my OotP movie review :D
I saw the movie last night, then was fortunate enough to see it again today.
Simply put, the movie was FANTASTIC. I was truly blown away by the special effects and the performances, especially including those of newcomers Evanna Lynch (Luna), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix), and Imelda Staunton (Umbridge).
Click on the lj-cut for my review of it. :D
Here's what I liked:
* the Black mansion. Very dark and neglected looking, with winding staircases... overall, exactly how I imagined it from the book.
* the Harry/Hermione hug when Harry arrives at Sirius's house... just because. ;D
* Fred and George apparating everywhere, much to their mother's frustration. xD
* Sirius being the one to give Harry the picture of the original members of the Order of the Phoenix, instead of Mad Eye Moody. It just seemed more fitting, Sirius being the one to share the picture with Harry.
* Umbridge. The woman who played her was just great, for you really do grow to hate her throughout the movie. Her weird giggle was funny, yet SO annoying at the same time. And that's a weird mix. xD
* the "I must not tell lies" detention scene. Very effective, for it really made me cringe.
* Every scene to do with Luna. I really adore the girl who played her; she was just great. Her voice, looks, behavior (the skipping ;D) was just perfect. Her consoling Harry towards the end was very sweet.
* Absolutely everything to do with the DA. Every scene of that was PERFECT.
* Sirius having a talk with Harry : "You are not a bad person.". That scene was really good, very emotional. I enjoyed that a lot.
* Fred and George's escape = LOVE. ;D It was AWESOME! One of my favorite scenes in the movie, absolutely.
* Ron is surprisingly less shallow in this movie. :D He and Hermione barely argued at all... finally! xD
* The Occulmency lessons. Just GREAT. It was all I imagined it would be.
* the fight in the Department of Mysteries. O-M-G. That is without a doubt the best special effects scene in all the HP films so far. I LOVE how the fights were so messy and crazy... unlike the duels in the previous films that were just way too easy. The DoM fight is exactly how I thought the fight would be like from the book.
* Harry's reaction to Sirius's death. So HEARTBREAKING. Even everybody in the theater around me was stunned. You could hear a pin drop in there. Seriously.
* The fight between Dumbledore and Voldemort. Pure AWESOME. The special effects are mesmerizing, really.
There are plenty of other things I loved, but kinda forgotten by now. xD
Here's what I disliked:
* No younger Lily! I was really looking forward to her appearance in the flashback, but she was clearly cut out. It only showed the Marauders and Snape. And the scene was very brief, much to my disappointment.
* There was no visit to the hospital to visit Mr. Weasley at all! :( I really, really wanted that, for I wanted to see Lockhart and Neville visiting his parents there.
* Sirius's death. Now, I knew it HAD to happen, and it was filmed pretty accurate to the book, but instead, Bellatrix did the Avada Kedavra on him, THEN he fell into the veil. Since he was not actually hit by the killing curse in the book, I didn't like that aspect of the scene. I guess they wanted to make his death more final that way. Also, when Sirius was hit with the Avada Kedavra, he didn't die instantly. He was still able to turn and look at Harry in shock, and breathe out one more time before he fell through the veil. It made the scene more dramatic, yes, but it still didn't make any sense to me. When you're hit with the killing curse, you are dead on the ground INSTANTLY. For example, the way Cedric died in GoF was more accurate.
* No Dobby. Instead it was Neville who found the Room of Requirement, and not Dobby. I just really wish Dobby could have made his appearance. :(
Most Heartbreaking scene (besides Sirius's death):
When Harry and Sirius were fighting Lucius and some other Death Eater in the DoM. Harry manages to disarm Lucius, and Sirius shouts out to him, " That's right, James!". Harry is stunned. It's that moment that you really realize the extent to which Sirius misses his best friend, and how much Harry reminds him of James. For a minute, Sirius really thought that James was there, fighting alongside him.
Most Funny scene:
There was a lot, but I have to say... Fred and George escaping on their broomsticks with the fireworks. Of course. ;D
My favorite scene:
Voldemort's possession of Harry in the DoM. I thought this was fantastic, because the director put in every happy flashback from the other movies in it. For example: Hermione hugging Harry in CoS, the trio laughing together, him hugging Sirius, his parents smiling down at him from the Mirror of Erised, etc. I LOVED this because this is truly the central point of the plot of the whole HP series. The choices Harry makes, and the love Harry has for people, is exactly what will be Voldemort's downfall. The music to the scene was brilliant, very emotional. This was the scene that I truly almost cried in. And Harry's line: " You are the weak one. You'll never know love, or friendship, and I feel sorry for you." is purely PERFECT.
Some of my favorite quotes:
Sirius: "We believe Voldemort may be after something."
Mad Eye Moody [warningly]: "Sirius."
Sirius [continues]: " Something he didn't have last time."
Harry: "You mean, like a weapon?"
Mrs. Weasley: "That's enough. He's just a boy! Say any more and you might as well induct him into the Order straightaway!"
Harry: "Good, I want to join. If Voldemort's building up an army, then I want to fight!"
[Sirius leans back, satisfied. He winks at Harry.]
Hermione: "Everyone, this is Loony Lovegood--"
[She catches herself, mortified.]
Hermione: "Luna Lovegood."
[She looks away.]
Luna: "Well, if I was You-Know-Who, I'd want you to feel cut off from everyone else. Because, if it's just you alone, you're not much of a threat."
[Harry looks at her for a moment, then smiles.]
Harry: "LOOK AT ME!"
[Dumbledore faces him, stunned.]
Harry [desperately]: "What's happening to me?"
Harry: "This connection between me and Voldemort..."
[Sirius nods.]
Harry [continues]: "What if it means that I'm becoming more like him? I just feel so angry... all the time. And I can't help but think that maybe, after everything that I've been through... something's gone wrong. What if I'm becoming bad?"
[Sirius braces Harry by the shoulders.]
Sirius: "Harry, you're not a bad person..."
Hermione: "When are you going to get it into your head? We're in this together!"
Umbridge: "Tell them I mean no harm!"
Harry: "Sorry, professor. I must not tell lies."
[the centaurs take Umbridge away]
Sirius: "Get away from my godson."
[He punches Lucius.]
Harry: "You are the weak one. You'll never know love, or friendship... and I feel sorry for you."
[Voldemort is repelled by Harry's happy memories; he leaves Harry's body.]
Voldemort: "You are a fool, Harry Potter. And you will lose everything."
Harry: " We have something Voldemort doesn't have."
Hermione: "What's that?"
Harry: "Something worth fighting for."
[they walk away, towards the train.]
~*~
All in all, I think that this movie, without a doubt, is the best one of the series so far. The director did wonders with it. And since David Yates has confirmed that he's directing the sixth movie as well, I'm sure the sixth movie will be just as good, perhaps even better. :D