This is my life we're talking about..
I came back from seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows two hours ago and have been sitting here mulling around in all my feelings.
It's hard to describe what Harry Potter means to me, other than sounding like a broken record and saying that it's my childhood. I remember my Grade 4 teacher reading a chapter of the Philosopher's Stone a day for a month. That was in 1998 when I was nine years old. In Grade 6 the Goblet of Fire was released and someone donated a copy to our class, which we auctioned off. I'll always remember never winning that auction. In 2001 I started high school and the first movie was released. I couldn't comprehend that they had put everything in my head on the big screen; it was mind-blowing. A year later, when I was 14, the second movie came out. My best friend and I spent the next couple of months reenacting the Malfoy/Potter duelling scene. In 2005 the Half Blood Prince was released, but before I could read it someone yelled DUMBLEDORE DIES in my face. In 2007 I started university and the final book was released. I skipped class for a week because The Battle of Hogwarts will always be more important than passing Computing. Fast forward to now, it's July 2011 and the release of the final movie coincides with my graduation from university.
Basically, Harry Potter has been there through my entire childhood, more than half of my life. It's not that I'll miss Harry Potter, because the books will always be there to read, but I'll miss the anticipation of it all. I'll miss getting a book for the first time and weighing it in my hand. I'll miss wanting to get through a book as fast as possible, but dreading each turn of the page because it only brought me closer to the end. I'll miss lining up for the books. I'll miss going to midnight premieres of movies. I'll miss the lead-up to the release of a new movie; stalking all the trailers in the hope that they've kept certain scenes. All of this I will miss.
Now that we've established that, let's get on to the movie.
Before I really dig into it, I want to mention that the Deathly Hallows Part II movie covers some of my favourite chapters and scenes of the entire series. I've always felt that the final third of the book is genius because of all the little puzzle pieces click into place and make me want to scream J. K. Rowling, you brilliant, brilliant woman.
So yeh, high expectations.
I was so disappointed. I'm sorry to rain on anyone's parade, but I honestly didn't like it.
I don't understand why it's got such good reviews. Yes, the cinematics are amazing and the CGI is amazing and all the action and spells is amazing, but HAVE YOU EVEN READ THE BOOKS?? STEVE KLOVES, YOU HAVE BUTCHERED THIS MOVIE FOR ME.
The final scene between Harry and Voldemort is so far from the book. J. K. Rowling paints a courtyard filled with people, Harry and Voldemort circling each other, Voldemort's spell back-fires the instant the sun rises and lights up the entire scene. What we get is Harry pulling Voldmort off a tower. Lucky Voldmort can fly, so they fly through Hogwarts while grappling at each other's faces'. At one point their faces merge and I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. They then land in an empty courtyard for their final duel, where Voldemort dies and turns to ash. THE ORIGINAL SCENE IN THE BOOK WAS MADE TO BE TRANSLATED TO FILM. WHY HAVE YOU CHANGED IT?? WHY ARE THEY FLYING?? WHY DOES VOLDEMORT TURN TO ASH??
Honestly, I've already ranted to rayslady about this all, but WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
Harry, instead of returning to the Headmaster's Office to have a chat with Dumbledore's portrait, snaps the Elder wand in half and throws it off a cliff. WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
Hermione says, I've got an idea, jumps on a dragon, does one spell to undo one chain and the dragon flies off. WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
Harry is a horcrux therefore he can hear other horcruxes whispering to him. WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth, hints at Dumbledore's secrets, which are never actually revealed in the movie. WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
Mcgonagall sends all the Slytherin students to the dungeons. Firstly, you're locking up students? Secondly, aren't we stereotyping a little here? Not all Slytherins are evil. WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
Ron and Hermione's kiss is sweet but cockblocked by Ron's hair, so you don't actually see their lips touch. There's also a lot of giggling after it..
Not my daughter you bitch! Three spells and one minute later Bellatrix is dead. IS THAT IT?? WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
"How you feeling, Fred?" "Alright." Cue body of Fred in the Great Hall, dead. WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
Snape's memories come out in tears, which he tells Harry to collect. So basically, Harry leaning over Snape, collecting his tears in a vial. WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
An added memory has Snape holding Lily's dead body and sobbing, while toddler Harry is sitting in a crib next to him. I just. I can't even anymore.
I'm so depressed. Maybe I'm a purist and I'm just seeing all the bad things. But..there's so much comical laughing from Voldemort that the entire time I kept thinking about all the laughing gifs tumblr would make.
I will say, however, that Helena Bonham Carter playing Hermione pretending to be Bellatrix was terrific. Bonnie Wright's two lines as Ginny were actually good. Matthew Lewis as Neville was amazing. I have zero feelings for book!Neville, I basically don't care about his storyline, but now I'm a changed woman. His lines were the only time I felt slightly weepy.
Rupert Grint as Ron saved the movie.
That is all.
It's hard to describe what Harry Potter means to me, other than sounding like a broken record and saying that it's my childhood. I remember my Grade 4 teacher reading a chapter of the Philosopher's Stone a day for a month. That was in 1998 when I was nine years old. In Grade 6 the Goblet of Fire was released and someone donated a copy to our class, which we auctioned off. I'll always remember never winning that auction. In 2001 I started high school and the first movie was released. I couldn't comprehend that they had put everything in my head on the big screen; it was mind-blowing. A year later, when I was 14, the second movie came out. My best friend and I spent the next couple of months reenacting the Malfoy/Potter duelling scene. In 2005 the Half Blood Prince was released, but before I could read it someone yelled DUMBLEDORE DIES in my face. In 2007 I started university and the final book was released. I skipped class for a week because The Battle of Hogwarts will always be more important than passing Computing. Fast forward to now, it's July 2011 and the release of the final movie coincides with my graduation from university.
Basically, Harry Potter has been there through my entire childhood, more than half of my life. It's not that I'll miss Harry Potter, because the books will always be there to read, but I'll miss the anticipation of it all. I'll miss getting a book for the first time and weighing it in my hand. I'll miss wanting to get through a book as fast as possible, but dreading each turn of the page because it only brought me closer to the end. I'll miss lining up for the books. I'll miss going to midnight premieres of movies. I'll miss the lead-up to the release of a new movie; stalking all the trailers in the hope that they've kept certain scenes. All of this I will miss.
Now that we've established that, let's get on to the movie.
Before I really dig into it, I want to mention that the Deathly Hallows Part II movie covers some of my favourite chapters and scenes of the entire series. I've always felt that the final third of the book is genius because of all the little puzzle pieces click into place and make me want to scream J. K. Rowling, you brilliant, brilliant woman.
So yeh, high expectations.
I was so disappointed. I'm sorry to rain on anyone's parade, but I honestly didn't like it.
I don't understand why it's got such good reviews. Yes, the cinematics are amazing and the CGI is amazing and all the action and spells is amazing, but HAVE YOU EVEN READ THE BOOKS?? STEVE KLOVES, YOU HAVE BUTCHERED THIS MOVIE FOR ME.
The final scene between Harry and Voldemort is so far from the book. J. K. Rowling paints a courtyard filled with people, Harry and Voldemort circling each other, Voldemort's spell back-fires the instant the sun rises and lights up the entire scene. What we get is Harry pulling Voldmort off a tower. Lucky Voldmort can fly, so they fly through Hogwarts while grappling at each other's faces'. At one point their faces merge and I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. They then land in an empty courtyard for their final duel, where Voldemort dies and turns to ash. THE ORIGINAL SCENE IN THE BOOK WAS MADE TO BE TRANSLATED TO FILM. WHY HAVE YOU CHANGED IT?? WHY ARE THEY FLYING?? WHY DOES VOLDEMORT TURN TO ASH??
Honestly, I've already ranted to rayslady about this all, but WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
Harry, instead of returning to the Headmaster's Office to have a chat with Dumbledore's portrait, snaps the Elder wand in half and throws it off a cliff. WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
Hermione says, I've got an idea, jumps on a dragon, does one spell to undo one chain and the dragon flies off. WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
Harry is a horcrux therefore he can hear other horcruxes whispering to him. WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth, hints at Dumbledore's secrets, which are never actually revealed in the movie. WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
Mcgonagall sends all the Slytherin students to the dungeons. Firstly, you're locking up students? Secondly, aren't we stereotyping a little here? Not all Slytherins are evil. WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
Ron and Hermione's kiss is sweet but cockblocked by Ron's hair, so you don't actually see their lips touch. There's also a lot of giggling after it..
Not my daughter you bitch! Three spells and one minute later Bellatrix is dead. IS THAT IT?? WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
"How you feeling, Fred?" "Alright." Cue body of Fred in the Great Hall, dead. WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
Snape's memories come out in tears, which he tells Harry to collect. So basically, Harry leaning over Snape, collecting his tears in a vial. WHAT THE HONEST FUCK.
An added memory has Snape holding Lily's dead body and sobbing, while toddler Harry is sitting in a crib next to him. I just. I can't even anymore.
I'm so depressed. Maybe I'm a purist and I'm just seeing all the bad things. But..there's so much comical laughing from Voldemort that the entire time I kept thinking about all the laughing gifs tumblr would make.
I will say, however, that Helena Bonham Carter playing Hermione pretending to be Bellatrix was terrific. Bonnie Wright's two lines as Ginny were actually good. Matthew Lewis as Neville was amazing. I have zero feelings for book!Neville, I basically don't care about his storyline, but now I'm a changed woman. His lines were the only time I felt slightly weepy.
Rupert Grint as Ron saved the movie.
That is all.