Same tentative spoiler warning as above!




Well, I think DH1 had a very dark feel.. The colours were grey and it was like it reflected the constant stress and depression the characters were under. They were being chased and hunted while they had just seen Snape killing Dumbledore - and were now on a dangerous mission to find horcruxes. And of course when Dobby dies. I actually cried.. and I'm not the one to cry to HP-movies in general. So yes, I found it very dark.

As for the Half-Blood Prince.. I don't remember it much as I have only seen it once but it definitely were darker too. When Harry goes with Dumbledore to the cave to find the horcrux. And of course the scene in the Astronomy Tower.. It was so dramatic, moving, and it had me on the edge of my seat even know I already knew what was going to happen.

I had none of those feelings when seeing DH2.

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I am asking, because, to be honest, I don't like darkness in HP. I think Half-Blood Prince was one of the worse made movies, very illogical and sad. I search for light in Harry Potter.

I don't like the last book, because its very different than others and I found myself not reading it to the very end. The same was with first part of Deathly Hallows movie.

I think that HP will always stay for me as outstressing movie

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I went to see it last night! It was really awesome and I felt like some parts were done extraordianary well by the director, but some they just failed to compete with the book. In the end I felt like too much important stuff was left aside.

Since David Yates directs HP movies I feel like they go downstairs. Part 5 was the worst in my eyes, 6 wasnt that good as well. I got a little hope with 7.1 and in the end it of 7.2 I found it good, but still, I think it could have been better. David Yates is not a guy who stays close to the book, but in the case of Harry Potter I think he should be compelled to stay close to the book! The film is about the book after all and the book is the best fantasy book ever made (even better than lotr). Thats what PJ did way better than david yates. PJ stayed way more closer to the book which gave a better result after all.

So good movie in the end, but it can not match with the book.

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With love, by Lembas.

'The rewards of flirting are more greater than the risks, be sexy and provocative.'

I am seeing it tonight!!!! It's a bitter sweet moment. Surprisingly, I cried when dobby died in the book, but not in the movie. My friend and I made costumes and I think they turned out okay. I decorated my WHOLE house like Hogwarts.

Had to post one more time before I'm off to the cinema.

Eä: I admit I have been a little worried about that sort of thing where it's a really serious moment and then the characters make some sort of slapstick comedic effort that comes out flat. It's happened a few times with past films, and I had really hoped they would leave that out of these films. Anyway, it's interesting to read all of your comments about how some of you wanted it to be a dark film and others wanted it light. Interesting. Also, I'm not surprised Yates left out a lot of stuff that doesn't concern Harry. He's been doing that since OotP [actually, I think Alfonso Cauron started it all the way back in PoA], and honestly, I think it's the only way you can skim down movies of this size.

Anyway . . . if Snape makes more than a thirty second appearance I think I will be wholly satisfied. See you on the other side!

Spoiler? Not really...




Larael: Snape had too major scenes.. but what scenes.. I got goose bumps. I so need to get a Snape banner!

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>>Be the change you wish to see in the world<<



Banner credit: Shadowcat & Nurrantiel Mashiara

*covers ears and eyes*

LALALALALA NOT LISTENING.

I'm off to see it in errrrr 4.5 hours Well, okay, off to grab coffee and get in line...won't be seeing it for more like 7.5 hours. So I'll weigh in either really late tonight or sometime tomorrow with any thoughts. I've managed to stay remarkably spoiler-free! HUZZAH!

IT ALL ENDS TONIGHT ZOMG.

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Just got back from the midnight premier! It was AWESOME! I totally cried though.... I feel sad now that it's all over. I grew up with Harry Potter.

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"There's an ocean between.....where I am and where I want to be"

Alright. *takes deep breath* I woke up this morning alive and well, so obviously my prediction that once HP ended the world would end as well has not held up. I've had a cup of tea now and a good cry last night, so all is right with the world.

SPOILERS BELOW!!!










I think it's safe to say that on a surface level all of my fears for this film were ill-placed. I say on a surface level because I don't think I was truly capable of scrutinising this film as heavily as I do the others. First, I didn't feel very well when the film started [luckily, I perked up a bit as the film moved along and was not incapacitated enough to leave the cinema], and second, I was extremely emotional during this film. So emotional I think I made some of my stoic fellow Brits a little uncomfortable. There were so many wonderful things I appreciated about this film: its scope and beauty, the portrayal of the characters, the depth of emotion, and the homages/references to previous films. The length of the film was especially appealing; it had a wonderful pace and rhythm and hardly felt rushed.

Maybe I'm erring on the side of my somewhat American tendencies [no offense to you lovely chaps], who are generally more enthusiastic and easier going than my fellow Brits [or even my European friends], but I found the humour in the film to be well placed. Sure, some of it was a bit slapstick, but it got the laughs it deserved, and I think most of it was in the spirit of Rowling's humour itself. The humour took us out of the macrocosm of the tragedy and chaos of the situation and gave us a wonderful glimpse of how human beings naturally behave in intense circumstances. So, the humour was hardly the films downfall [if it had one], and while I may cringe later at some of the lines, hardly any stand out in my mind now that were terrible in any way.

On to the plot . . . as I mentioned earlier, the film was fast paced but lingered where it was necessary. The Hallows subplot was hardly mentioned as an alternative to the Horcruxes, but in my opinion the internal struggle experienced by Harry would have only confused the audience and slowed the pace. The important part was the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone and those were given their moments of glory in due course. In fact, many of the loose ends we were worried about were tied up, albeit in not the manner I was expecting, but they were tied up satisfactorily [I believe] nonetheless [i.e. the locations/identities of the Horcruxes, the Elder Wand subplot, and even Dumbledore's backstory and that elusive mirror]. Where I thought I had complaints about the plot, I've found I really don't. Everything truly did work itself out in an unexpected, but straightforward and thoughtful way. At least, I came away feeling satisfied. Besides all the major events of the book happened, and that's all I really cared about anyway. Deathly Hallows is a very human story, perhaps the least "magical" out of all Rowling's books. It's full of life and death, friendship and sacrifice, the power of love and its triumph over evil; that's what's important. As Dumbledore mentions in one book or another, such things "transcend magic".

Now, I suppose I should get to the real point of this review so that I cannot be accused of rambling: Severus Snape [and by extension Alan Rickman]. I don't think I'm being dramatic when I say that if AR does not receive some sort of nomination for his final turn as Snape then committees in charge of giving out such awards are obviously blind, deaf, and dumb. Snape's death was gruesome and tragic, but his memories were gut wrenching. There was not one dry eye around me, and that scene was the first one where everyone was completely silent. Maybe it wasn't enough to get people crying, but AR's performance certainly cannot be disputed as one of his best yet.

Earlier, I discussed gore and blood with Eä, and I will admit that the battle wasn't nearly as violent and visually assaulting as I wanted it to be. There were some nasty bits [i.e. the goblins at Gringotts, Voldy's random bursts of killing, Greyback biting that young girl], but the battle was where I wanted gore. Not excessive, mind you, but if you reread what Rowling has written she speaks of bodies falling past windows, people stumbling over the dead, etc. I wanted a battle field a la Glory or Saving Private Ryan. Obviously, that would have been a bit much for a 12A rating, and maybe a bit much for my own sensibilities, but would I have liked them to attempt to go there? Yeah, a bit.

Don't get me wrong, I had some minor issues with the film. It wasn't flawless, but it was damn near that. Some parts were better than what Rowling wrote, while others would probably be best left in the pages of her book. At any rate, any problems I had are completely eclipsed by the rest of the film, and honestly, if they really bother you that much then don't watch it. I'm sure the book is waiting on your bookshelf for you to continue to enjoy the story in relative peace now that all of this is finally over.

EDIT: GAH! I completely forgot to mention the CGI in this film. The de-aging done on Snape was brilliant! [I guess they just smoothed out the lines on Rickman's face . . . ] And the epilogue, interestingly enough, was well done. I'd seen their first attempt with all of the prosthetics and makeup, and it was awful. This was subtle and realistic [although Hermione didn't look much older and Draco was perhaps a bit too old], and the result is something I could watch again and be okay with. The message of the scene was not lost, and no one in the cinema laughed, which I took to be a good sign. There was, of course, much "aw"-ing.

Usual spoiler warning (though I don't suppose anyone who doesn't want to see spoilers would go near this thread at this time ) as I shall be commenting on the lovely Larael's review.




Oh Larael, I love you, and in my own sort of way I agree with everything you said above.

I wanted to like the movie from the beginning. After having seen DH1 (which I found too slow-paced and angsty for my taste - although, I admit it stayed very true to the book), my expectations were high for this movie - and not only that. I really, truly wanted to like it. So I did! And overall I think it was a very well-rounded and balanced movie (for an adaptation of a book). It covered all the necessary parts, it stayed respectful to the book-fans and, like you said, it had references to the previous films and past and present characters. So overall I'm very satisfied and happy and positive and still claim this is one of the best movies I've seen because it fulfilled its mission.

As for the relieving/jokingly comments throughout the movie. I think overall there were too many of them. I didn't find them very funny (I did smile at a few but no one really laughed in the audience ((yes, it was a very European audience!!)). However, they weren't out of place either, and you might be right that it was actually very Rowling'esque humour. I think in the ideal world I might have like it to be a darker movie that really took a grip on my heart and gut and twisted it til it hurt - and THEN I would have loved it when there was one or two well-placed relieving comments so I could relax and get a good laugh.

And then I'm going to return to the missing dark feeling. Larael, how do you think of the general feeling of the movie? I have read a few reviews that also said that it was such a dark film where you could feel the icy presence of Voldemort in every scene. I failed to notice. I think HBP and DH1 had a lot more of this depressive mood.
Voldemort killed a random Deatheater but that was all. It didn't make an impression on me although I suppose it he did it to remind people of his evilness should anyone have forgotten.
I both liked and not liked the Battle itself. I missed all the individual parts where the characters fight, all the scores that needed settling in this final battle. We only see Mrs. Weasly and Bellatrix (not a very convincing duel though when we have seen what Bellatrix is really capable of but it has so much badass factor instead ). On the other hand, I think they did it well to show the battle going on in the background, it was both poetic and chaotic (although, it seemed a bit too easy for the trio when they were fighting their way through the castle, not getting hurt even once). And luckily they didn't drag it out to be a whole long Helm's Deep battle.. I don't think I would have liked that very much. So overall I approve!

Larael, you said you wanted your horror and gore, I could say the same for the emotions - I missed them. I never get to cry over Fred (it was Fred, right?) because I never realised that he died, same with Remus and Tonks. I loved the moment where they reach out for each other in the beginning of the battle and next thing you know they're dead.. but there is never time to properly grieve over them before they cut back to Harry and his mission.
But I cried buckets when I read the book.. so in a way I think they relied too much on people knowing the book and then drawing on the feelings and the grief that Rowling created. If I had read the book recently I think it would have been a different experience. Does that make sense?

SNAPE!!!
He was.. marvellous. Best.Performance.Ever. And the way they portrayed the most important character in the book (what.. Harry you say? Harry who?? ) was simply amazing and perfect. I loved his duel with Professor MacGonagal, his death was tragic and beautiful, and the way they did the memories was one of the best parts of the movie. So touching without being forced, and Alan Rickman struck the perfect balance between the cynical in his outward appearance and the heavy emotional baggage he had been carrying since Lily's death. Believable and beautiful. *tear*

A lot of things weren't explained to non-book fans. The Dumbledore sister Arianna (and Aberforth), the Ressurection stone (why did Harry drop it before meeting Voldemort? Didn't make sense.. if he had had the stone in his hand when he was hit by the killing curse it would have lived up to its name as the Ressurection stone. )

But this was supposed to be another overview comment, when I return next, I'll try to comment more on the actual plot and scenes in the movie.

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Banner credit: Shadowcat & Nurrantiel Mashiara

*FLAILS*

I saw it, I saw it!



Generally, I liked it. Then again I wanted to like it, so that had something to do with it. Also, just the experience of waiting 2.5 hours with a theatre full of people waaaaay more obsessive than I am (who started conducting a group singalong of The Mysterious Ticking Noise at one point) just makes it impossible NOT to have a happy outlook. It had its Issues, sure, but overall...Like! +1! Etc.

Alas, I have not had breakfast or coffee yet and am kind of speaking yawnish right now. More specific thoughts later.

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Those who have seen it...do you recommend watching it in 3D?

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I was cured all right.

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^ By me and my SS *squiggle hugs*

I really, really liked it. Thought it was very well done. Much better than I expected. I mean, I knew it'd be action packed and all but I really think the director and the actors pulled it off quite well. I'm sure I'll have more thorough thoughts later, but my toddler's been really fussy today so that's all I'll say for now. Except, well, I liked what they did with a couple of the otherwise quieter characters.

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Starting October 13th: globe trotting from my kitchen. Follow along on Cook In Fifty-Two

@ Frostie: Don't waste your money on the 3D. I didn't see it personally, but I had friends who went, and they said you couldn't even tell the difference. There was nothing that really stood out.

SPOILERS!

@ JF: The people on tumblr are really going nuts over that scene! And yes, you know that sort of thing was meant for other fans like myself, and yes, I was blubbering like an idiot throughout. I think you'll have to wait and see it in context. The memory scene itself is cut together in an interesting way, and there's quite a bit of music, so that scene is not really a true scene in itself. And yes, they did change up the line "look at me" - again, to my utter delight. Unfortunately, it's at the expense of everyone else. :/

Okay thanks for letting me know! I wasn't sure if I wanted to go and see it in 3D since it's been a while since I've seen it.

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I was cured all right.