Deathly Hallows part 1? Anyone?

[easjer]

Saw it this morning. Would love to hear what others thought.

I (per the usual) adored the twins - they blew me away. Loved Rupert Grint, didn't hate Emma Watson nearly as much as I anticipated and thought Dan Radcliffe was a wash (some great moments, some moments he was over-thinking it).

For splitting into two parts, I still thought they managed to leave a fair amount out, and I don't think I'd really follow without having read the books. I think the next one will be action-packed, and I'm looking forward to it, even knowing that my least favorite thing is yet to come in Part 2.

Anyone else?

[Fpoonsie]

I'm going to see it Thanksgiving Day. Heard from several HP-fanatics that this one was LOADS better than HBP, so I'm mos def looking forward to it.

[Fpoonsie]

Outta curiousity, eas, wouldjur "least favorite" thing in part 2 have anything to do with (possible spolier alert)...




...the twins?

[Gutter92]

Outta curiousity, eas, wouldjur "least favorite" thing in part 2 have anything to do with (possible spolier alert)...




...the twins?

my guess its either Fred dying, or Snape/Lupin/Tonks etc. dying...who knows

[Sp Ginobili 20]

I thought it was okay- I liked it. Definitely shed a few tears.

[Technique]

It was like the ultimate build up movie. The suspense onto Part 2 is excellent. I'm expecting great things from Part 2, it better be the best Harry Potter movie period.

Also, Harry Potter without Hogwarts just seems odd. It's not the same without Dumbledore and Hogwarts, seems all over the place.

[easjer]

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Also, really, really, really long.


Outta curiousity, eas, wouldjur "least favorite" thing in part 2 have anything to do with (possible spolier alert)...




...the twins?

Yep! The twins are my favorite characters in both books and movies (and I kind of totally adore James and Oliver Phelps in a totally 'dear God I would LOVE to have a pint or two with them and be friends' sort of way)(they're funny!). I was PISSED when JKR used them as the punching bags to highlight how real, scary, and gritty the war was.

Not surprised, since they were an under-utilized/ packaged/interchangable pair for much of the series who nevertheless developed a big following and packed a punch of emotional attachment regardless, but still pissed.

But the fact that they were so fucking good in this film really makes me want to see what they do with Fred's death. I've heard good things. . . I can even stand to watch it, to see them. Really, I love them, but I was genuinely impressed with their acting this go round. I would love to see them in something else, to see how they do solo. Know James did an indie film in the summer and Oliver's got a role that starts shooting in March, hope I get to see them at some point.

I had a few problems with the film (no shock, as I didn't like the book much at all), but one of the things that really stood out was how much most of these kids have learned in terms of acting. Rupert Grint was amazing. I really want to see Cherrybomb and Wild Target. The depth added in this one was great for me, because I thought he did really well in HBP, but it was mostly the comedic role, since Fred and George were absent for much of it. So it was nice to see the nuances brought out.

I think Dan Radcliffe is generally a good actor, and I know he takes classes and works hard at it. One thing that has always plagued Emma Watson that Dan managed to avoid until now was over-thinking and over-acting it. In this one, for the most part, he was terrific, but there were a few times when it seemed to me that he was so worried about pulling off this epic movie that he was just thinking about acting rather than actually acting.

Emma Watson was probably the best early on, when the characters were so flat and cartoonish and childish, but after Azkaban (which I thought she was good in), she just started trying way too hard. Her biggest low was Order of the Pheonix, which is painful to watch at times because she seemed to equate acting to moving her eyebrows a lot. I really thought this would be terrible for her, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. I didn't think she was great in it, but she didn't make me want to stab my eyes out or distract me much, so well done!

HBP vs DH. Hm. I liked HBP as a movie a great deal. Loved many aspects. Hated it as a Harry Potter film. Like OotP, too much was necessarily sacrificed to fit in a run time. I get the same feeling with DH, but it's almost bigger, because they did split this one precisely to tell the whole story. I know it's still going to be cut down, but . . . meh.

Frankly, I didn't love the whole wedding thing. They never explained how or when the Burrow was rebuilt (after inexplicably burning it down last movie ...), and I think we could have done without suddenly introducing Bill and Fleur. I guess they are needed for Shell Cottage, but not even necessarily. . . Frankly, since they left Bill out of it until now, I'd rather they'd have made the wedding Remus and Tonks' wedding (since they've been so freaking sidelined and under-utilized!) or Harry's big 17th birthday bash - the end result would have been the same, imo, for all the importance of what was revealed at the wedding.

Was both intrigued and disappointed by the big Harry/Ginny scene (much like HBP, again). Thought they were brilliant, loved the 'zip me up' moment, LOVED LOVED LOVED George being involved as he was. Thought that the poignancy and importance of that moment was lost in the fleeting nature of the shot.

Can't decide whether the Hallows stuff was good or not, because I hated it in the books. Hey, Harry - you've got this amazing power the dark lord knows not, and it's your mother's love, or love in general, but really, it's not, it's the fact that you may have tenuous-at-best claim to ownership of a wand he's going to be holding when he tries to kill you! Yeah, I know we planned out the horcrux stuff way in advance and never mentioned this other stuff, really or laid any good foundation for the wandlore at all, but work with me on this! You beat Draco, so the wand will just, like, know! For real!

The flashbacks/Voldemort visions were so fragmented and confusing that I don't think you can understand it without having read the books. And they didn't do a good job of explaining the Hallows or why they might be important to either Harry or Voldemort, which is sort of a big plot point of the books - Harry struggling with what to do, following Dumbledore's orders without enough information or guidance.

And the whole Dumbledore/mentor disgraced and possibly untrustworthy thing? That is another important, huge plot point/device that gets thrown away in the movie. It was implied - but totally lost on my husband who hasn't read the books. But it's a huge factor in Harry's character development and in the crises of what to do when they hit a wall. How can he trust Dumbledore's orders or advice when he isn't sure he could trust the man any longer?

Sigh. AND no Potterwatch? Criminal! Especially given the fact that the damn wireless got so much attention. I assumed that's why they kept showing it/bringing it up! But no. That fizzled out after the dance in the tent (which I loved and it was one moment I thought they both did brilliantly).

But there was a lot I really loved about it at the same time. . . so while I've just whinged a lot, the stuff I liked is even longer!

[easjer]

MORE SPOILERS! YOU ARE WARNED.


It was like the ultimate build up movie. The suspense onto Part 2 is excellent. I'm expecting great things from Part 2, it better be the best Harry Potter movie period.

Also, Harry Potter without Hogwarts just seems odd. It's not the same without Dumbledore and Hogwarts, seems all over the place.

Agreed. I think there was a decent amount of action in this, but I think part 2 will be lots and lots of it. I don't think they did a great job of ending it, actually. It wasn't exactly a cliffhanger and it wasn't exactly a resolution.

I think ending it right as they are at the gate of Malfoy Manor, with Bellatrix looking through the gates and the wand showing the possible scar would have been better. A bigger cliffhanger, greater "Oh Shit! How're they getting out of this?" sort of moment. I understand we're supposed to be weeping for Dobby instead, but, well, since he's annoying in the films and hasn't been seen since #2, I just shrugged (cried in the book when I read it though).

[Gutter92]

MORE SPOILERS! YOU ARE WARNED.



Agreed. I think there was a decent amount of action in this, but I think part 2 will be lots and lots of it. I don't think they did a great job of ending it, actually. It wasn't exactly a cliffhanger and it wasn't exactly a resolution.

I think ending it right as they are at the gate of Malfoy Manor, with Bellatrix looking through the gates and the wand showing the possible scar would have been better. A bigger cliffhanger, greater "Oh Shit! How're they getting out of this?" sort of moment. I understand we're supposed to be weeping for Dobby instead, but, well, since he's annoying in the films and hasn't been seen since #2, I just shrugged (cried in the book when I read it though).


A good cliffhanger would have been the dagger midair on its way to the "portal" of apparition, and it disappears in there and all you hear is '"NOOOOOO" from inside the apparition...I think, for a lot of people who haven't read the book, it would have intrigued them to see what happens next.

[CuckingFunt]

I did the whole midnight thing for this one, sans annoying dressing up. I have only read the first book -- I trust everyone's assurance that they get more challenging/grown up in their writing style as the series progresses, but the first one was almost painful in its simplicity and I have so little time available to read for fun that I just haven't been able to give it to kids books (it'll happen some day) -- but I have enjoyed all of the films.

Not being familiar with the story in advance, I liked the progression of the film a lot. But it doesn't at all surprise me to learn that a lot has been left out. I also, not knowing what's coming up in the second film (well, except the big spoiler moments, which are probably impossible not to know at this point), really appreciated the ending point for this first one. The not-quite-cliffhanger/not-quite-resolution mix was good for me. Depending on how the second film is paced I may or may not change my mind there, but in this film alone it felt right. Going in, I was worried about a cheesy Matrix Reloaded-esque "to be concluded" cliffhanger, which would have just pissed me off.

Whether or not the hallows have been treated with appropriate depth I cannot say, since I don't know the source material, but I will say that I loved the way the story was told within the film. The animation style there was stunning, and actually may have been my favorite part of the movie. That, and Dobbie dying. Not having read the books, I have absolutely no love for him as a character. Just a creepy little CGI annoyance, to me.

[easjer]

Ooooh, it's really interesting to get the perspective of someone who's never read the books. Well, SFIE never has (for the same reasons as you, CF), but got dragged along. He is not really a fan though.

It's hard to know how much the source materials make a difference. I knew/know there are problems because of issues I took with the book when it came out, but can't say what.

And yeah, Dobby in films is vastly different than Dobby in movies. I think the attachment only comes from the books - he appears with minor-yet-significant roles in 4&6 as well as two, and if they speech is servile and slinky, it's not spoken with a grating high-pitched tone.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I'd rather jack off Jerry Matthers

[Gutter92]

I'd rather jack off Jerry Matthers

or write emo PM's?

[scampers]

I watch the movies with my wife, who is the HP fanatic. I've never read the books. The last movie was horrible--I fell asleep. It's one of two movies in my entire life that I have fallen asleep to in the theater.

This one was much better. Still not as good as the IMO best movie Goblet of Fire, but it was much much better than the last. Looking forward to part 2.

[redzero]

I liked these last two Harry Potter movies more than the fourth and fifth.

Also, Nick Cave out of fucking nowhere in that dancing scene.