Deathly Hallows Part 2 Thoughts
Jul. 20th, 2011 12:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
laialdaSaw it the movie twice over the past few days and I feel after the second viewing I'm up to writing my feelings and thoughts on how everything was done.
Right off the bat I like the little bit of lay over to remind us where part 1 ended (Voldie getting the elder wand). Lord of the Rings did this and it works wonderfully there too. But what I really loved in the first few minutes was the conversation with Griphook. LOVED this scene! It really stayed true to how goblins acted in the books and movies and I'm so happy they did that. Yes, Griphook is a bastard for what he does by ditching them but shame on the trio for thinking goblins are like other people. They're not. They have different goals and priorities in life and I really think this movie did a good job showcasing that. I'd like to think we'll see less fanfics with the goblins wanting to make friendship bracelets with Harry and be his bestest friend...but I know this won't happen.
In conjunction with that scene is the one where they raid the vault. Bellatrix playing Hermione was really well done, though it made me sad they did the whole 'your voice doesn't change with poly-juice for our audience' thing in the movie. That whole sequence really showcases how with a good actor/actress you don't need to rely on that mechanic. It comes through in the performance. Anyway, well done scene all around. Pretty much how I pictured things went as I read that part of the book. Love how much we can see Hermione has grown as a character as well here.
Harry talking about Voldemort's reaction to his soul piece missing leaves me squirming with unease. While on one hand I enjoyed the how it was visually presented, on the other it sort of contradicts the whole 'he can't feel it when a piece of his soul dies' that they'd stuck to up until that point. I understand why it was done for the movie...sort of, but I'm not very pleased with it. In the books it showcased how much he wasn't human by not feeling it when parts of him where being killed off, where as here it's just sort of used to build tension. Harry's little quip about their plans never working right after that scene did make me giggle though. :D Also, loved the casual why everyone was changing in front of each other. They've been stuck in a ten for months, of course they're personally boundaries are going to be lowered.
While I wasn't pleased with how the Hogsmeade break in was resolved, I did get a little thrill to see that when they were in the town, it resembled the one designed for the theme park:
Ignoring my friend mugging it for the camera, see the area on the right? The one blocked by the sales push cart? That's the place with all the tables and benches that the trio hide under/around in the movie. There's more space here at the park than on the movie set (crowd control reasons obviously) but right across from it is the covered entrance from the movie which just so happens to be:
The entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. That scene made my fangirlness happy to see the park received that much thought and faithfulness put into it.
Anyway, wasn't completely happy with how Aberforth was dealt with. They got the core of his character and feelings for Albus nicely done...but it feels very surface only. I know it's because they didn't have much time, it being a movie and all, but still, made me sad.
LIKED the way the Room of Requirement looked as the ultimate slumber party as that's how I pictured it in the book as well as how the students/friends reacted to Harry telling them what he was there for. Well done. Did not like how Harry's discovery at being in Hogwarts was dealt with though. It felt so very....forced and convenient here where as in the book it held a lot more tension I think. Course since they had the whole 'feeling his soul dying' thing for Voldie I suppose they didn't have a choice. Overall, lots of did not want/like until the battle preparations start.
Sorta upset that it was only the entrance stone armor pieces that came to life and not suits in the castle, but understood how that couldn't work they'd not been in any of the movies. Much of the small changes and general way the Battle for Hogwarts was dealt with sat fine with me. (Speaking of, so stealing Kingsly's spell! I don't know what it was but it was awesome! XD Yay or a break from jets of light that act like bullets...) So here are the highlights of things that stood out to me in a good or bad way:
-Good: Showcasing of Snape/Harry's memories. Really torn out my heart hearing Lily say those things to Harry there but also loved how they brought the point home that Snape really could not have cared less about Harry in all of this. Point in one, leaving crying baby in crib while weeping over dead body. Some people say this romanticized his feelings for Lily but I really don't think so. I veered the other way when seeing it really.
-Good: Okay, labeling this as good only for actors. I did not like the scene where Harry sort of says goodbye to Ron and Hermione being added, but I did like how in character the actors were here. God the bond between Harry and Hermione is just palpitable in this scene along with Ron's silent understanding. Beautifully done unlike Harry and Ginny's awkard kiss...just...no. That needs to go away.
-Good: Harry's conversation with his dead parents/guardians. His mom got center stage here but everyone's lines really hit all the right notes and I wasn't even bothered that Harry hardly looked at his dad. His mother's cries have haunted his dreams for years and while he idolizes both his parents, his recent viewing of moments from his mom's life would certainly leave a greater impact. Pet peeve though, why did they pic actors who look like their in their 30s? Lily and James died young. Only 20 maybe 22. Did they magically age in the afterlife?
-Good: Harry's conversation with Dumbledore. Really liked this as it just hit all the right notes. I think they changed how the soul piece looked under the bench but other then that really enjoyed this scene. Dumbledore and Harry are right in character and play well off each other I think. The sudden bright light transition did not make my eyes happy though. >.<
-BAD: Changing Neville's moment where he kills Nagini. Honestly? This scene right here made me the most upset out of any changes in this movie. Why? Why was Neville's epic moment taken away? In the book it really shows how Neville has grown away form a fumbling nervous wreck that gets by on luck when he kills Nagini in front of everyone. How it really could have been either Harry or Neville that the prophecy was about as they both had what it took to be more and it was just Voldemort's choice that decided which one get the short stick. But in the movie they just...fall flat. Okay, I mean, sure, Neville now has this random heartwarming speech to rally the troops but they took away his epic defining moment with his sudden dispatching of Nagini and I will never be happy about that. >.<
-BAD: How they handled Molly v. Bellatrix. It just felt so...staged and not a heat of the moment battle thing. Hell, the whole Weasly clan just seems to be standing there out of nowhere when Bellatrix shows up and NONE of them bother to aide in the defense of Ginny against a known psycho killer besides Molly. WHY?!! The whole fight felt forced and dull and I hated it.
-BAD: Harry defeating Voldemort. His confrontation with Voldie in the books isn't as action packed but it has a larger impact on the magical community as a whole I feel. Not to mention that, ya know, people actually witnessed that death. They just sort of take for granted that everyone will trust Harry when he says he killed Voldemort. While the scene isn't horrible, I just didn't like the way it was handled.
-Sort of Good: Harry destroying the Elder Wand. Never understood why he didn't do this in the books really after he fixed his own wand but I'm not in love with the idea either. Still, I think it was very in character for Harry to just casually do it like he did. He didn't need it , didn't want it, and didn't want anyone else to use it. Answer: destroy it. XD
-BAD: The entire 19 years later scene. It wasn't needed in the books and it really wasn't needed here. The aging make up was generally horrible and the scene served no purpose to movie but to make me upset I think. Albus Severus sounds even worse spoken if anything. It was just a lot of do not want.
Overall? I think it wasn't that bad. You really have to take the movies as a separate universe from the books I think if you're a fan but I don't think the movie was horrible. Certainly not the worst of the franchise by any stretch of the imagination. I hold movie 6 in that lovely spot of honor. So much so that when I was given a run down of the movie by my friend (pictured above) I quickly changed my mind on wanting to see it.
Right off the bat I like the little bit of lay over to remind us where part 1 ended (Voldie getting the elder wand). Lord of the Rings did this and it works wonderfully there too. But what I really loved in the first few minutes was the conversation with Griphook. LOVED this scene! It really stayed true to how goblins acted in the books and movies and I'm so happy they did that. Yes, Griphook is a bastard for what he does by ditching them but shame on the trio for thinking goblins are like other people. They're not. They have different goals and priorities in life and I really think this movie did a good job showcasing that. I'd like to think we'll see less fanfics with the goblins wanting to make friendship bracelets with Harry and be his bestest friend...but I know this won't happen.
In conjunction with that scene is the one where they raid the vault. Bellatrix playing Hermione was really well done, though it made me sad they did the whole 'your voice doesn't change with poly-juice for our audience' thing in the movie. That whole sequence really showcases how with a good actor/actress you don't need to rely on that mechanic. It comes through in the performance. Anyway, well done scene all around. Pretty much how I pictured things went as I read that part of the book. Love how much we can see Hermione has grown as a character as well here.
Harry talking about Voldemort's reaction to his soul piece missing leaves me squirming with unease. While on one hand I enjoyed the how it was visually presented, on the other it sort of contradicts the whole 'he can't feel it when a piece of his soul dies' that they'd stuck to up until that point. I understand why it was done for the movie...sort of, but I'm not very pleased with it. In the books it showcased how much he wasn't human by not feeling it when parts of him where being killed off, where as here it's just sort of used to build tension. Harry's little quip about their plans never working right after that scene did make me giggle though. :D Also, loved the casual why everyone was changing in front of each other. They've been stuck in a ten for months, of course they're personally boundaries are going to be lowered.
While I wasn't pleased with how the Hogsmeade break in was resolved, I did get a little thrill to see that when they were in the town, it resembled the one designed for the theme park:
Ignoring my friend mugging it for the camera, see the area on the right? The one blocked by the sales push cart? That's the place with all the tables and benches that the trio hide under/around in the movie. There's more space here at the park than on the movie set (crowd control reasons obviously) but right across from it is the covered entrance from the movie which just so happens to be:
The entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. That scene made my fangirlness happy to see the park received that much thought and faithfulness put into it.
Anyway, wasn't completely happy with how Aberforth was dealt with. They got the core of his character and feelings for Albus nicely done...but it feels very surface only. I know it's because they didn't have much time, it being a movie and all, but still, made me sad.
LIKED the way the Room of Requirement looked as the ultimate slumber party as that's how I pictured it in the book as well as how the students/friends reacted to Harry telling them what he was there for. Well done. Did not like how Harry's discovery at being in Hogwarts was dealt with though. It felt so very....forced and convenient here where as in the book it held a lot more tension I think. Course since they had the whole 'feeling his soul dying' thing for Voldie I suppose they didn't have a choice. Overall, lots of did not want/like until the battle preparations start.
Sorta upset that it was only the entrance stone armor pieces that came to life and not suits in the castle, but understood how that couldn't work they'd not been in any of the movies. Much of the small changes and general way the Battle for Hogwarts was dealt with sat fine with me. (Speaking of, so stealing Kingsly's spell! I don't know what it was but it was awesome! XD Yay or a break from jets of light that act like bullets...) So here are the highlights of things that stood out to me in a good or bad way:
-Good: Showcasing of Snape/Harry's memories. Really torn out my heart hearing Lily say those things to Harry there but also loved how they brought the point home that Snape really could not have cared less about Harry in all of this. Point in one, leaving crying baby in crib while weeping over dead body. Some people say this romanticized his feelings for Lily but I really don't think so. I veered the other way when seeing it really.
-Good: Okay, labeling this as good only for actors. I did not like the scene where Harry sort of says goodbye to Ron and Hermione being added, but I did like how in character the actors were here. God the bond between Harry and Hermione is just palpitable in this scene along with Ron's silent understanding. Beautifully done unlike Harry and Ginny's awkard kiss...just...no. That needs to go away.
-Good: Harry's conversation with his dead parents/guardians. His mom got center stage here but everyone's lines really hit all the right notes and I wasn't even bothered that Harry hardly looked at his dad. His mother's cries have haunted his dreams for years and while he idolizes both his parents, his recent viewing of moments from his mom's life would certainly leave a greater impact. Pet peeve though, why did they pic actors who look like their in their 30s? Lily and James died young. Only 20 maybe 22. Did they magically age in the afterlife?
-Good: Harry's conversation with Dumbledore. Really liked this as it just hit all the right notes. I think they changed how the soul piece looked under the bench but other then that really enjoyed this scene. Dumbledore and Harry are right in character and play well off each other I think. The sudden bright light transition did not make my eyes happy though. >.<
-BAD: Changing Neville's moment where he kills Nagini. Honestly? This scene right here made me the most upset out of any changes in this movie. Why? Why was Neville's epic moment taken away? In the book it really shows how Neville has grown away form a fumbling nervous wreck that gets by on luck when he kills Nagini in front of everyone. How it really could have been either Harry or Neville that the prophecy was about as they both had what it took to be more and it was just Voldemort's choice that decided which one get the short stick. But in the movie they just...fall flat. Okay, I mean, sure, Neville now has this random heartwarming speech to rally the troops but they took away his epic defining moment with his sudden dispatching of Nagini and I will never be happy about that. >.<
-BAD: How they handled Molly v. Bellatrix. It just felt so...staged and not a heat of the moment battle thing. Hell, the whole Weasly clan just seems to be standing there out of nowhere when Bellatrix shows up and NONE of them bother to aide in the defense of Ginny against a known psycho killer besides Molly. WHY?!! The whole fight felt forced and dull and I hated it.
-BAD: Harry defeating Voldemort. His confrontation with Voldie in the books isn't as action packed but it has a larger impact on the magical community as a whole I feel. Not to mention that, ya know, people actually witnessed that death. They just sort of take for granted that everyone will trust Harry when he says he killed Voldemort. While the scene isn't horrible, I just didn't like the way it was handled.
-Sort of Good: Harry destroying the Elder Wand. Never understood why he didn't do this in the books really after he fixed his own wand but I'm not in love with the idea either. Still, I think it was very in character for Harry to just casually do it like he did. He didn't need it , didn't want it, and didn't want anyone else to use it. Answer: destroy it. XD
-BAD: The entire 19 years later scene. It wasn't needed in the books and it really wasn't needed here. The aging make up was generally horrible and the scene served no purpose to movie but to make me upset I think. Albus Severus sounds even worse spoken if anything. It was just a lot of do not want.
Overall? I think it wasn't that bad. You really have to take the movies as a separate universe from the books I think if you're a fan but I don't think the movie was horrible. Certainly not the worst of the franchise by any stretch of the imagination. I hold movie 6 in that lovely spot of honor. So much so that when I was given a run down of the movie by my friend (pictured above) I quickly changed my mind on wanting to see it.
