HP & the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
A friend of ours was absolutely awesome and paid our way to go see Deathly Hallows on Saturday! :D
So... thoughts. Have some.
I wasn't terribly impressed with the last two Potter movies (still enjoyed them to a degree but there was a fair bit of disappointment, especially with the sixth film), so I have to admit that my expectations for the final two were pretty low considering they were staying with the same director. In fact, I never even got all that excited when the new trailers were released. (More excited than Chris, though; he was really pissed after the last movie.)
As a side-note to measure my excitement for this installment: Wendy's is starting a breakfast menu and Chris tried it a week or two back saying it was fantastic. After the crappy week that we've had, he decided we would splurge a bit on the weekend, using a buy-one-get-one-free coupon, to get some Wendy's breakfast. So Friday rolls around and I'm doing a happy dance in my chair as I'm randomly thinking about getting Wendy's the next morning. (Honestly, I'd been doing that for a few days. Seriously, check our their breakfast menu.) So I'm checking random sites when I see someone say something about the new HP movie being really good. I literally had a moment of o_O before I realized "Oh, yeah! The new movie comes out today."
So I was more excited for fast food breakfast - which we found out won't be starting at our nearby Wendy's until the first of December, booo! - than I was the newest Harry Potter movie. Wow.
Maybe we can blame these lower expectations for my overall thoughts... but I loved this one! Squee and all sorts of fangirl noises!
The positive! I kind of loved it all so I'm having a hard time thinking of what I liked the most.
+ Hermione having to obliviate her parents at the beginning was done really well. Nice emotion and great setup for mood and tone.
+ Hedwig. I was disappointed when, in the trailers, they show Harry releasing Hedwig. Don't know why it didn't dawn on me that she would return to be killed... it's not like she was suddenly 'free' and Harry would never see her again by releasing her. And not that I wanted her to die! LOL But it's such a huge symbol of his progression from that innocence and purity into adulthood and having to make some really tough decisions. I actually think I prefer the way the movie handled this over the book, because it showed Hedwig going down as a hero.
+ The 7 Harrys scene was great! Dan did a good job nailing the different personalities.
+ The animation of The Tale of the Three Brothers! That was phenomenal!
+ NEVILLE! Okay, sure, he only got a quick second and a brief line but... "Hey, losers!" to the Death Eaters?! :O He's already showing that fantastic backbone that's going to shape the revolt at Hogwarts that we will see in the next film. (Chris leaned over and said "That's Neville?!" Ha!)
+ George during the Harry/Ginny kissing scene was hilarious! Both of the twins have such great comedic timing.
+ Little moments of humor, like when Ron returns and Hermione is asking Harry for her wand and Harry quickly tries to back away and pretends he doesn't have it... there were lots of great little, natural moments like this throughout that helped brighten things up a bit.
+ The dance scene with Harry and Hermione was so sweet. A great moment to help them forget their dismal situation, if only for a second.
+ The house-elves. Dobby and Kreacher both looked amazing; very real and fleshy. Loved their scene together as they brought Dung in. Of course, cried when Dobby died, though not as much as when reading the book. GREATLY appreciate that they had Harry dig his grave without magic. I think I would have been pissed if they'd changed that part.
+ Everything with the Snatchers and Death Eaters was a lot of fun.
+ Lucius looks so haggard and worn out. For such a subtle thing, it added great depth to the character.
+ Bellatrix torturing Hermione was distressing, in a properly effective way.
+ They showed a strand of Bellatrix's hair landing on Hermione, which is great setup for them making another round of polyjuice potion for the Gringotts break-in. I'm so looking forward to that scene!
+ Pretty much any scene with Hermione and Ron, particularly in the beginning. They're just too stinking adorable together!
+ The whole scene with the silver doe and the destruction of the horcrux was fantastic! Go Ron!
+ I noticed the excellent cinematography early on and already mentioned how the CG for the house-elves looked amazing. I can't think of a single moment where the effects stood out and took me out of the film. Everything seemed pretty flawless in that regard. And the props and sets were stunning.
+ The acting! Now that I think about it, not once did I notice that the trio were 'acting'. For example: Emma Watson's eyebrows were just a normal part of her face and not part of her delivery. I was able to see the characters move around on the screen and not people playing characters. Spot on!
Okay, here's a confession. I'm hard-pressed to find fault with this film. I know, for example, some have complained about the pacing but I feel every 'slow' scene where it seemed as though nothing was happening had its place in keeping with the tone of the story. Granted, I've always thought this of the book, too.
Scenes I missed. Even trying to nitpick and this is all I can come up with:
+ No Dursley-esque goodbye that show that they really, in their own way, care about Harry and have grown to even appreciate and respect him.
+ Tonks. Granted, she's never looked quite right to me from the start (It's not the actress; it's the hair) she's supposed to at least have bright hair now that she's not distraught over Lupin distancing himself from her. Loved her almost-announcement, otherwise she and Lupin were just kind of... there.
+ Mad-Eye's eye in Umbridge's door... hate how Harry LEFT it there! GUH!
+ Harry not following Ginny on the Marauder's Map. I really love the idea that he's still thinking about her the entire time they're out there and uses the map to sort of connect with her, in his own way, and make sure she's still safe. It adds that sense of longing and even hope to what he has to do.
+ No Luna's bedroom with friend mural! However, I love that they added the touch that it's obvious she's painted all of the walls in their home, including some stuff on the outside. So while it wasn't the touching moment of seeing how much she cares about them, it was still sweet and shows her whimsical personality.
+ I was looking for the signs outside of Harry's house in Godric's Hollow, where people left messages of support to Harry. I always thought that was a touching scene and added a sense of encouragement for Harry. No matter how alone he felt at times, he never really was. This will come into play later, when all of Hogsmeade comes to fight for him.
With the exception of Tonk's appearance, I noticed these all have to do with the connections the character's have with each other. Not essential plot-wise, especially because we already know most of them care about each other, but it's that certain mood of concern that these things convey that I guess I would have liked to have seen. But, again, not essential - I think they did a fine job covering everything as is and I merely missed these particular scenes as pieces of the book. And this is with me really looking for stuff that I missed, as a fangirl.
Of these my main grievance would be Moody's eye, though. The idea that Umbridge is now using it just makes my blood boil, so I was immediately annoyed when Harry walked off and left it behind. heh Chris, having read the books once, didn't even pick up on the eye in the door, so I think it's quite likely that a movie-only fan may think nothing of it at all, which is why I'm not even all that irked by this scene, either.
Legitimate flaw...?
+ Chris reminded me of one glaring problem that I thought of while watching the movie but forgot about until later discussion: the mirror shard. WHERE did Harry get it?! I don't recall any point in the previous movies where this was established. He's suddenly obsessed with something and actually asks for help from it, yet it's not at all explained. He's never once even shocked at seeing a different pair of eyes reflected back. It's like they forgot they never mentioned this before or expected the fans to fill in the gaps for themselves. The only possible saving grace is that no one else has seen him looking at it, it's always been something he's done in private, so maybe he'll have a chance in the last movie to mention its origins.
I'm really making an effort to find flaws here, and these are the only things I can come up with. That's pretty awesome, really.
Additionally, Chris had issue with the ending. He knew it was going to be a cliffhanger but felt it was too abrupt. I'm okay with it, but I do like the idea that he came up with where everything could have been fixed in the editing: intersperse the scenes of Harry digging Dobby's grave with scenes of Voldemort cracking into Dumbledore's. It would have given a slower pace to the ending as well as shown that the good side lost something while the bad side just gained a huge advantage. It would have better showcased the juxtaposition and created more tension for the last film.
(I also had a question about Pettigrew. Chris brought up the idea that he didn't die - definitely not by his own hand - but it seemed to me that when Dobby hit him with the spell, that as he fell you could see bits of gore on the wall where he was previously standing. Not blood, but little bits of whatever. Stuff that doesn't seem to be on the other part of the wall. Maybe I was reading too much into it as I was expecting him to croak there... *shrugs* Just curious if anyone else thought the same.)
So... thoughts. Have some.
I wasn't terribly impressed with the last two Potter movies (still enjoyed them to a degree but there was a fair bit of disappointment, especially with the sixth film), so I have to admit that my expectations for the final two were pretty low considering they were staying with the same director. In fact, I never even got all that excited when the new trailers were released. (More excited than Chris, though; he was really pissed after the last movie.)
As a side-note to measure my excitement for this installment: Wendy's is starting a breakfast menu and Chris tried it a week or two back saying it was fantastic. After the crappy week that we've had, he decided we would splurge a bit on the weekend, using a buy-one-get-one-free coupon, to get some Wendy's breakfast. So Friday rolls around and I'm doing a happy dance in my chair as I'm randomly thinking about getting Wendy's the next morning. (Honestly, I'd been doing that for a few days. Seriously, check our their breakfast menu.) So I'm checking random sites when I see someone say something about the new HP movie being really good. I literally had a moment of o_O before I realized "Oh, yeah! The new movie comes out today."
So I was more excited for fast food breakfast - which we found out won't be starting at our nearby Wendy's until the first of December, booo! - than I was the newest Harry Potter movie. Wow.
Maybe we can blame these lower expectations for my overall thoughts... but I loved this one! Squee and all sorts of fangirl noises!
The positive! I kind of loved it all so I'm having a hard time thinking of what I liked the most.
+ Hermione having to obliviate her parents at the beginning was done really well. Nice emotion and great setup for mood and tone.
+ Hedwig. I was disappointed when, in the trailers, they show Harry releasing Hedwig. Don't know why it didn't dawn on me that she would return to be killed... it's not like she was suddenly 'free' and Harry would never see her again by releasing her. And not that I wanted her to die! LOL But it's such a huge symbol of his progression from that innocence and purity into adulthood and having to make some really tough decisions. I actually think I prefer the way the movie handled this over the book, because it showed Hedwig going down as a hero.
+ The 7 Harrys scene was great! Dan did a good job nailing the different personalities.
+ The animation of The Tale of the Three Brothers! That was phenomenal!
+ NEVILLE! Okay, sure, he only got a quick second and a brief line but... "Hey, losers!" to the Death Eaters?! :O He's already showing that fantastic backbone that's going to shape the revolt at Hogwarts that we will see in the next film. (Chris leaned over and said "That's Neville?!" Ha!)
+ George during the Harry/Ginny kissing scene was hilarious! Both of the twins have such great comedic timing.
+ Little moments of humor, like when Ron returns and Hermione is asking Harry for her wand and Harry quickly tries to back away and pretends he doesn't have it... there were lots of great little, natural moments like this throughout that helped brighten things up a bit.
+ The dance scene with Harry and Hermione was so sweet. A great moment to help them forget their dismal situation, if only for a second.
+ The house-elves. Dobby and Kreacher both looked amazing; very real and fleshy. Loved their scene together as they brought Dung in. Of course, cried when Dobby died, though not as much as when reading the book. GREATLY appreciate that they had Harry dig his grave without magic. I think I would have been pissed if they'd changed that part.
+ Everything with the Snatchers and Death Eaters was a lot of fun.
+ Lucius looks so haggard and worn out. For such a subtle thing, it added great depth to the character.
+ Bellatrix torturing Hermione was distressing, in a properly effective way.
+ They showed a strand of Bellatrix's hair landing on Hermione, which is great setup for them making another round of polyjuice potion for the Gringotts break-in. I'm so looking forward to that scene!
+ Pretty much any scene with Hermione and Ron, particularly in the beginning. They're just too stinking adorable together!
+ The whole scene with the silver doe and the destruction of the horcrux was fantastic! Go Ron!
+ I noticed the excellent cinematography early on and already mentioned how the CG for the house-elves looked amazing. I can't think of a single moment where the effects stood out and took me out of the film. Everything seemed pretty flawless in that regard. And the props and sets were stunning.
+ The acting! Now that I think about it, not once did I notice that the trio were 'acting'. For example: Emma Watson's eyebrows were just a normal part of her face and not part of her delivery. I was able to see the characters move around on the screen and not people playing characters. Spot on!
Okay, here's a confession. I'm hard-pressed to find fault with this film. I know, for example, some have complained about the pacing but I feel every 'slow' scene where it seemed as though nothing was happening had its place in keeping with the tone of the story. Granted, I've always thought this of the book, too.
Scenes I missed. Even trying to nitpick and this is all I can come up with:
+ No Dursley-esque goodbye that show that they really, in their own way, care about Harry and have grown to even appreciate and respect him.
+ Tonks. Granted, she's never looked quite right to me from the start (It's not the actress; it's the hair) she's supposed to at least have bright hair now that she's not distraught over Lupin distancing himself from her. Loved her almost-announcement, otherwise she and Lupin were just kind of... there.
+ Mad-Eye's eye in Umbridge's door... hate how Harry LEFT it there! GUH!
+ Harry not following Ginny on the Marauder's Map. I really love the idea that he's still thinking about her the entire time they're out there and uses the map to sort of connect with her, in his own way, and make sure she's still safe. It adds that sense of longing and even hope to what he has to do.
+ No Luna's bedroom with friend mural! However, I love that they added the touch that it's obvious she's painted all of the walls in their home, including some stuff on the outside. So while it wasn't the touching moment of seeing how much she cares about them, it was still sweet and shows her whimsical personality.
+ I was looking for the signs outside of Harry's house in Godric's Hollow, where people left messages of support to Harry. I always thought that was a touching scene and added a sense of encouragement for Harry. No matter how alone he felt at times, he never really was. This will come into play later, when all of Hogsmeade comes to fight for him.
With the exception of Tonk's appearance, I noticed these all have to do with the connections the character's have with each other. Not essential plot-wise, especially because we already know most of them care about each other, but it's that certain mood of concern that these things convey that I guess I would have liked to have seen. But, again, not essential - I think they did a fine job covering everything as is and I merely missed these particular scenes as pieces of the book. And this is with me really looking for stuff that I missed, as a fangirl.
Of these my main grievance would be Moody's eye, though. The idea that Umbridge is now using it just makes my blood boil, so I was immediately annoyed when Harry walked off and left it behind. heh Chris, having read the books once, didn't even pick up on the eye in the door, so I think it's quite likely that a movie-only fan may think nothing of it at all, which is why I'm not even all that irked by this scene, either.
Legitimate flaw...?
+ Chris reminded me of one glaring problem that I thought of while watching the movie but forgot about until later discussion: the mirror shard. WHERE did Harry get it?! I don't recall any point in the previous movies where this was established. He's suddenly obsessed with something and actually asks for help from it, yet it's not at all explained. He's never once even shocked at seeing a different pair of eyes reflected back. It's like they forgot they never mentioned this before or expected the fans to fill in the gaps for themselves. The only possible saving grace is that no one else has seen him looking at it, it's always been something he's done in private, so maybe he'll have a chance in the last movie to mention its origins.
I'm really making an effort to find flaws here, and these are the only things I can come up with. That's pretty awesome, really.
Additionally, Chris had issue with the ending. He knew it was going to be a cliffhanger but felt it was too abrupt. I'm okay with it, but I do like the idea that he came up with where everything could have been fixed in the editing: intersperse the scenes of Harry digging Dobby's grave with scenes of Voldemort cracking into Dumbledore's. It would have given a slower pace to the ending as well as shown that the good side lost something while the bad side just gained a huge advantage. It would have better showcased the juxtaposition and created more tension for the last film.
(I also had a question about Pettigrew. Chris brought up the idea that he didn't die - definitely not by his own hand - but it seemed to me that when Dobby hit him with the spell, that as he fell you could see bits of gore on the wall where he was previously standing. Not blood, but little bits of whatever. Stuff that doesn't seem to be on the other part of the wall. Maybe I was reading too much into it as I was expecting him to croak there... *shrugs* Just curious if anyone else thought the same.)