First let me say, I really, thoroughly enjoyed the movie and did more than a little bouncing in my seat. The pace of the movie seemed off, with them rushing through some crucial moments. Shell Cottage felt rushed, and I get that some people thought that was a tedious part of the book... it just felt like "Hey, let's break in to Gringotts!" WhAM! Hermione is Bellatrix just like that. The Gringotts scene was super awesome!!!!! Poor dragon. :( Hogsmeade.... another RUSH moment. I know, I know, we don;t need to hear all the Dumbledore backstory, but I thought it was a little rude of the producers to make a statement about it by having Harry say, "I don't care about what went on with your brother and sister blah blah blah." Ok, smartass... (BTW... I LOVE Ciarin Hinds and was so thrilled to see him as Aberforth! He did amazing! The patronus scene at the end was one of my favorite add-ons to the film!)
Where is the flipping cloak? This seems to be a common occurance in the movies... I know, nobody wants to "see" an invisible figure for half the movie and Daniel probably needs more screentime whatever... I just had moments where I thought, if I hadn't read the books, I'd be like, "Why the flip aren't they just using that cloak of his?!" Whatever. Harry's introduction to the R of Requirement. Again, awesome. I can even handle the fact that he actually confronts Snape and Magonagal steps in. Great. That's ok. Fine. Luna showing Harry to the Grey Lady. Awesome. I love Kelly Macdonald and was so excited to see her in this film!!! The Room of Requirement scene was, next to Snape Scenes, my favorite in the movie. Very well done and I appreciated the choice of having Harry stab the Horcrux and Ron kick it back in the fire. That worked for me. The Chamber scene between Ron and Hermione was alright. A nice, cinematic addition. Tho I do wish Harry had been there to give his little jabs when they kissed. There's a time and a place, and all that... :)
Unfortunate that Fred's death and Remus and Tonks' deaths sort of just happened. It's not essential to actually see them happen, and that's ok. Just so sad.
Snape.
SO. Stinking. Perfect. I even LOVED the CGI on Alan's face. I love Alan Rickman. Brilliant actor, hands down, but I have never been a fan of him as Snape. Not that he doesn't do it justice, just that he is really too old, jowly, slightly pudgy for the part. However, I must say.... WOW. I was SO GLAD they CGI-d him to be younger. It made it seem as if... not that they chose the wrong older man for the part, but that the years have taken their toll on Snape. These scenes reaffirmed my belief in Alan Rickman as Snape. Yes, you could tell he was CGI-d, but THAT is what I picture him looking like. SO Stinking Brilliant. AND... they did him justice. His death... WOW.... Holy CRAP. Hands on my face. Brilliant. It wasn't in the Shrieking Shack, who gives a fart. It was GREAT... Guh! I wanna see it again RIGHT NOW.
*sigh*
Ok, where was I...
Harry in the Forest. This is where I teared up the most. So well done.
Harry in Kings Cross... Also well done.
Neville.
Oh, MAN. Don't get me started.
Too late, I'm started.
Neville... UGH!!!!!!
Even my husband, who is much more cinematically forgiving than I am, said, "Oh, Brother." Dagit. I don't understand why they had to mess with that. It was fantastic and would have been FINE if they had left it alone. I get that they wanted him to be heroic, but... He kills the snake in FRONT of Voldy, he doesn't get simply cast aside by Voldemort.... i'm about to tangent...
In book 5, we learn what the prophecy is all about... we also learn that it technically could have been referring to Neville OR Harry. Obviously, Voldy MADE it so that it meant Harry when he went to Godric's Hollow... but it could have meant Neville on, er, some level. So when I read that moment in the book, Neville heroically yanking the sorting hat off, pulling out the sword, and doing the deed right there... It was like he helped to fulfill the prophecy and vanquish the Dark Lord also.... and they just didn't make it feel ... yeah. So what? He stands up to the Dark Lord and he gets the sword? WHY does he get the sword? He gets the sword at THAT moment to slay the snake.... That's why. Not because in 5 minutes he's gonna have to save Ron and Hermione's tail. Yeah, it was nice to have the moment between Ron, Herms, and Harry when he was going off "to die", but there's no reason he couldn't have come across Neville at some point as well.... Kill the Snake, Neville. But Nooooo, they had Voldy just cast him aside. There's nothing heroic about that... All he had to do was KILL THE DANG SNAKE! I didn't like the way they changed it. Voldy wasn't even there when it happened. He wouldn't have let the Snake out of his sight if Harry was, obviously, still alive...
&^*$%$%^
Next to Snape, the moment I was most excited about seeing. :/
The Fight.
First, Molly Weasley is Da Bomb.
Second, *sigh* I don't have the right words so I am gonna steal from my friend Kelly. I am using her words, because they sum up my feelings... hopefully, she won't mind. :D
"Enough with the superflous cliff jumping, hollywood! AND why did Harry and Voldemort fight out in the courtyard alone? What about in the Great Hall in the middle of everyone? Wait! Because of that, we totally missed the all important theme of the entire series!!! Just as Lily's sacrifice protected Harry, Harry's sacrifice--his willingness to die--protected everyone he died for. That was why Voldemort's spells wouldn't work on anyone (which we saw none of since they were out jumping off towers).
...As it stands now: Harry sacrifices himself to kill off that piece of Voldemort, and then he's able to defeat him because he happens to know where the Elder Wand's allegiance truly lies. So, in essence, it's luck. Whereas in the book, Harry defeats Voldemort because Harry is a more powerful wizard BECAUSE he understands the most powerful magic of all: LOVE. (the theme of the entire series! HELLO!) So when he confronts Voldemort in the Great Hall (in front of EVERYONE, please, so they can see Voldemort for what he truly is), he explains to Voldemort why his spells aren't working on anyone (because of Harry's sacrifice...the magic Voldemort discounted before when Lily sacrificed herself) AND then when Voldemort is angry and frustrated, Harry tells him "why not try for a little remorse, Tom?" Again, a knowledge of a deeper, more powerful magic. And then he finishes him off with the knowledge of the Elder wand's allegiance question, Voldemort's spell rebounds, end of story."
Amen.
I'm having hot flashes just thinking about it all... seriously.
Epilogue. Kinda funny CGI, but I enjoyed it, mostly. As with any book come movie, I was sad with the minor details that were left out, but understand that they are not essential to the heart of the story.
And that is my two cents. For now. Till I think of something else.
Anyhow, it was a blast! Definitely memorable, and I am sad to see the whole movie thing done.
On another note, the kids are great and we are enjoying our summer. We haven't killed each other yet! :) I'll post more family related business another time... I'm still high on Harry.
3 comments:
1. That was a helluva two cents.
2. Xeno looks a bit pickled, LOL!
3. Your group was awesome, wish I could've been there. I would've been... er, whoever you made a costume for? Norbert the baby dragon? ;) Sure, why not.
You guys look fantastic! Can't wait to see the movie.
I didn't read the review because I haven't seen it yet - dang it! I'll have to come back and read it later. I am actually surprised you weren't Bellatrix!
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