Movie Review: Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Movie Rating: 4/5
Harry Potter Rating: 3/5
Conclusion: The good out-weighs the bad
I always try to see the HP movies on opening weekend and in years before I have been totally spoiled, seen clips, watched interviews that revealed clips, watched as many trailers as humanly possible etc. This year I went cold turkey because I found that it messed with me, I ended up seeing the entire movie before it even aired.
Deathly Hallows is in my top 3 books of the series, it's actually number 3; I want to re-read it someday. Not today but someday. I was so happy that they split the book in half they should've done that with the last 3 movies they were able to capture more details. Scenes still slipped through the cracks. And scenes, for some odd reason, where added... that will be further on...
High Points:
- The actual animation of the tale of the Deathly Hallows - superb, I loved it!
- The multiple Harrys, Harry in a bra and skirts was priceless
- The kid's acting has improved DRAMATICALLY. I mean, if you've just finished watching a marathon like I did you'd instantly notice. Esp Emma, she's gotten so much better
- They took the road less traveled and didn't do it 100% from Harry's POV like it usually is. A+
- The woods were as drab and depressing as JK wrote them, very Burtonesque
- RON/HERMIONE = perfection. I was so impressed by the vast improvement in the way they're written. they finally captured what the books always showed and the movies glossed over
- Doby. Just Doby was regal and perfect.
- Jason Isaacs and Helena are always so great, they're the perfect bads. They have great chemistry together and got me wishing they'd do a movie in the future together.
- The twins!!! I adore the twins, they're one of my faves and their scenes were priceless. They're so cute too, they're the cutest of the cast I think.
Low/WTF Points:
- As much as I love Harry/Ginny, the "zip me up" scene was a WTF. I always felt like the movies failed to capture what Harry is feeling towards Ginny the way the books do, in book 6 & 7 there's a lot of internal thought and moping, a little flashback to her would be ideal just to let non-book readers know what he's thinking/feeling/longing for. The bedroom scene between H/G in the books in one of my favorites and it's like 100% missing, I would've taken that to bold-Ginny parading around her full house semi-naked. It was also one of the most sexually charged scenes that the movies have ever shown but I have to give credit that it reflected Ginny's bold personality. However... because it's dropped then and there the viewer who doesn't read the books is left wondering how real are Harry's feeling when in the books there's never any doubt the movie just doesn't capture the meat of it. Which brings me to the next low/WTF point
- If you've never read the books I can see where you'd be confused and think there's a love triangle happening between Harry/Hermione/Ron when there never is and it's never like that in the books. A little background of my relationship with Harry Potter. I had not read any of the books and watched the first movie, instantly I knew something was going on with Ron/Hermione. So I read the books and at that time books 1-4 had come out. By the time I finished I knew for certain that Hermione and Ron liked one another and that Harry was her brother which I totally got her because she acts towards her brother the way I act towards mine. We hang out together all the time, there's no sexual tension and I worry about him more than I should. That doesn't mean I'd like to snog him, it just means he's very dear to me so I GOT that from the books, and their movie scenes never bothered me (though I was extremely aggravated at the way Ron was always portrayed in the movies). However, like I said, I can see where someone who occasionally sees the movies, never reads the books might be like "Oh shit, there's totally a love triangle going on". Sigh. Whatever, it's done. The talk Harry has with Ron at the end of the kissing vision is VITAL to establish any doubts/confusion people might have but that was skimmed over with a "keep talking about the little light". Again, if you know the books you understand that Harry and Hermione dancing is him trying to cheer her up and that he misses Ron as much as she does but if you haven't then you'll be like the guy in front of me that says "I thought she was with Ron?" I didn't kick his chair, dont worry.
- Tonks/Lupin are one of my favorites, it's a subtle relationship that Harry sees develop in bits here and there. I hate that it lands on our laps and suddenly they're married. I loved that age difference between them in the books and how his condition plays a huge role in it yet in the movies you dont see that.
- Fleur. Ugh, Fleur. I adore her in the books, she's fab but I can't stand her in the movies. First of all she's nothing like that in the books, the entire tension between her and Molly are never shown and I still am angry for not showing them at all in movie 6 when she snaps to Molly that she's pretty enough for the both of them. -_- I love Bill/Fleur so I am still upset that they skimmed it. I did love her wedding dress and the forehead touch when the attack happened. I'm so angry that we never get to see or enjoy the HOT older Weasley brothers. Bill was not hot, IMO. He's supposed to be supper hot. In the movie... he's not.
- My Ron didn't completely break down when Hermione was being tortured. Jesus, that's like one of my favorite bits of the books. Hermione is screaming, Ron is completely loosing it, pounding on the door calling for her and Harry is trying to calm him down. It's so powerful in the book and all it would've taken was for some Rupert yanking on the bars and screaming Hermione's name. Was that so hard, director person? Really?
Now let me be specific about how happy I am with Ron/Hermione...
OMFG. The touches, the stares, the chin-scene, the hugging, their overall demeanor has completely changed. Granted, I felt completely cheated that we didn't get them dancing on the floor but I forgave them when they reached towards one another when the attack happened and she kinda fell into his arms. I even got my wish of the scene where they fall asleep holding hands and Harry notices <3 Happy shipper heart. =D I also melted a little in my seat when she rushed to him when they landed in the burrow. BTW, Rupert has gotten some seriously sexy arms on him, I couldn't stop staring and I figured he's now over 21, it's no longer an odd thing to do, lol
I'm still disappointed with the lack of Harry/Ginny but I am hoping that we get more of it in part 2. Yes, I'm hoping. Plus I know the book doesn't have much H/G but again some little internal thoughts of Harry would be nice of him and Ginny snogging or something.
I also have to agree with nearly 95% of the things in this post about the movie, very well thought out.
Now... wishes for part 2
- I NEED Molly going bad ass on Bellatrix and saving Ginny and saying "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!" before she kills her, it's such a pleasant surprise in the books that Molly is the one to kill Bellatrix.
- I need the death of Fred to be as sad as I felt when I read it.
- Tonks/Lupin =( all the Marauders now dead.
- I NEED the Snape/Lily thing to be done right. Seriously, they can't fail at this. We didn't get to hear nearly enough of Alan Rickman's voice in this movie and I need to really get it in part 2.
- The kiss between Hermione and Ron needs to be explosive. The same way and if not even more than it was in the books, they fucking owe us this from all the shit they've removed in the movies, I need the audience to feel exhilarated at the make-out.
That's all, it should be non-stop action the next film, I plan on clutching at the heart when Harry is carried presumably dead back to Hogwarts etc etc.