Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 - Discuss and Grade
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I'm looking forward to seeing this tomorrow AM.
I probably won't see this until early next week. Either way, I'm excited. I have a feeling this film won't really feel standalone, since it is the first part of a two-parter, but I have a lot of faith in David Yates as a director and I think he'll do these two final films justice.
Got my ticket for 9:10 tonight (now that I have one of those annoying "jobs", the midnight showing wasn't an option).
Saw it at the midnight premiere, and .... who! It takes a significant step toward the dark side. Not that we should be surprised, but it's good to see that actually happen. It was necessary. I felt that this film was very faithful to the book itself, almost on par with "Sorcerer's Stone". It is clear however, that they are using so much of the material from the book in order to actually merit making two films out of said book.
On the plus side:
On the negative side:
I would rate on the above scale as in between the top two spots, but closer to "Excelletn" than to "Above Average". The film clearly is a "Part 1" that cannot stand on its own, nor was it meant to. Maybe the best compliment I can give it is that it leaves me feeling like the next 8 months will be very long, indeed .
On the plus side:
- - Ron pleasantly has quite a bit more to say and do in this, and the film benefits from it quite a bit.
- - They start very quickly with the carnage, by having Hedwig get killed almost immediately and George getting his ear cursed off, graphically so.
- - Ron's splinching.. more graphic than we've seen in other films
- - plenty of nice "little touches" added greatly to the atmosphere. Lucius Malfoy constantly looking pale (ok.. more than usual), bedraggled, in need of a shave, hair quite mussed up, etc.
- - Molly Weasely looking more than worried about her family's fate
- - spectacular cinematography!
- - Daniel Radcliffe continues to impress me with his acting chops. He has great command of his facial gestures, to the point where is mastering the art of "saying more with less".
- - nice scruffy beard, Dan. You too, Rupert!
Thankfully not you, Emma 
- - Bellatrix torturing Hermione was... disturbing. And the screams are still echoing in my ears.
- - the locket takes on an almost Ring-liek personality. Culminating in a horribly effective illusion of phantom Harry & Hermione engaging in some seemingly unclothed impropriety. At least as far as Ron is concerned
- - One word: DOBBY!
- - yeah, Dobby and Kreacher looked disturbingly real, their skin tones and textures almost perfect!
On the negative side:
- - scenes in the forest seemed to drag on too much, similar as the did in the book, imho
- - the musical score... not too distinctive or memorable, but maybe that will change
- - I know Hermione in the book is capable beyond the realm of reality... but the movie seems to take that up a notch.
I would rate on the above scale as in between the top two spots, but closer to "Excelletn" than to "Above Average". The film clearly is a "Part 1" that cannot stand on its own, nor was it meant to. Maybe the best compliment I can give it is that it leaves me feeling like the next 8 months will be very long, indeed .
Will probably check it out on Saturday.
EDIT:
www.rottentomatoes.com
The movie has received a pretty good overall rating of 76% as of today, 11/19. Top Critics rating is 71%. I can hardly wait.
EDIT:
www.rottentomatoes.com
The movie has received a pretty good overall rating of 76% as of today, 11/19. Top Critics rating is 71%. I can hardly wait.
The main criticism of the people who don't like it seems to be that they don't think it should have been split; which is fair enough, but that's not a problem for me.
Interesting. I've been listening to Desplat's score a bit this week and found it genuinely enjoyable as background music while I'm working. But there is a distinct lack of Big Memorable Themes™ in the score. I was wondering how it'd translate to the screen. It's unfortunate to hear that it didn't leave a positive impression.
Actually... I think that's a more accurate way to put how I felt. Nice enough for background but nothing seems to distinguish itself as a theme. For films like this I tend to prefer more powerfully identifiable themes - not necessarily grandiose, mind you. But I like the way you describe this.
AV Club didn't seem to mind that it was split, but felt it alternated between a glacial tone and frenetic action: http://www.avclub.com/articles/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-1,47940/
I've enjoyed all the films up to this one, so I see no reason why this installment will be any different. I wouldn't go down with the ship defending any of these films, but they've managed to keep me entertained thus far. I'll probably catch this one after the quarter ends, sometime in December.
Not a Harry Potter fan. Went with the wife (who is a HUGE fan) to the 12:01am showing last night at the local Googolplex (showing on 13 screens, all sold out). Thought it was well directed and had some nice special effects, but caught myself dozing in certain parts.
I give it a C.
I give it a C.
Overall, extremely good, if necessarily incomplete; I give it a provisional A, assuming that the second half is as good, and I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be.
Given the large canvas, this is the most faithful adaptation of one of the novel since the first two in terms of contents, and unlike the first two I don't think it at times gets bogged down in faithfulness.
There's a lot of action in places, with a big stretch of the middle sort of like the Trio's version of "No Exit" (except there is an exit). Actually, Yates and co. play up their isolation even more than in the book - from the time they leave the wedding, they don't encounter a single friendly wizard (in the book they ran across a few) and the wizard radio is now just a tally of people going missing, from what we hear. In the book, Fred and George had a resistance radio program that obviously provided a bit more of a connection; I did kind of miss the whole idea of Harry as a folk hero that the radio conveyed there.
Loved the animated segment.
The actors were all great; this movie hinges more on the main three than any of the others, and they all do superbly. Grint, in particular, gets some really serious stuff to do, and does quite well with it (as well as providing his usual stellar comedy). Actually, I was surprised at how funny the movie was, and not in an inappropriate way.
And they managed to make Dobby really cool instead of kind of annoying.
Given the large canvas, this is the most faithful adaptation of one of the novel since the first two in terms of contents, and unlike the first two I don't think it at times gets bogged down in faithfulness.
There's a lot of action in places, with a big stretch of the middle sort of like the Trio's version of "No Exit" (except there is an exit). Actually, Yates and co. play up their isolation even more than in the book - from the time they leave the wedding, they don't encounter a single friendly wizard (in the book they ran across a few) and the wizard radio is now just a tally of people going missing, from what we hear. In the book, Fred and George had a resistance radio program that obviously provided a bit more of a connection; I did kind of miss the whole idea of Harry as a folk hero that the radio conveyed there.
Loved the animated segment.
The actors were all great; this movie hinges more on the main three than any of the others, and they all do superbly. Grint, in particular, gets some really serious stuff to do, and does quite well with it (as well as providing his usual stellar comedy). Actually, I was surprised at how funny the movie was, and not in an inappropriate way.
And they managed to make Dobby really cool instead of kind of annoying.
I just got back from it. I thought it was very good but I'm going to have to see it again. They changed and omitted so much stuff from the book that I found it infuriating. I think it hurt the overall narrative of the movie. Two movies and they still manage to get rid of a ton of stuff. Harry actually gets some of his more emotional and complex scenes cut. Bah!
I have to totally give a shoutout to Rupert Grint. He was far and away the best actor in the movie. Kloves FINALLY decided to write Ron correctly and Grint thrives. Funny, brave, a bit of a jerk...it's the Ron Weasley experience that has often been missing from the movies. Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson do good work too and the trio deserves credit for carrying the movie even more than they do in the past. But Grint I thought outshined them both.
-I'll echo what a previous poster said. Kreacher's face is DISTURBINGLY real.
-DOBBY! Although I don't know why he was still dressed in rags, his character makes a very welcomed return and is quite frankly awesome. Love the tag team with Kreacher when tracking down Mundungus, whose design was inexplicably changed btw.
-Bellatrix's torture of Hermione was appropriately disturbing.
-He's not in it much but a nod to Jason Issacs as Lucius. He plays the role like a man scared out of his mind and about to have a nervous breakdown.
-Loved The Three Brothers animated sequence.
-Nice way to work Neville in there with the train being stopped by The Death Eaters.
-Loved the Ministry of Magic "heist" scene. The actors standing in for the trio were quite good, despite having their voices dubbed. It leads to Harry's greatest confrontation with Umbridge.
-Disappointed that the Dudley good-bye scene was cut. Read it will be on the DVD/Blu-ray.
-I hate forests. Something about them bore me terribly. I recall being bored by the initial forest scenes in the book and I was so here.
-I think the criticism about the slow pacing is legitimate.
-I think everyone at the movie was surprised with just how abrupt the ending is.
I'll probably add more when I've had a chance to see it again. Again, there was a lot to like but the changes and omissions drove me nuts.
I have to totally give a shoutout to Rupert Grint. He was far and away the best actor in the movie. Kloves FINALLY decided to write Ron correctly and Grint thrives. Funny, brave, a bit of a jerk...it's the Ron Weasley experience that has often been missing from the movies. Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson do good work too and the trio deserves credit for carrying the movie even more than they do in the past. But Grint I thought outshined them both.
-I'll echo what a previous poster said. Kreacher's face is DISTURBINGLY real.
-DOBBY! Although I don't know why he was still dressed in rags, his character makes a very welcomed return and is quite frankly awesome. Love the tag team with Kreacher when tracking down Mundungus, whose design was inexplicably changed btw.
-Bellatrix's torture of Hermione was appropriately disturbing.
-He's not in it much but a nod to Jason Issacs as Lucius. He plays the role like a man scared out of his mind and about to have a nervous breakdown.
-Loved The Three Brothers animated sequence.
-Nice way to work Neville in there with the train being stopped by The Death Eaters.
-Loved the Ministry of Magic "heist" scene. The actors standing in for the trio were quite good, despite having their voices dubbed. It leads to Harry's greatest confrontation with Umbridge.
-Disappointed that the Dudley good-bye scene was cut. Read it will be on the DVD/Blu-ray.
-I hate forests. Something about them bore me terribly. I recall being bored by the initial forest scenes in the book and I was so here.
-I think the criticism about the slow pacing is legitimate.
-I think everyone at the movie was surprised with just how abrupt the ending is.
I'll probably add more when I've had a chance to see it again. Again, there was a lot to like but the changes and omissions drove me nuts.
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I saw it this afternoon.
Considering that it is basically a two and a half hour set-up for July, I was still surprised when it ended - it flew by as a viewer! And I'm one who was bored by all the travelling around by the characters in the book - visually, it worked! I think that I could see their frustration better on the screen than I did reading it.
They cut out a few things - how are we to believe that Harry/Ginny end up together, when they cut the scene where she was basically offering him sex for his birthday and Ron interrupts them?
And, Harry just 'grabbing' Draco's wand? He had to defeat it in the book!
They only hinted at Dumbledore's flaws (Ron: Didn't he tell you how to find the Horcruxes?) and Hermoine, not Harry, was reading the biography.
The special effects were excellent! As noted, Kreacher and Hobby were amazing! So was Nagini - scared the hell outta me!
Overall, I'm still giving it an excellent
It's a long wait until July!
Considering that it is basically a two and a half hour set-up for July, I was still surprised when it ended - it flew by as a viewer! And I'm one who was bored by all the travelling around by the characters in the book - visually, it worked! I think that I could see their frustration better on the screen than I did reading it.
They cut out a few things - how are we to believe that Harry/Ginny end up together, when they cut the scene where she was basically offering him sex for his birthday and Ron interrupts them?
And, Harry just 'grabbing' Draco's wand? He had to defeat it in the book!
They only hinted at Dumbledore's flaws (Ron: Didn't he tell you how to find the Horcruxes?) and Hermoine, not Harry, was reading the biography.
The special effects were excellent! As noted, Kreacher and Hobby were amazing! So was Nagini - scared the hell outta me!
Overall, I'm still giving it an excellent
It's a long wait until July!
Question: Will a DVD/Blu-ray be released with Part 1 and Part 2 compiled simply as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (no bloody part 1 or part 2?)
Could it possibly be that the filmmakers are toning down the Elder Wand crap, and that movie Voldy will be defeated by some sort of team effort, not undone on yet another previously unmentioned (and totally unsupported) lucky technicality about who took whose wand when?
To paraphrase what Harrison Ford once told the Flanneled One: "Joanne, you can write this s***, but you can't film it."Wikipedia said:
I'm also really happy they kept Luna's "There, now he could be sleeping" line.
That's essentially how I rate it as well and that's saying something for me. While I love the books, I've had certain issues with the movies, mostly on an adaptation level (the acting and visuals have been amazing). While it breaks the flow of the narration, I'm really glad they split the book into two films thus allowing more than usual material to remain in the films. While watching, I only noticed a few omissions/changes: the wedding and Rufus' visit are reduced, Lupin's visit to Grimauld Place is omitted, the manner of the Trio's capture by the Snatchers is changed, and while I couldn't put my finger on it, I knew there was something missing during the visit to the Ministry of Magic. I'm sure there were more other changes, but nothing so big that really annoyed me like the previous six films.
I had forgotten about Fred and George's resistance radio program and Harry becoming something of a folk hero, but on the flip side, the grimness of just hearing the names of the dead hightened the atmosphere of the film.
I have a feeling a lot of people are going to hate it, but I, too, loved it. Fantastic way to articulate the story. Reminded me a bit of Hellboy II's prologue.
That was a nice little moment. Unfortunately, up to that point, I had been so caught up into the story that I had completely forgotten about Neville so it was great to see him. He wasn't at the wedding in the film, but I can't recall if he was there in the book.
I was wondering about this myself just before the movie started and I think if WB had any business sense, they will merge the two...but only after the two have been released individually.
If not, someone online will.
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