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

[RoJoHen]

Well, Goblet of Fire is generally pointless until the last 10-15 minutes. I like it, but it's not really about anything.

I made the decision not to read any of the book until all the movies were made. I was enjoying them just fine on their own merits, and I didn't want to constantly be making comparisons.

 

[HoneyBLilly]

I read four of the books before the movies were out. I try not to make comparisons but when they change something little, but incredibly significant, it'll drive me crazy.

Goblet of Fire completely erased some of my favorite parts, as did Order of the Phoenix.

However for some strange reason the last 15 minutes of each of those movies are some of my favorites of the whole movie franchise.

 

[RoJoHen]

However for some strange reason the last 15 minutes of each of those movies are some of my favorites of the whole movie franchise.

Because they're brilliant.

 

[HoneyBLilly]

However for some strange reason the last 15 minutes of each of those movies are some of my favorites of the whole movie franchise.

Because they're brilliant.

Well yeah.

I mean what could possibly go wrong with Fetusmort rising out of a cauldron and the Voldemort/Dumbledore fight.

Plus Sirius punching Lucius Malfoy

 

[Gryffindorian]

This is awesome. HP 7.2 has surpassed The Dark Knight's record for highest weekend opening.

Link

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

^Though, technically, the 3D and inflation have helped. It actually sold less tickets than The Dark Knight.

 

[Lt. Trull]

I saw the movie in imax 3d.... nicely done I must say.... But, I missed Kreacher.... missed all the magic folk....
centaurs, Gawp... Why show him at all in the movie when u dont use him for what he was acquired for....

 

[Gryffindorian]

^Though, technically, the 3D and inflation have helped. It actually sold less tickets than The Dark Knight.

Fewer tickets. I see.

 

[Silvercrest]

I saw it.

I loved it.

When I feel better I will go and see it again. It's my favorite of the series hands down.

Oliver Wood

Wait.

Where was he? I must have missed him.

I think he was the guy on the radio. "This just in: Lightning has struck!" or however it went.

The manner of Voldemort's death kind of threw me for a loop as well - it almost seemed like he started dying as soon as Nagini (his last Horcrux) was killed, and didn't even need Potter to finish him off.

Yeah... I'm trying to figure out what they were going for there. I found Voldemort's death in the book baffling and didn't think that would work onscreen. (A rebounding spell due to a technicality in wand lore? Seems to happen to him a lot!) But what actually happened was unclear. It would have made sense if he died as soon as the last Horcrux was destroyed-- there's precedent for that in other "separable soul" fantasy. But it looked to me like he started dying as soon as the wand was taken from him, which does not make sense.

The problem with the movies, though, is that they barely even touch on it. Who cares if he's the Master of Death? Him possessing all the Hallows has absolutely zero consequences.

Right. This has the same problem as HBP and, to a lesser extent, OotP, which is that the title has almost no bearing on the events of the movie.

Would have liked to see
1) a better explanation of why Harry lived,
2) a better explanation of why Voldemort died,
3) Harry repairing his own wand,
4) Fred's death shown with more impact,
5) Percy's return to the fold-- but they missed the boat on that one several movies ago.

The people in my theater actually did clap and cheer at Molly's line. I thought they were going to do so for Neville's big scene. (And I was afraid for a while there that they were going to give that to Harry. When his basilisk tooth was destroyed, I thought, "All right, that means Neville has to do it!")

I thought Neville's speech came off all right, unlike others here. I thought Snape's death and Harry's moment of understanding was perfect.

9/10.

 

[Neroon]

Oliver Wood

Wait.

Where was he? I must have missed him.

I think he was the guy on the radio. "This just in: Lightning has struck!" or however it went.[/quote]I don't think it was. It was not the same actor, at least. And I doubt Wood was still at Hogwarts at this time. Of course, that begs the question of why Katie Bell, Cho Change and Cormac were still there.

Yeah... I'm trying to figure out what they were going for there. I found Voldemort's death in the book baffling and didn't think that would work onscreen. (A rebounding spell due to a technicality in wand lore? Seems to happen to him a lot!) But what actually happened was unclear. It would have made sense if he died as soon as the last Horcrux was destroyed-- there's precedent for that in other "separable soul" fantasy. But it looked to me like he started dying as soon as the wand was taken from him, which does not make sense.

That perturbed me a bit, too. Harry wins the battle and the Elder Wand transfers its allegiance to him.... but Voldemort should still have been intact. Or so I thought

Right. This has the same problem as HBP and, to a lesser extent, OotP, which is that the title has almost no bearing on the events of the movie.

I have to disagree here. The titles seemed to be handled alright as part of the story. They could have been focused on a bit more perhaps, but I didn't really sense that their presence in the executed story was lacking. If anything.... I tend to agree with the earlier contention that perhaps this whole "deathly hallows" angle seemed to come out of left field, when feature in the last of 7 books.

I thought Neville's speech came off all right, unlike others here.

It sill felt superfluous to me. We've seen Neville grow step-by-step in the previous books, so this speech felt tacked on and not terribly effective. It felt more as if the filmmakers had to keep reminding us that Neville was now a bad-ass of some kind, that he could so easily have been the Chosen One. Heh.... most of the folks I have watched it with both times tend to agree, but as always YMMV.

I thought Snape's death and Harry's moment of understanding was perfect.

Now that I completely agree with!!!

 

[Gryffindorian]

FWIW, Rowling orginally wanted to name the seventh book Harry Potter and the Elder Wand, which would have had more bearing on the plot, but she decided to go with The Deathly Hallows.

It could very well have been Harry Potter and the Horcruxes. The horcruxes and the hallows did have significance in the story, although they might not have been the main focus.

 

[RoJoHen]

Yeah... I'm trying to figure out what they were going for there. I found Voldemort's death in the book baffling and didn't think that would work onscreen. (A rebounding spell due to a technicality in wand lore? Seems to happen to him a lot!) But what actually happened was unclear. It would have made sense if he died as soon as the last Horcrux was destroyed-- there's precedent for that in other "separable soul" fantasy. But it looked to me like he started dying as soon as the wand was taken from him, which does not make sense.

I think Voldemort did start to die as soon as Neville destroyed the last horcrux, but it took a moment for it to kick in. Harry simply took advantage of that moment by disarming Voldemort since he probably didn't know exactly what was going to happen next.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

^Though, technically, the 3D and inflation have helped. It actually sold less tickets than The Dark Knight.

Fewer tickets. I see.

Yes, because my poor grammar was really the crux of that argument.

 

[HoneyBLilly]

I saw it.

I loved it.

When I feel better I will go and see it again. It's my favorite of the series hands down.

Oliver Wood

Wait.

Where was he? I must have missed him.

I think he was the guy on the radio. "This just in: Lightning has struck!" or however it went.

No, that was a current student who was hiding from the regime.

I found Oliver earlier, you see him for a split second, he's the one who leads the airstrike on the Death Eaters. He's the one who yells "Come on" on the broom and the camera follows him

 

[suarezguy]

Re: Harry Potter and teh Deathly Hallows, Pt 2: Grading and reviews

Best aside from Prisoner of Azkaban and merits a B but not flawless.

Pros
The cast, especially Smith and Lynch.
Harry welcoming help rather than yet again insisting others shouldn't assist.
Snape being a heroic, conflicted tragic figure (rather than highly admirable) and Harry a (revivable) Horcrux were more believable and Draco's role more interesting.
Gambon played well Dumbledore's eccentricity and interactions with Snape and Harry.
The damage done to Hogwarts was well-depicted and seeing the Chamber of Secrets again was fun.
Ron's attitude, including his attraction to Hermione.
Harry and Voldemort's air tumble was a great reflection of Harry's first flight, the attacking troll and Gringotts were also good reflections.

Mixed
I liked the more action-packed confrontation between Harry and Voldemort but not that the latter's end came with no one else rather than a crowd present.
The reuses of Williams's themes were good but usually a little too much.
There was an alright farewell with Hagrid but there could have been more.
The minimalist dialogue between the trio in the two endings was interesting but almost too much for being a row.

Cons
Hermione was a little too much in the background.
The spiders were pretty wasted.
I didn't see why Harry had to die by Voldemort's doing.
The snitch reappearing felt too sudden and unexplained.
Voldemort hugging Malfoy felt too inconsistent with his arrogance and his general offer inconsistent with his (and most of his followers') contempt for "mudbloods."
Molly's line felt very unnatural, especially given how easily she then seemed to defeat Bellatrix.
Neville not trying to kill Nagini right after his speech.
The setting-up of Neville/Luna felt too forced, especially their final scene. Neville's son (?) appearing at the end with a frog was too much.

 

[DeadmeatDiggory]

I don't know if anyone has posted this, but I noticed a lack of a Wormtail death scene, am I wrong?

 

[HoneyBLilly]

I don't know if anyone has posted this, but I noticed a lack of a Wormtail death scene, am I wrong?

Now that you mention it there wasn't one was there?

Shame. That was something I was looking forward too

 

[Shazam!]

How did Luna end up in the Room Of Requirement?

 

[OmahaStar]

I saw it.

I loved it.

When I feel better I will go and see it again. It's my favorite of the series hands down.



Wait.

Where was he? I must have missed him.

I think he was the guy on the radio. "This just in: Lightning has struck!" or however it went.

No, that was a current student who was hiding from the regime.

I found Oliver earlier, you see him for a split second, he's the one who leads the airstrike on the Death Eaters. He's the one who yells "Come on" on the broom and the camera follows him

Yep, that's him. It's a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo, like several of the cameos. Glad someone else spotted Wood.

 

[RoJoHen]

How did Luna end up in the Room Of Requirement?

Perhaps she required it?

Actually, I have a question about the Room of Requirement for those who have read the books. In "Order of the Phoenix," the Room of Requirement is a room that appears when a person is in need of it, and it changes to fit the seeker's needs. In "Half-Blood Prince" and now "Deathly Hallows," it's just a giant room full of shit that people are trying to hide. What gives?