, Cho Chang, Dobby, Hagrid, Mr. Cannon, and the Quidditch World Cup. Heck, we don’t even know what Malfoy (both Lucius and Draco) looks like. Especially after Draco Malfoy’s interesting change in hair style (personally, we liked the sleeked greasy look better), it’d be interesting to know.

The visual style continues the trend set by PoA. Using more shades of grey and black than the browns seen in the first two films. The dragon is shaping up nicely and the underwater scenes don’t look too bad. The costuming is nice, although the practicality of Harry’s cloak in the Horntail fight is questionable. What if the cloak gets caught on a rock? Extra crispy Harry, anyone?

In terms of audio, there isn’t much to speak of. Only halfway through the trailer is there any talking. There is the new action tune that is played while Dumbledore announces the Triwizard tournament, which fits nicely into the trailer. The rest of the music hasn’t been composed yet, and besides the familiar themes there isn’t much else to talk of. One disappointment is that none of the new characters talked. In fact, we only hear two characters speak in the entire trailer: Dumbledore and Hermione. The Prisoner of Azkaban Teaser had the singing choir, Dumbeldore, Arthur Weasley and Harry speaking, so the current teaser is a step backwards.

Which leaves the final question. Was the trailer (and this U-Bend) worth the wait? Well, as it is with everything, opinion will vary. The teaser covers a lot of points, is visually interesting (it has finished special effects shots, something the CoS teaser did not have) and has a nice flow. It doesn’t spoil too much of the story, yet covers enough to make sure the viewer knows what’s happening. Most important of all, it keeps everyone wanting to see more. Seventy-nine seconds is not enough…November seems so far away.