Movie trailers are a tricky business. They have about 2.5 minutes to convince us that the featured movie is the funniest, scariest, grittiest, generally most awesome film of the moment that deserves our immediate time and money. This means that they are not above picking the only two funny scenes in an otherwise awful movie in an attempt to convince us that it is in fact a good movie. They’ll also be completely misleading about the plot if advantageous (best recent example: “In the Land of Women” was advertised as a romantic dramedy for teenyboppers that like Adam Brody, but it was more about his relationships with his dying grandmother and a woman with cancer than young love). Lucky for you, I’ve taken the time to critique the trailers of a few upcoming films and attempt to identify both the winners and the stinkers:

1. “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” Trailer 2: You might be thinking to yourself that you’ve already seen the trailer for the next Harry Potter film some time ago. I’ve seen that trailer too. As a matter of fact, it’s on my iPod, and I watch it every so often for inspiration. However, this new trailer (which was available on Apple.com, the best source of trailers, as of May 9 and which I first saw before “Spiderman 3”) puts the first one to shame. It was also the best part of seeing “Spiderman 3.” This trailer takes the first trailer and expands upon it. Instead of only seeing Cho Chang lay a kiss on Harry, we first see her telling him seductively, “You’re a really great teacher, Harry!” Explains everything! The trailer also gives more footage of Harry training Dumbledore’s Army — including Harry convincingly reminding everyone that, “Every great wizard in history starts off as nothing more than we are now.” I love how Harry is slowly becoming an inspiring leader. I hope I can contain myself until July 13!

2. “Ratatouille”: This appears to be the next brilliant movie from Pixar. The trailer cleverly begins with a rat stealing a piece of cheese off of a plate from a Parisian restaurant only to be pursued and chased by a number of restaurant employees before freeze framing him in the air (where knives and broken dishes are flying at him) where he declares, “This is me. I think it’s apparent that I need to rethink my life a little.” You see, the basic premise of “Ratatouille” is that a rat named Remy a) is a food snob and b) desires to be a chef. “I like good food. I don’t want to eat garbage,” he tells his father. Who thinks of these things?! It seems too cute to be bad.

3. “License to Wed”: “Jim Halpert is in a movie!” That’s what I said to myself when I first saw this trailer and I was excited. Briefly. Unfortunately, it seems that Jim Halpert, or more accurately John Krasinski, the actor who plays Jim Halpert on the TV show “The Office,” has chosen a dud of a movie to star in. Based on this trailer (and I hope I’m wrong, because I like Jim), this movie seems plain dumb. The basic premise is that before Ben (Krasinski) and Sadie (Mandy Moore) can get married, they need to get permission from Sadie’s longtime and somewhat unconventional minister, Reverend Frank (Robin Williams). Williams thus subjects them to endless tasks to test their commitment to one another that are supposed to seem funny. Unfortunately, if the funniest scene that they could drum up to end the trailer was having one of those dolls they give you in Home Economics (you know, to teach you that parenting is difficult) squirt water-pee in Ben’s face, I am left deeply concerned for the quality of the entire film...

4. “The Bourne Ultimatum”: I have to tell you, I did not love the second film in the Bourne series, “The Bourne Supremacy.” Actually, I didn’t even love the first one — I thought it was slightly better than your average action flick. Both movies were pretty much elaborate two hour chases with a whole lot of fighting and a little bit of romance thrown in (and every so often a little backstory). Thus, the trailer for “The Bourne Ultimatum” begins by easily summing up the first two movies in these three fragments: his identity erased, his loved one murdered, his past stolen. Then, it proceeds to promise us more of what we have already seen: a buff (or more so than average) Matt Damon punching people, shooting guns and running... a lot. Finally, at the end of the trailer Bourne declares, “I remember everything”! I’m optimistic that this line is implying that this movie will attempt to fill the many gaping plotholes remaining from the first two films. If not, at least the trailer promises that true to Bourne form, Matt Damon will do some serious ass kicking.

5. “Evan Almighty”: In this follow-up to 2003’s Bruce Almighty with Jim Carrey, weatherman Evan Baxter (played by yet another “The Office” cast member, Steve Carell) has inexplicably become a congressman. You’ve just got to accept that fact, as it’s the most plausible event that occurs in the trailer. Next, God (Morgan Freeman) appears to instruct him to build an ark because a flood is coming. While Evan tries to reject this, he slowly begins morphing into Noah (who looks a lot like Moses — I guess all biblical figures look the same) and becomes unable to reject his calling. Animals in the obligatory biblical two-pairing also begin following him around. “It might be something fun for the family”, he tells his wife, as he recruits his children to help him build the ark. Part “The Santa Clause”, part “Dr. Dolittle”, this movie looks slightly silly, but I still have high hopes. I believe Steve Carell can do no wrong!