Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows review (Spoilers ONLY behind the cuts)

[gioiamia]

ABOUT SPOILERS: This post starts out with a general, spoiler-free review.  I have tried very hard to put anything that might be considered a spoiler underneath an LJ-cut ( click here if you don't see the cuts).  I've even used fake LJ-cuts below so I don't give away where the film ends. However, if you consider discussions of the film sets,

Comments

[harmony_bites]

I just saw the film yesterday and loved it (impressions posted on my LJ) So now I came back to read the spoilerly parts of your review--and I mostly just nodded and went YES! YES! all through. But just one thing I disagree with:

But JKR repeatedly emphasized that Harry was a more powerful wizard than Hermione was a witch.

Yes, I think in raw power, raw talent, Harry is more powerful. Among other things, when Voldemort "marked him as his equal" with that scar, he gained some of Voldemort's own power, like Parseltongue. But Hermione, the "most brilliant witch of her age" has something Harry doesn't--not just intellect--but application.

Harry pretty much just wings things, often even cheating and being given breaks. He's shown as essentially lazy throughout the books--Ron too. They literally don't do their homework--Hermione does. The only thing I can recall Harry ever putting effort into is Quidditch and learning a Patronus. Meanwhile, Hermione has her books read before term even starts, overachieves on essays does extra research... Everything she's awesome on, including disguising Harry and the extension charm on the bag comes right from the book. So yes, Harry might be more talented, his spells might have more umph--and he actually had a higher grade in Defense than Hermione (after being given extra points by a toady examiner for creating a Patronus). He *might* be able to outduel Hermione, and he could certainly beat her at Quidditch. But the better spellcaster in general? I think not--especially since it would be Hermione who'd know that spells, not Harry. Hell, one of the criticism's directed at him in the book is he overuses the same trick all the time--taking his opponent's wand. (A trick he'd have learned from Snape...)

(And all that is part of why I think Hermione is best matched with Snape ;-) )

[gioiamia]

I actually have been hashing that out with my hubby recently, and I definitely see your point. What stuck in my mind was the fact that Hermione emphatically told Harry in OotP that she was not capable of leading the DA - that he was. She reminded him that in Defense Against the Dark Arts, he had beaten her test scores and had consistently shown himself to be better at the subject. And since it is that type of spellcasting that comes into play heavily in Deathly Hallows, it struck me as inconsistent for Hermione to be the one constantly shown as the hero of the film.

However, you're right about all the points you made, and as was pointed out above, Hermione really is more in the foreground in the first act of the novel, anyway. She's the one whose spells allow them to stay undetected and safe. Harry may be better in battle and less likely to be frazzled than Hermione, but she's still the one who saved his butt on Christmas Day. And while I think Harry's instincts are better on many occasions (if they had gone to Godric's Hollow in the very beginning when he kept feeling like they needed to, rather than waiting till Hermione gave up on her objections, then they could've talked to the real Bathilda and received some answers without tipping Voldemort off to Grindelwald's picture), and I wish she wasn't constantly second-guessing Harry, I think my reaction may have more to do with my irritation with logic ruling over the heart (*cough*my family*cough*) than with Hermione in particular.

There were a few things that did get credited to Hermione in this film that she didn't do, but they were very minor things, so the more I've thought about it, the les I"ve been bothered. Hopefully I'll get the chance to see the film over again soon to better evaluate Hermione's characterization.

[harmony_bites]

ermione emphatically told Harry in OotP that she was not capable of leading the DA - that he was. She reminded him that in Defense Against the Dark Arts, he had beaten her test scores and had consistently shown himself to be better at the subject

Harry remember though got extra points from a fawning examiner--got a chance to have extra credit others didn't. All though the Triwizard tournament, he had to be spoonfed the solution to various tasks.

And there's a difference between being able to lead, and having a technical talent. Remember, even with the DA, it was Hermione that came up with the coins to signal the time, and she was the one who came up with the contract with that nasty hex if you broke the secret.

But that doesn't mean she didn't recognize Harry needed to lead it--and that she wasn't above pumping him up for it. Harry is a celebrity--she isn't. Harry is a member of an old and rich wizarding family--Hermione isn't. Harry's a boy, Hermione's a girl. Any way you cut it, the fact is that even w/o going into the merits, people are much more likely to show up and sign up and listen to Harry than to her.

And I actually think Hermione isn't really all that popular or a people person anyway--and she probably recognizes that. Harry is a leader---even a hero. But if you need to have a spell cast--have someone know what spell to cast--I'd go to Hermione. Not Harry.

Harry's the natural. Hermione's the one that puts her nose to the grindstone. I'll take the grind every time.

[gioiamia]

Harry remember though got extra points from a fawning examiner--got a chance to have extra credit others didn't.

That was in his OWLs, though, and the DA discussion took place before then. And I don't think the examiner fed him points. The only thing the examiner did was allow him to cast a patronus for extra points. I'll agree with you there that it wasn't exactly fair to offer him the opportunity for extra points and not offer that chance to the others. Of course, to be fair to the stupid examiner, he had no clue that Harry had trained the DA to be able to cast it, and I'm sure he thought that such a skill was impossible for anyone at that age except the great Harry Potter. *eye-roll*

But I do agree with you that Hermione was the one who propped Harry up throughout his school days, forcing him to learn to "Accio!" his broom, etc. I've always wondered, though, how much of Harry's lousy study habits and academic approach had to do with the fact that he would not have been allowed to excel at home. From an early age, he learned that the best way to stay out of trouble and avoid being bullied was to keep his head down and be mediocre. I'm not excusing his behavior; just saying that as much as he was constantly being ridiculed and hurt at Hogwarts, I'll bet he was subconsciously falling into the habits he had developed as a small child. Hermione had learned that working hard allowed her to succeed in spite of people's low expectations of her or denigrating behavior toward her. Harry had learned that over-achieving just attracted more attention, and attention had NEVER resulted in anything positive in his life. So there would be no motivation there for him to overcome his natural laziness in this regard.

All of which reminds me of how much I snicker everytime I come across a fanfic in which Harry suddenly becomes a hard-working student, learning all sorts of powerful spells, in order to become a super!Harry. Um, not going to happen.

[harmony_bites]

I've always wondered, though, how much of Harry's lousy study habits and academic approach had to do with the fact that he would not have been allowed to excel at home

It's a good point. Harry was raised by wolves, no question that had an effect.

But regardless of why, my point is for that very reason, I wouldn't necessarily go to Harry if I had a magical problem that needed solving, or a spell that needed casting. Now, if I needed an expert broom flyer....

And so actually, in Harry's defense, I'm not so sure superstudying Harry is much of an oxymoron. When Harry *does* want something, he is capable of knuckling down--like with the Patronus spell. I betcha that if it meant he couldn't get into the Auror program without it, he'd have applied himself to get top grades--and succeeded. The problem is according to interview canon, he didn't have to--didn't even have to finish school.

Harry got a truly horrible beginning those first 11 years--but from Hogwarts onward, not to sound like Snape *cough* but Harry got special favors and breaks left and right thereafter no one else would have and didn't *have* to apply himself as a result. Usually that isn't really doing a kid a favor.

[lorelaisquared]

I read this review a few weeks ago - right after I'd seen the movie and I never managed to respond b/c I was way behind on everything but I enjoyed it a LOT then and even more now when I just reread it. I think you captured the movie very well in this review and I love the way you broke it down with the chapters.

I agree with you completely about the opening scene with Hermione- I was choked up right away. I think it was a very clever way to show that aspect of the story. I love the way it was done in the book - and how that convinced Harry to stop protesting about Hermione and Ron going with him, but that just wouldn't have worked as well in film, especially since they had to condense. I think that visually, this scene and the emotion she showed as she wiped their memories worked so well... It wouldnt' have worked in the book though - it's one of those things where you need to make it work for the media you're using and they totally did it well with this scene.

We discussed Tonks on the phone and after rewatching the film I have to say that I was wrong, she doesn't actually announce her pregnancy - she's about to but she gets interrupted. It's implied though which is why I assumed she'd said it, but I think that only someone who has read the books and already know she's pregnant would get that.

Which brings me to your comment about people who've read the books getting more than those that didn't. The second time I saw it it was with a friend who has read hte books and a friend of hers who hasn't. He was definitely confused about some things and had lots of questions after it was over.

As for cuts and additions, I think they did pretty well with adapting the material. There are lots of little things missing of course, but mostly I was okay with that, I can experience them in the book. The things that I really did miss though were the mural in Luna's room and the memorial at Godric's Hollow. Oh and the Potter Watch. I really wish they'd put that in. *sigh*

I enjoyed the movie, but it did feel incomplete. I think that I'll like it more when I can see it as part of a whole, it doesn't completely stand up as a movie on it's own. Also, I love the second half of DH most so I think I'm going to absolutely love part 2. At least I hope so.

Oh, and the animation of the three brothers was made of win.

[gioiamia]

Wow. So...8 months later I see I missed your very detailed response! I suck!

I'm going to be posting a review of DH2 after I watch it on Monday the 11th, which means the review will go up sometime Tuesday the 12th, your time. Hopefully I'll do better about actually seeing all my comments and responding to them this time! Sorry about that!!!