Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt 2: Grading and reviews

[Procutus]

In terms of shortcomings of the series as a whole, I think the film version of Harry/Ginny suffered a lot due to running-time issues. It's not an amazing story in the book either, but I liked it fine; however, the films barely have room for Ginny even when she's plot-relevant (ie, Chamber of Secrets), and it's not helped by the fact that there are two other much more plot-relevant female characters (Hermione and Luna) who share a lot more screentime with Harry and are played by actresses who have much more chemistry with Daniel Radcliffe (Bonnie Wright does fine with what she's given, mind you).

I was thinking much the same thing last night while the Missus and I were re-watching Part 1. I've always thought that Emma and Daniel had much better chemistry together than Em and Rupert or Dan and Bonnie. Even reading the books early on, I thought that Rowling should've steered the two characters together at the end.

But as a writer, I fully respect that it's J.K.'s world and her characters and her decision to steer them as she sees fit. It is a shame though that the films didn't allow for more time to make the Harry/Ginny relationship work better. I'm judging by your comments that Luna played a fairly important role in Part 2 (it's been awhile since I read the novel, so I can't remember all the details of the second half).

 

[Neroon]

My problem with the films' depiction of the Harry/Ginny relationship is that it doesn't have the spark and passion that the books had.

I'm still intending to see it one more time before posting more detailed and complete thoughts.

 

[Procutus]

My problem with the films' depiction of the Harry/Ginny relationship is that it doesn't have the spark and passion that the books had.

Agreed. I just can't quite decide if it's because of the limitations of fitting the story into a film format, or because Dan and Bonnie just don't really have on-screen chemistry. I tend to lean towards the latter; there were far more sparks in that brief dance scene in the tent between Harry and Hermione in Part 1 than the whole of the Harry/Ginny relationship.

 

[CaptainCanada]

I'm judging by your comments that Luna played a fairly important role in Part 2 (it's been awhile since I read the novel, so I can't remember all the details of the second half).

She doesn't have a huge part, but she's more involved in Harry's quest than Ginny is.

On the page, I never really thought Harry/Luna would work because she's such an oddball, but I find their interactions onscreen interesting enough to be interested to see how it might play out.

 

[Procutus]

The actress who plays Luna is just so good with the delivery of her lines. I smile and laugh every time she's on-camera.

 

[C_Miller]

This is obvious. However, if the books and movies are going to be named "The Deathly Hallows," one would expect said Hallows to be the focus of the story.

In all fairness, I somewhat agree with you. I actually hated Book 7. I thought it was poorly written, clumsy, and all together and fairly inadequate conclusion to a book series that was a decade in the making for the fans and nearly two decades in the making for the author. It seemed like she had entirely forgotten the conventions of storytelling and logic when it comes to the unfolding of the plot. The Deathly Hallows are such an example.

They are the very definition of a Deus Ex Machina, the Elder Wand especially. You shouldn't introduce the key to defeat the villain in the final act. It makes it seem like you have no clue what you're doing and no amount of explanation will solve that problem. You have to understand, for many fans of the book (myself included) found out about the Deathly Hallows a mere could of hours before the Elder Wand was used to kill Voldemort. At least fans of the movie were able to digest it over the period of many months to digest their existence as part of the mythology. The book readers had a very short 14 chapters between the introduction of them and the "kill shot." NO! Bad writing!

I must commend Steve Kloves and perhaps even the editors for telling the story to end the series, rather than wasting time on things that no matter how much explanation is given, no one will care about.

*Again, I only speak for myself, but most of the people I know share my feelings*

 

[Hound of UIster]

I agree. Trimming out the plot devices really helped the movie.

 

[Checkmate]

By the time you get the words of the spell out you're already shot.

Not if it was, you know, a ward. Or you "won initiative" and went first (since, you know, they require physical actions to use; guns aren't supernatural and capable of defeating anything they come across). Or any other number of actions or contingencies. Nor do guns guarantee an instant kill, or even a hit. Especailly in untrained hands, like oh I don't know, school children. Nevermind the fact that most supernatural creatures are just flat out immune to gunfire in modern mythology.

 

[MNM]

I saw it today, I thought it was a decent film, better than the book (which I didnt like), though I did find the 1st part better overall.

Some of the stuf was good, Voldemort vs Harry at the end, the overall battle at Hogwarts, Snape vs McGonagall.

Whereas the stuff I didnt like in the books, Harry/Ginny, Ron being able to open the Chamber of secrets, I still didnt care for on screen.

I thought the dragon thing could have been a bit more... spectacular, I suppose though. Though Emma Watson looked good dressed as Bellatrix!

The film did have a great little scene. Now, my favourite scene of the whole series is from the first Deathly Hallows, where Harry and Hermione dance away in the tent. No scene in any of the previous films beats that little scene in terms of my enjoyment.

But a small scene in this movie rivals that one. Harry's about to go into the forest, tells Ron and Hermione that he thinks he knows why he can hear the Horcruxes, and then to Hermione says "I think you know too". She starts to cry, he tears up, neither has to say what the reason is, she says "I'll go with you", he tells her to stay there as clearly he has to go alone, and she rushes over and hugs him. Loved it.

Something I didnt think was good was the cgi aging in the epliogue, some of them, especially Ron, did not look good.

Oh and there was one more thing that made me smile. As the epilogue finishes, we see Harry Ron and Hermione watch the train pull away, the camera moves in on them, the people to the side fade away leaving just two faces, and the last thing you see before the screen goes black is Harry and Hermione stood next to each other smiling, centre screen.

I smiled, maybe shipper bias filtered through for that moment, but I liked it anyway!

 

[DarthPipes]

I would have liked Harry and Luna. They have a potential set-up for a relationship at the end of the OOTP book and I certainly wouldn't have minded if they had gone in that direction. Rowling built up Harry/Ginny well in HBP then you barely saw any interaction between the two of them after the kiss. It's like Rowling is incapable of showing Harry being happy for more than two consective pages.

Don't get me wrong, I understand why Harry is often in a bad mood in the later books. When you have to deal with what he has to and all the pressure, you wouldn't be in a great mood either. But I liked seeing a more happy Harry in the movies.

But at the same time, I think the films have been afraid of showing Harry and Dumbledore in a negative light. We don't see much of his reckless temper or single-mindedness. They changed how they got caught by the Snatchers in the first film. It was Harry getting all fixated by the Deathly Hallows and accidentally saying Voldemort's name. Excuse me if I'm all over the place with my thoughts here.

I must commend Steve Kloves and perhaps even the editors for telling the story to end the series, rather than wasting time on things that no matter how much explanation is given, no one will care about.

The sad part with Kloves is he's excellent in portraying the dynamic between Harry, Ron, and Hermione. He's capable of creating some wonderful original moments, like Slughorn's goldfish story in HBP. But he's also very, very, very capable of taking a great scene in the books and making it a lousy scene in the movies.

Take Neville's speech in front of Voldemort. In the book, Neville keeps is straight to the point, denouncing Voldemort and yelling out "Dumbledore's Army!" That leads to a badass scene where Voldemort puts the Sorting Hat on Neville and lights him on fire. Short, effective, and badass. In the movie, Kloves writes a sloppy, uninspired speech for Neville that just doesn't come off well. He has Neville put the sword in front of Voldemort, which is cool. But no fire scene, which would have been a great visual. That's Kloves taking a great scene and making it shitty, which he truly excels at.

Also, what was with Hermione coming up with the idea to escape on the dragon? That was Harry's idea in the book. It was bad enough when Kloves was giving Super Hermione all of Ron's best moments in the earlier films but now he has to give her Harry's heroics too?

 

[Crewman47]

I haven't read any of the books, yet, and I've loved all the movies and even after watching this one I just need to ask a question. Where were all the parents of all the students of Hogwarts and why would they send there kids to there if they thought or knew that Voldemart would likely attack like he did? I was like, these are 11 to 16 year olds and there getting killed? Seamus' mum's concerns were right in the last movie (HBP) by nearly not letting Seamus go that year. If other parents had that same concern the next year then there'd be no students at Hogwarts, except maybe for the older ones who did want to stand up for the School?

I'm Just curious.

 

[AliciaD496]

I haven't read any of the books, yet, and I've loved all the movies and even after watching this one I just need to ask a question. Where were all the parents of all the students of Hogwarts and why would they send there kids to there if they thought or knew that Voldemart would likely attack like he did? I was like, these are 11 to 16 year olds and there getting killed? Seamus' mum's concerns were right in the last movie (HBP) by nearly not letting Seamus go that year. If other parents had that same concern the next year then there'd be no students at Hogwarts, except maybe for the older ones who did want to stand up for the School?

I'm Just curious.

See part 1...Voldemort was running the ministry and passed laws requiring all half and purebloods to attend upon pain of being seen as a traitor.

I just saw the movie this morning and aside from a few gag inducing Ron/Hermione scenes (Dan and Emma have much better chemistry!) it was very good. The battle of Hogwarts was Ah-mah-zing even in 2d. Can't wait to see it on blu-ray.

 

[Sindatur]

I haven't read any of the books, yet, and I've loved all the movies and even after watching this one I just need to ask a question. Where were all the parents of all the students of Hogwarts and why would they send there kids to there if they thought or knew that Voldemart would likely attack like he did? I was like, these are 11 to 16 year olds and there getting killed? Seamus' mum's concerns were right in the last movie (HBP) by nearly not letting Seamus go that year. If other parents had that same concern the next year then there'd be no students at Hogwarts, except maybe for the older ones who did want to stand up for the School?

I'm Just curious.

Full bloods had no worries (Unless their families were actively opposing Voldemort) only the half Bloods and Muggle Borns needed to worry and they were all being rounded up. The Weasleys were an exception as far as Full Bloods go, most appreciated/supported Voldemort or didn't see any real harm in him.

 

[RoJoHen]

I must say that I have been rooting for Ron/Hermoine since "The Prisoner of Azkaban." I was going to be cranky if they didn't end up together.

 

[Gryffindorian]

I just got back from watching it with my two nieces (who are very much a fan of the series as I am) and thought it was a truly fantastic ending. Even for the matinee shows, long lines of people stood and waited outside the multiplex before going into the theater stadiums. In many ways, this movie deserves superlative designations, such as the best movie in the HP series overall, best movie SFF finale I've seen since Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, and the most emotionally charged and action-packed movie I've seen in a long time.

The ultimate battle between two main opposing forces--Harry and Voldemort--was a bit anti-climactic, and the ending was rather subdued and less emotional than some of the other scenes in the movie. The most dramatic scene without a doubt was Harry's reliving Snape's memories through the Pensieve. It brought tears to my eyes, and I could feel the "gravity" of sadness from the audience during that time. Two of the most powerful scenes in the movie was when Molly Weasley killed Bella LeStrange ("You bitch!") and when Neville slayed Nagini with Godric Gryffindor's sword. I wanted so much to applaud and exclaim "YES!" but didn't want to feel like a dumbass amongst the quiet, yet emotionally engaged audience. So I saved my applause for the ending.

The three leads (Radcliffe, Watson, Grint), along with the supporting cast (special kudos to Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith who each have such a commanding presence on the screen), have really given their best performance in this movie and will long be remembered for their roles the way Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford have gone down in cinematic history as part of the Star Wars saga.

EDIT:

I accidentally hit the Submit button. Oh, well. The visual effects and sound are topnotch, and as with Part 1, the musical score is memorable.

Overall Rating: A

 

[DimesDan]

Just got in from watching it after a very a long day. Thought it was rather good overall.

Two major points though, my missus would have preferred the final Voldemort/Potter fight to have been more like in the book (circling each other and Potter taunting Voldemort while surrounded in the Great Hall for those who haven't read the books) which I have to agree with. My main gripe is that there was no love for Professor Longbottom even though Neville was fucking awesome in the film, just a shame we didn't hear about any of his other exploits.

There was a slight continuity error, both Cho Chang and Katie Bell appeared in full uniform even though they are older than Harry.

 

[C_Miller]

Just got in from watching it after a very a long day. Thought it was rather good overall.

Two major points though, my missus would have preferred the final Voldemort/Potter fight to have been more like in the book (circling each other and Potter taunting Voldemort while surrounded in the Great Hall for those who haven't read the books) which I have to agree with. My main gripe is that there was no love for Professor Longbottom even though Neville was fucking awesome in the film, just a shame we didn't hear about any of his other exploits.

There was a slight continuity error, both Cho Chang and Katie Bell appeared in full uniform even though they are older than Harry.

I'm glad they changed the finale fight. Harry has never been portrayed as a Spider-Man esque hero. It came out of nowhere in the book.

 

[CaptainCanada]

I'm glad they changed the finale fight. Harry has never been portrayed as a Spider-Man esque hero. It came out of nowhere in the book.

I don't see how that was Spider-Man-esque at all. It's a lengthy speech explaining fully all the ways that Voldemort has erred over the course of the story.

 

[DarthPipes]

The most dramatic scene without a doubt was Harry's reliving Snape's memories through the Pensieve. It brought tears to my eyes, and I could feel the "gravity" of sadness from the audience during that time.

Definitely. I loved the score too for the scene where Snape reveals his patronus.

Definitely needed Harry's verbal smackdown on Voldemort and an audience watching Voldemort die.

 

[gblews]

Just saw it today. What a satisfying ending to a great story.

(I have not read any of the books.).

One of the things I have been most anticipating since seeing pt. 1, was getting the story on Snape -- and what a story it was. He turns out to be a hero afterall, that made me feel good. And seeing Harry name his son after Snape -- sublime.

Loved the whole "19 years later". I was really hoping we would get something like this. I wanted to finally see Harry happy.

Sad to think that it is all over for now. Figure it will take at least 10 years before the studio tries for a reboot.

It's very likely I'll see it again before it leaves theaters. Well done, very well done.