So, bearing in mind some of the finer points have escaped my memory since my last reread, here are my bullet points (below the cut, SPOILER ALERT):
- The pacing was weird at the beginning, but once the Trio got to Hogwarts it was better. They really did flash right through Gringotts, didn't they?
- Ciaran Hinds is Aberforth Dumbledore.
- I'm going to be saying this over and over, but I just cannot believe there are people in this world who can see only the films and be perfectly content with their understanding of the story. How can you have enough Harry Potter in your life? I'm saying this as someone who likes the films and thinks David Yates was the best thing to happen to them. There's so much richness of story and characterization that is lost in translation from page to screen. Case in point: the Dumbledore's past plotline. Like I said, Hinds was a great Aberforth. I'm just sad he never got to tell the Trio about Ariana's death or delve into the heart of his resentment toward his brother. Hinds could definitely have sold that so well.
- Please put Neville's sneaking the Trio into Hogwarts and their reunion with Dumbledore's Army in the "Done Perfectly" camp. That was pretty much exactly how I imagined it when I read the book, with the awesome addition of the "Lighting has struck!" line (Pooja was really pleased with that one, haha).
- Ginny actually had shades of her book character this time around. She's still far too meek, but there were glimmers here and there of the real Ginny. I liked her reunion with Harry, their quick kiss in the midst of the battle, and Ginny's reaction to Harry's "death" (the only 100% appropriate one, in my opinion). In retrospect, Bonnie Wright wasn't meant to be Ginny, as much as I like the continuity between films. Still, she was decent in DH2.
- (For the record, here is a visual comparison between awesome, badass canon!Ginny and sweet, kind of bland film!Ginny)
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| Badass Ginny, as I see her. Art by Heather Campbell AKA makani. |
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| Film Ginny, with 50% less awesome. |
- Anywho, I was somewhat pleased with Ginny this time around. She worked, even if she wasn't entirely her.
- I was disappointed we didn't get to see the Ravenclaw Common Room, but Luna was amazing enough to make up for it. The Grey Lady was visually much like I had pictured her, although the yelling was weird and I thought that scene dragged just a bit.
- Could have done without the goose-stepping Hogwarts students, but I suppose they had to show how oppressive it had become somehow.
- Missed McGonagall's line "Potter belongs in my House," but appreciated her duel with Snape and loved her otherwise. Rock on, Maggie Smith!
- Fred and George's brief scene hurt my heart. Oh, those two. I was surprisingly mellow about Fred's death in the book (well, the death itself shocked me - I was expecting Percy to die - but I didn't get emotional about it), but I shed a couple tears over it in the film. Or at least seeing his family grieve over it, since we didn't get a death scene.
- Ron and Hermione in the Chamber of Secrets, be still my heart. I do love their kiss in the book ever so much, so I was glad at least their passion seemed to be replicated in the film, even if the exact circumstances couldn't be. I did miss Harry's hilarious line ("OI! There's a war going on!") and Hermione not making the first move (although I guess it was more of a simultaneous first move). And yeah, I would have liked to see their lips touching, but the body language says everything, doesn't it? My favorite couple in anything ever, yes indeed.
- The Fiendfyre scene was done about 90% right. I didn't like Ron's brief regression into cowardice, Hermione flying her own broom, and that they still destroyed the diadem with a basilisk fang, but I can live with these changes, at least.
- Still not sure how I feel about Lavender dying. It was ambiguous in the book, so I think it's acceptable that they went that route... and yet, it just felt overly harsh. Meh.
- So, let's talk Snape. His death scene was very well done, and changing its location didn't bother me, perhaps surprisingly, because I liked that it took place in the Shrieking Shack in the book. As for The Prince's Tale, I'll let Cleolinda, one of my favorite bloggers, speak for me:
"The thing about Snape in the books is that he is just filled with childish rage, stunted and consumed by it. And you really see the difference in that HBP I complained so much about, the part where the Death Eaters run away in triumph. Book!Snape is all frothing "HOW DARE YOU USE MY OWN SPELLS AGAINST ME!!!!!1!" Movie!Snape brings forward the element of "I'm trying to knock you down for your own good so you don't get your ass beat." There's a genuinely protective, more mature quality to the movies' Snape that you don't really have in the books--like that bit in the Prisoner of Azkaban movie where he actually puts himself between Lupin and the kids, and it looks like sincere, paternal instinct. I just really can't visualize Book!Snape doing that. I like both versions, but the memory sequence in this movie fleshes out the "sincerely protective" interpretation pretty consistently. So both versions have a nice complexity: One is a childish, spiteful man, mentally stuck in grade school, who still manages to spend his life doing incredibly patient, heroic things, even if it's for selfish reasons. The other seems to have some genuine maturity and goodness that is just completely poisoned by his hatred of Harry's father and bitterness at what could have been. The key to both is the idea that a bitter jerk can still do great things, while still also continuing to be a bitter jerk, and that's what makes Snape such a great character."
- The thing is, unlike Cleo, I'm not sure I do like movie!Snape. I mean, I don't like book!Snape either, but I don't like him because he's such a selfish jerk. A brave selfish jerk, but a selfish jerk nonetheless. Whereas with movie!Snape, he's almost too sympathetic. I really wish they'd shown us why Lily stopped being friends with him in the first place, because it's such an important and compelling part of his character development. These are the kinds of layers you don't get in the films (once again, how on earth can these films be sufficient for anyone? They're beautiful summaries, and occasionally they're great, as with this one, which is by far my favorite. But there's just SO MUCH you miss out on. Nuance, ambiguity, complexity... just, argh.) Snape is supposed to be immature and emotionally stunted, and that's part of what makes him such a well-written character. He could never get over Lily, which is sad in its own way, yet he's able to channel all his feelings into protecting Harry, who he still loathes because he is living proof of Lily's preference for another man. Okay, tl;dr. Point is, Snape is a lot more complex than the movie would lead you to believe.
- Cried at the sight of Fred, Lupin, and Tonks's bodies.
- Dan Radcliffe absolutely nailed Harry's reaction to The Prince's Tale. A++.
- Gah, really didn't like that Harry actually told Ron and Hermione what he was going to do. They would never, ever in a million years have let him go into the Forest. I think it would have been far more effective for him to come downstairs under his Cloak, see them sitting as they were in the movie, consoling one another over the deaths of their loved ones and drawing comfort from one another, and make himself continue on without stopping. I realize it would be difficult to convey his feelings on that matter as they were in the book, but friends don't let friends walk to their deaths. It's just that simple.
- Also didn't like that Hermione hugged Harry and Ron didn't, and that Hermione figured out he was a Horcrux. No, sorry. Too much.
- Hey Remus, it really stinks that your son we never met or mentioned is now a war orphan. Oh well. If I was his godfather or something at least I might be able to do something poetic for him like carry on Sirius's legacy.
- Other than that, loved the Resurrection Stone scene.
- So many mixed feelings on King's Cross. Voldy's baby-corpse thing was done perfectly, but Dumbledore the White was not. That scene felt so off, I'm sorry. It also looked a bit silly, with all the pristine brightness. I pictured it being more mysterious somehow. And great job on explaining why Harry didn't die, movie! (I criticize because I love.)
- Voldy hugging Draco will never not be hilarious.
- I liked the Malfoys' exit. A++
- Neville, you are the best ever, as is your speech.
- Did not like the final fight. I realize Harry and Voldemort circling one another while Harry talks isn't exactly the stuff of ready-made great cinema, but I can't stand gratuitous action sequences. Cannot abide them. All that flying around the castle was completely unnecessary. At least I knew it was coming, which I think helped me enjoy the movie overall.
- On the other hand, "Not my daughter, you bitch!" was perfection itself.
- Bellatrix (and later Voldemort) exploding into tiny bits was not, however. I kind of liked that Voldemort became exactly what he feared most: a dead body.
- Ron and Hermione throwing rocks at Nagini was stupid. Neville was still awesome, though.
- Neville/Luna is sort of canon! Yay!
- There should have been witnesses to the final fight. I really missed the Harry glompfest after, too.
- Didn't like that the effects of Harry's sacrifice weren't shown (Voldemort's spells not sticking, etc.).
- Actually, if you've ever seen A Very Potter Musical, the way they did much of the Deathly Hallows stuff was closer to how I saw it than in the movie. Just goes to show that fans understand the source material better than Hollywood (surprise, surprise). Irreverence aside, AVPM gets the important character moments. Their Ron and Hermione are closer to my conception of the characters than Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, except Americanized and a bit ruder (like everything else in AVPM/AVPS). Their Ginny is still severely lacking in badassery, though. I digress. My point is that if this series is ever remade, I want to see a group of dedicated fans at the helm. This should be a project made lovingly, and perhaps not necessarily with a big budget.
- Surprisingly liked the somber Great Hall after the battle. It worked for the movie, if not at all for the book.
- I liked Harry snapping the Elder Wand, although I completely forgot about his holly wand until I got on the Internet after the movie. Now I'm annoyed that they didn't show him fixing his actual wand first.
- Nice ending shot.
- Sue me, I love the epilogue. I thought it translated very well to the screen! The kids were adorable, even if the age make-up on their parents was iffy at best. I like the banter in the book but found that keeping it to a bare minimum in the film probably worked best. Little Al was so cute, and I loved the father-son hug he and Harry shared. Aww.
- I know there's a lot of negativity and criticism in this review, but I cannot adequately express how amazing I thought this movie was. 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, legitimately fantastic filmmaking, etc. I really did love it. It's Hollywood's vision of Deathly Hallows, so it will never be nearly as good as Jo Rowling's. However, it's probably the best Deathly Hallows Hollywood could have produced, and that's a big compliment coming from me. If you haven't seen this movie yet, please go as soon as you can.
Provided, of course, you've read the books first.
On an unrelated note, I have now been blogging for one year. Thank you to all my readers. It means a lot to me that you take time out of your day to look at my blog, and even more when you keep coming back. Here's to many years of blogging to come!
