In which I say way too much about Deathly Hallows, Part 2

[emmagrant01]

I saw Deathly Hallows Part 2 twice in the first 14 hours of release. I thought I'd be super emotional throughout it, but I wasn't. I came prepared with tissues, but I just got a little teary here and there, and didn't really cry at all. That didn't change on the second viewing, though there were extenuating circumstances. (See below.)

I tried to remember all the stuff I wanted to comment on, but I know there are lots of things I forgot. I may come back and edit. I'm not expecting anyone to read this, really. It's mostly for my own reference, and it's insanely long. :-)



• First, awesome slashy preview for the new Sherlock Holmes movie. :-D

• I thought the quiet, ominous beginning was really interesting, with the spooky chorus and Snape staring out of a window in a tower of Hogwarts. It reminded me a lot of the start of part 1 with its shots of the Trio waiting and wondering what was ahead.

• I enjoyed the Shell Cottage scenes. I kept waiting to see if we were going to hear about Teddy's birth, and when we didn't I figured that had been cut out of the movie. Which it wasn't, of course -- maybe we'll get this as a deleted scene?

• I liked Harry's quiet resolve with both Griphook and Ollivander, and the way they were both on a "need to know" basis, heh. I was glad they skipped all the stuff about who the sword really belonged to and why Griphook wanted it. I always thought JKR dropped the ball on the whole Goblin thing in the books. What were all those Goblin revolutions about, anyway?

• It's interesting that both parts of the movie didn't beat the viewer over the head with the fact that Harry's had one of the Deathly Hallows all along. It was assumed that we get that without having to be told.

• Ron: "Are you sure it's hers?" Hermione, staring at a single strand of hair: "Absolutely." I'm so glad I just noticed that part in the last movie! I also think it's cool that they didn't explain the scene at all, just put it there for those who'd read the book and moved right along. Cause at this point, if you don't know what they do with hair, why the hell are you even watching the movie, yanno?

• Helena Bonham Carter playing Hermione playing Bellatrix: OMG, made of win! That was so, so adorable.

• The closeup shots of Ron's face in the bank while they were waiting to get past the goblins -- wow. Rupert really blew me away in this film, as he did in the last. I've never been a fan of his acting, but he really came into his own in DH films. He portrayed Ron with a dark streak, but also as a man coming into his own, no longer in Harry's shadow. This is a Ron I can see becoming an Auror and changing the world.

• The ride down to the vaults was so cool in 3D. I loved the twisty track and the improvements in special effects since we last saw Gringotts back in the first film.

• The dragon was so well done, and it was easy to feel sorry for it.

• I had to go back and check the book to see if Harry could sense the presence of horcruxes, and that wasn't in the book. But wow, what a brilliant touch that is! It helped speed up the horcrux hunt for the film (no longer needed quite so much backstory) and also gave us a tangible hint about Harry's own fate. I thought that was so, so well done -- but more on that later.

• I was glad they took the Flagrante curse out, because that seemed like it would be really hard to film. I don't think we lost anything in that scene because of it.

• Dragon escape: Hermione's idea instead of Harry's to escape on the dragon, but I thought it worked nicely. One of the things that this film showed was the Trio working as a seamless unit and trusting each other completely. No more infighting, just getting the job done.

• The scene of Voldemort's bare feet walking through the blood in the lobby of Gringott's while Lucius and Narcissa look on in horror -- wow!

• The scene when the Trio climbed out of the lake and just kept going was awesome. I'm assuming that was Essence of Dittany that Hermione was wiping on their hands? I guess it's fair to assume their hands were a little raw after riding the dragon all that way, but it was cool that it was just there in that scene, in the middle of the frenzied dialogue, with no explanation. Just there for the readers to see. The easy way that they stripped off their clothes there was perfect, no awkwardness, just getting the job done. I still can't believe all of that was greenscreen.

• Harry: "Since when do our plans ever work out? We plan, we get there, and all hell breaks loose." Great line!

• Hogsmeade and Aberforth: I was wondering if we were going to get all of the backstory of Grindelwald and Ariana there, but instead Harry just said, "I'm not interested in what happened between you and your brother" with that determined, quiet air of power. It was a good way to keep the momentum going in that scene, and I appreciated the fact that the movie kept us focused on the job that needed to be done.

• Neville! Oh, BAMF!Neville, how excited I was to see you! I was looking forward to seeing what the movie did with the Hogwarts resistance, and I was a little disappointed that they basically skipped it. We did get a hint of it, along with a hint of Potterwatch, and I was glad for that. I know that they were really trying to keep the momentum going at this point, and they basically avoided dealing with anything that wasn't the horcrux hunt or the battle.

• I thought it was cute when Ginny ran in and she and Harry just stared at each other for a moment. I kind of like that the movies didn't break them up officially. Seamus: "Well, there's only one Harry Potter" when Ron complained Ginny didn't even say hi to him.

• From here on out the movie really differed from the book, perhaps the most of any of the films. It was an interesting spin, and it didn't upset me. It was actually cool to see a different interpretation of it. Harry stepping out in his school robes (one last time, aw!) to confront Snape was definitely cool.

• The students marching around the grounds in formation was an interesting touch.

• Smoky-eyes!Snape, LOL. Maybe it's magic, or maybe it's Maybelline…

• Loved McGonagall stepping in front of Harry, like she'd just been waiting for her chance to take Snape down. It was interesting too that he didn't cast anything against her; he only blocked her spells.

• Voldemort speaking into everyone's minds was spooky. The girls screaming seemed right out of Torchwood.

• Pansy: "Quick, someone grab him!" Ginny: *grabs Harry, but for an entirely different reason*

• Filch for comic relief! "Students out of bed!"

• Harry: "Neville, hold down the fort." I liked that little acknowledgment that Neville is the leader at Hogwarts now.

• Hermione and Ron off to the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry just being all, Yeah, great, go take care of that. Again with the teamwork.

• The battle begins. This was one of the first moments when I got a little teary at seeing the castle statues come to life. I loved McGonagall in this scene. I loved her telling Neville and Seamus to blow the bridge (Neville: "You want us to blow it up? Boom?" McGonagall: "BOOM!") and her giggly "I've always wanted to use that spell." And this is about the halfway point of the movie, crazy as it seems!

• The shot of the adults casting the protective spells around the castle was cool. I didn't realize until this film that Slughorn was never actually associated with Slytherin House in the movies. The music under this scene was really fantastic, gloriously ominous.

• Voldemort's army on the bluff overlooking the castle was right out of Return of the King.

• The guys being vaporized as they ran through the shield was cool. Even better was Neville's "Oh yeah? You and what army?" So much win!

• Did anyone not feel a little stab in the heart at the shot of Fred and George standing together, ready to defend the castle?

• Luna yelling, "Harry Potter, you listen to me!" And he did, cause you know, Luna never gets mad. I've always thought there was more movie chemistry between Harry and Luna than between Harry and Ginny.

• Ron speaking Parseltongue to open the Chamber of Secrets, and of course the awesome line, "Harry talks in his sleep. Haven't you noticed?" Hermione, shocked: "No, of course not!" I love that it's not only movie canon that Harry speaks Parseltongue in his sleep, but that Ron sleeps close enough to Harry to notice. Bwahaha!

• It was cool to see the Chamber of Secrets again, and I'm so glad they inserted this scene into the movie. The kiss between Ron and Hermione was just perfectly done, and I liked it SO much better than the way it was done in the book. That just seemed awkward and ill-timed to me, which was maybe completely intended, but this worked for me so much better. And their little giggle-grin afterwards! Aw…

• Harry convincing Helena Ravenclaw to tell him where the diadem was. That scene seemed to go a bit longer than necessary, but it was still shorter than the book, so props there. And then it took forever for Harry to get to the Room of Requirement, reminding us just how big Hogwarts is.

• Voldemort and Harry both collapsing when the cup was destroyed. Every destroyed horcrux affects Harry more, which is really cool. I think this is the moment in the movie when Dan shows Harry starting to realize the reason why.

• Pissed-off!Voldemort takes down the shield with one spell, whoa. I loved the elder wand starting to crack. Nice touch there.

• And then the battle begins in earnest. Loved Neville running down the bridge and setting off the explosives, with the bad guys right on his heels. That is probably one of my favorite additions to canon, right there! And then barely escaping with his life, and being all cool about it. *falls in love with Neville*

• Somewhere in here was the scene where Neville says he's "hot for Luna" (that's what I heard, anyway) and he's going to go find her and tell her before they both die. That was a total surprise for me, and I squeed! Actually, on the first viewing, the entire theater went, "Awwwww" at that. Neville/Luna was always a ship I wanted to happen SO BAD in canon, and I was so disappointed when it didn't. I LOVE that the screenwriter added that in. We know who Kloves ships, I guess. (That and Harry/Draco, because seriously?)

• Harry finally makes it to the ROR. Again, there's no unnecessary exposition; it's just assumed that the viewer knows what's going on. The audience in both showings went "Whoa" at the sight of all the stuff in the room, and the editing there was really well done. Here again we see the device of Harry using the Force his horcuxy senses to find the diadem (which btw looked so much more awesome than I had imagined). Which brings us to…

• The confrontation scene with Draco and Harry. I'd seen that one already, of course, so I wasn't surprised. But I LOVE the way the DH films have made it clear that Draco did indeed recognize Harry at Malfoy Manor and then chose not to act against him. JKR left that unclear in canon, but the movies clarified that detail, just like they clarified Draco's dark mark. I loved the dialogue, especially the "It doesn't understand me. Know what I mean?" Heh. And then the other guys give Draco a look of astonishment when Harry asks him why he didn't identify him to Bellatrix, and Draco looks totally panicked. And of course, we have Goyle's "Do him!" And then poor Draco gets disarmed again.

• Loved Ron running after them and yelling, "That's my girlfriend!" while Harry and Hermione scramble for the diadem. And then Ron's frantic run back, right past Harry, but grabbing Hermione and dragging her with him. Very Han Solo in Episode 4.

• The Fiendfyre scene was really awesome. The special effects there were fantastic! Watching Draco, Goyle, and the other guy (was that Blaise?) climbing up the huge stack of furniture was really cool, and Goyle falling into the fire was dramatic. If I might be self-serving for a moment, I was totally thinking there about a fic I wrote where Draco fell into the flames (and then traveled forward in time, rather than dying).

• Broomstick ride. 'Nuff said. Except that I wanted it to go on a hell of a lot longer. ;-)

• I liked that they stabbed the diadem with the basilisk fang and then kicked it into the Fiendfyre. It saved us any need to explain that Fiendfyre is one of the few things that can destroy horcruxes. And of course, this horcrux loss affects Harry the most of all, which should really be a big hint for people who haven't read the books.

• Voldemort being so off-balance now that he AK's someone just for annoying him at the wrong moment. That was kind of funny, actually.

• Lucius Malfoy in the boat house, looking like hell. Voldemort: "How can you live with yourself, Lucius?" Lucius, utterly honestly: "I don't know." PERFECT.

• The Trio making their way down to the boat house was a really awesome scene. There's all this horrific stuff going on all around them, people dying left and right, spiders crawling over the rocks, and the music underneath it all was perfect. I got teary when Aberforth conjured the huge patronus to repel all the dementors. *sniffle*

• I pulled out my tissues for Snape's death scene, but it didn't affect me like I expected it to. I'm not sure why. Voldemort slitting his throat and Nagini attacking him were appropriately violent, and I REALLY like the change of venue. The Shrieking Shack always seemed like a weird location to me, being so far from Hogwarts.

• I do have to say that Harry touching Snape's neck, trying to stop the bleeding, with such a look of sorrow and sympathy on his face, was the moment when I started tearing up. And of course, the lines "Look at me" and "You have your Mother's eyes" were so heartfelt. Harry's look of pained befuddlement was perfect there.

• Back to the castle after Voldemort's final threat, and the dreaded scene of Fred's death. I was expecting we'd see it, but the emotion there worked. The Weasleys were all so distraught, and Rupert was fantastic there. I thought the way Harry just turned his head slightly and saw Tonks and Lupin lying there, hands reaching toward each other, was well done. It was perfectly devastating, and you could see Harry almost at the point of breaking from all of the loss, already taking it all on his shoulders. All of it for him.

• The Prince's Tale: so much better than I expected. I wasn't sure what to expect, but they did a great job with it. I know everyone is probably going ballistic over little Lily having brown eyes, but whatever. She was adorable. And wee Snape? God, I wanted to cuddle him. SO CUTE!! Wee James and Sirius were so obnoxious too, heh. They special effects of de-aging Alan Rickman to make him look 17 years younger were fantastic. I have no idea how they did that, but wow. Lily whispering to Baby Harry that she loved him, Dada loves him, and so on were the point where I had actual tears. And of course, Snape finding Lily's body and clutching her to his chest while Baby Harry looks on was both touching and a little creepy. So does that mean Snape brought Harry to Dumbledore, or did he sit there until Dumbledore came, or did he just walk away and leave a helpless infant alone in the ruins of a house?

• The lines about raising Harry as a pig for slaughter were delivered so well, and I heard a reaction in the theater to that. Harry's reaction when he came out of the pensieve was perfect. Dan did SUCH a good job there.

• The long walk out of the castle. I was relieved that he ran into Ron and Hermione and had a chance to say goodbye. That was something I was sad about in the book, and it was a nice touch here. And they don't tell him no -- they've been fighting this battle all along, and they know it has to be done. I do wish he'd hugged Ron, but Ron looked a little numb at that point -- he'd been through so much hell already.

• The stone turns and his parents reappear. Harry reaching out for Lily's hand and not being able to touch her, still, OMG. More tears there. And of course, "Does it hurt?" *sigh*

• The AK scene felt tense in the theater, like people just didn't believe it was going to happen. It was totally clear who had read the book and who hadn't.

• I was worried that the train station scene would come across as cheesy, but I thought it worked. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get naked!Harry there, I have to say. ;-) Voldie-fetus was appropriately grotesque.

• I was SO looking forward to the scene where Narcissa finds that Harry is alive, and it didn't disappoint. I loved the music there, and the look on her face when she turned back around. It was totally, Suck it, Voldemort. You're going down. The last two books made me love her, and this movie only added to my fierce adoration of Narcissa Malfoy. More on that in a bit.

• Voldemort's "Silly girl" directed at Ginny was a nice echo of Tom Riddle in the CoS way back.

• I loved loved LOVED that Draco was standing with the rest of the students, and didn't even move when his father called him. It wasn't until Narcissa spoke that he moved, and even then it was more obeying his mother than anything else. I loved how she took him by the hand and pulled him aside, knowing all hell was about to break loose and wanting to be in position to get away when it did.

• OMG, why did Voldemort HUG Draco? Seriously, WTF?

• Neville being a BAMF, yet again. Awesome speech, and of course, sword-wielding Neville is completely awesome.

• And Harry's not dead! Voldemort's rage there was fantastic, thought I really wanted to see more of the reactions of Harry's friends. The battle ignites again.

• Narcissa takes Draco by the hand and just walks away. She doesn’t even check to see if Lucius is following, because he doesn't matter anymore. He got her family into this mess, and I have a feeling he's not going to be able to say boo to her ever again. She's held her family together, and dammit, she's taking them home. She knows how this is going to end, anyway. Loved the shot of Lucius running to catch up.

• And now we start on the last part of the film -- Get the Snake. I was surprised when the film didn't have Neville kill Nagini right away when he pulled the sword from the hat, but I liked the way it worked in the film. Nagini was the last obstacle to killing Voldemort, and it makes sense to stretch it out as long as possible. Once Nagini's dead, it's just a matter of time, right? We all know how all of this will end. I actually liked the way the Trio was super-focused on the snake. Voldemort was almost a distraction at that point to Harry. It was all about the snake.

• Harry and Voldemort's fight was very Return of the Jedi in places. There was that weird thing where they were flying and merged into some Joker-looking thing, and I wasn't sure what the point of that was, but it was a cool visual effect. It was also interesting how physical it was, with hitting and kicking. It was like they were trying to show that Voldemort was that far gone that he wasn't above physical violence.

• Did anyone else snicker when Voldemort had Harry bound hand and foot? Yeah, I didn't doubt it. ;-)

• The moment when Neville sat up in the middle of the Great Hall, shit flying all around him, and looked at the sword like he knew what he had to do. *flails*

• I think everyone was looking forward to Molly saying "Not my daughter, you bitch!" and then offing Bellatrix. The moment did not disappoint!

• And then, of course, we have Harry and Voldemort, scrambling for wands and facing off. Neville slicing Nagini's head off at the last second got an audience cheer both times. And then Harry turns around and just KNOWS it's over. I didn't miss the monologue from the book. Just a few more moments, and then that was it.

• Voldie-ash in 3D. Ew.

• So the next scene made me think. A lot. I actually delayed writing this post for a while because I needed to spend some time trying to understand that choice. And you know it was a carefully made choice, because there isn't a single second of this film that wasn't very carefully planned. Voldemort's death was very anti-climatic, and then Harry walks through the Great Hall and there's no indication that anyone is even aware that it's over. It took me a while to decide that I liked this, and I do. I like it. Here's why.

1. We all knew how this was going to end, and so celebrating it would be a classic cheesy Hollywood ending. The HP films are definitely not Hollywood, and it almost seems like a deliberate choice to do what Hollywood wouldn't do and not milk it for all it's worth.

2. War is hell, and all of those survivors have been to hell and back. Would they really have the energy to cheer and celebrate, or would they just be relieved that it was over and finally let themselves relax? They could turn their attention to the wounded, hug their friends, and start the long process of wondering what the hell just happened and why.

3. It always seemed contrived to me that the final scene in the book took place in the Great Hall, in front of everyone, with Harry and Voldemort monologing about all the reasons why. And then it ends in a flash, everyone cheers -- in the middle of all the dead and wounded. I never thought that worked particularly well. In fact, I thought it wasn't all that well-written and was almost action movie clichéd, like JKR was imagining what it would look like onscreen when she wrote it. Luckily the screenwriter had other ideas, and instead we got a very original, even realistic ending.

• Neville and Luna sitting next to each other. It definitely looked like there had been an off-screen snog at some point. :-D

• Filch starting the cleanup of the rubble -- with a push broom! That got a huge laugh both times.

• I have to day I loved Harry breaking the Elder wand. Then there's no question what happens to it, that someone else might be tempted to take it from him. I was always bothered by that line in the book where Harry says that as long as he dies a peaceful death, the wand will never be won. I mean, seriously? He's going to go on to be an Auror, apparently. He's going to be fighting Dark Wizards for the rest of his life. Keeping the Elder wand would be really stupid.

• Aw, the Trio on the bridge, holding hands and looking off into the distance, realizing it's really over and they're going to survive. Of course, what I saw there was Ron shooting Harry a look that said, "Threesome?" Heh.

• Okay, so. The Epilogue. I liked it. I totally didn't expect to, but I did. It was really sweet, and cut down to its essence. Take away the bad writing and the extraneous stuff, and what's left is a sweet scene about The Trio watching their kids go off to Hogwarts. I thought the aging they did worked well, and I was really impressed with Dan's acting there again. The way he hugged Albus, the look on his face -- it killed me. We always just saw the kids going off to Hogwarts, and never saw the parents being left behind. I liked that we got to see that.

• I'm sure people are going to complain about the crazy beard on Draco (and I'm not referring to his wife), but I thought it was an interesting choice. What I saw there was a Draco embracing his son, clearly a very different kind of father than Lucius was, and possibly even trying his best to look nothing like the man who ruined his family. I see these films as redeeming Draco in a way JKR refused to do, and I loved them for that. I also like that he smiled at Harry. Even better than a nod, IMO.

• I thought it was cute that the few cars we saw in the outside shot of King's Cross were futuristic looking smart cars.

• Ron's belly -- I wanted to rub it! SO cute!!

And that's it. I liked it, overall. Yes, it was different than the book, but I expected it to be an interpretation. There were some things I wanted to see, but I understand why they weren't there. I'm already looking forward to the deleted scenes!


At the second viewing, I sat next to the asshole from hell, OMG.

We were in line in front of this couple and talked to them a bit. They were nice, but annoying. The kind of people who keep trying to talk to you even after you've dropped hints that you're not interested in talking to them. They ended up sitting next to us (us being me, pennswoods, and charlotteschaos) and told us it was their wedding anniversary.

Anyway, the movie started and they did not shut up. They talked loudly for the first half hour, and this was at a movie theater whose policy is that they'll kick you out if you disturb others. I shushed them a couple of times but didn’t report them because I just wanted to watch the movie, you know? I didn't want to deal with it.

They stopped talking when their food and drinks arrived (this theater has full service, which is awesome). But then the man, who was sitting next to me, was clearly drunk. He belched loudly every couple of minutes and was making all sorts of comments about the movie. In the scene where Harry faces Snape in the Great Hall, he was flipping off the screen with both hands. Clearly had no clue where this was going. Note that I was sitting next to pennswoods from snapecast. 0_o

When the Hogwarts teachers were preparing the school for the battle, he leaned over, elbowed me, and said, "They're gonna bring Dumbledore back! You watch!" This despite the fact we'd talked earlier about the fact that I'd read the book x times and had seen the movie once before already. When Ron and Hermione had their big kiss, he yelled, "Get some, Harry!" I mean seriously?

I had a brief break when he left the theater TWICE during the movie to go outside and smoke.

Thankfully, he passed out soon after. Unfortunately, he started snoring. During the FOREST SCENE. And then his wife started slapping him in the face and saying, "Wake up!" He didn't. She let him snore for the rest of the film.

During the Epilogue, he fell over ON ME. At that point, I lost my cool and shoved him off and said, "No,no no, get OFF OF ME." I turned back to pennswoods and charlotteschaos to see them gaping too. His wife didn't even apologize; she just started slapping him again. They left without saying a word to us.

And this was their anniversary? Damn, he was quite a catch, wasn't he?

Anyway, I'm just glad it wasn't the first time I saw the movie. I should have said something, but I just wanted to watch the movie, you know? I guess I have a story to tell now, right? :-P


And now I think I'll go read what other people thought. :-)

Comments

[coffeejunkii.livejournal.com]

i just saw the movie today and reading your thoughts was a nice way to review it in my mind. :) i purposefully didn't re-read parts of the book so i didn't even notice how much they changed in the final battle. i also appreciated that nothing much was explained because at this point, you either watch the film because you care or you have no business watching it.

i'm looking forward to seeing the movie again soon :D

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I didn't re-read either, but when I was writing this I pulled out the book to re-read some scenes. I need to re-read all the books, but I'm waiting for the Pottermore versions to come out. :-)

i also appreciated that nothing much was explained because at this point, you either watch the film because you care or you have no business watching it.

Abso-fucking-lutely!

[bibliokat.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sharing this post! You caught some great lines I missed the first time through, and now I have them to look forward to for my next viewing (soon I hope!). And some great thoughts too:)

UGH, that couple deserves each other IMO.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I just can't imagine spending my wedding anniversary like that. Yanno? I'm sure she was embarrassed. Or who knows, maybe not. :-P

[pennswoods.livejournal.com]

OMFG! That guy next to you was unbelievable. I think he downed a whole bucket of beer by himself - no wonder he passed out. And he reeked of smoke - I could smell him when he came back in.

I took a peek at their bill (because I'm nosy and wanted to see what they tipped). They ran up a $65 bill and tipped only $5. That's not even 10% - so not only were they insanely gross (and unable to appreciate the awesomeness of Snape) but they're cheap-ass tippers.

Ugh! I'm so sorry you had to sit next to this wanker.

In other squeeful news, I just saw a screencap that showed that Al's pet in the epilogue was a ferret!

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I know, right? He was unbelievable! I forgot to mention here the thing about how we had to move down because we were in "their seats". Like the ones they always sit in. Ugh, so bizarre.

I didn't get a good view of the ferret at either viewing, bust OMG SO APPROPRIATE!!! :-D

It was cool to see you yesterday!

[nmalfoy.livejournal.com]

On second viewing, the window Snape is standing at looks a bit like a coffin. The shape of it, I mean. And Dean and Blaise are HOT.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Ooh, coffin-shaped window! Niiice. :-D

[tripperfunster.livejournal.com]

what a great run-though. Thank you for that! I don't tend to think a whole lot during movies. I just sit back and enjoy.

LOVED the 'Not my daughter, you bitch!'.

And yes, I was VERY disappointed with the lack of naked Harry. :)

I had a complete DORK sitting behind me at a showing of Hook. (the Robin Williams Peter Pan movie) When Peter came home after his kids were stolen, and there were long slashes up the walls and the curtains were in shreds, the guy behind me kept shouting Hook! Hook did it!! grrrr NO FUCKING GUFF, ASSHOLE!

Your asshole sounds epically worse.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I was totally making mental notes the hole time, LOL.

We really needed more naked!Harry. The world needs more naked!Harry in general. :-D

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

OMFG. THAT GUY FELL ON YOU???? RAAAAAAGE !!!

And this is the best review I've seen hands down <3

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

There was a point at which I thought I should look for the camera, because seriously. :-P

[fiona-fawkes.livejournal.com]

I loved reading your reactions. You touched on a few things that I missed the first time through and reminded me of so many others that I loved. I do disagree on one part, though. Filch starting the cleanup with the pushbroom actually made me hurt a little inside. I didn't find it funny at all. It really made me think about just how devastating the damage to Hogwarts had been. I think most of my theater reacted in the same way - pained sympathy sounds.

Anyway, yeah. Totally ready to go see it again.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

It's interesting that everyone laughed both times I saw it, and that didn't happen in the theater you were in. I do see your point, though. :-)

[snottygrrl.livejournal.com]

yikes! sorry about the asshat!

i totes agree with you about liking the changes. i've only seen it once so far, but plan on at least two more ::nods:: you noticed a few things with the malfoys that i didn't and will have to keep an eye out for.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I have nothing but love for the Malfoys in this film and the last. JKR kept them cardboard villains, but the movies made them so much more. :-D

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I loved that kiss! :-D

Theater was totally sold out, so where could I go in the middle of the movie? I wouldn't have been able to sit with my friends. Not worth it.

[ciel-vert.livejournal.com]

I saw the movie for the second time today, and hey, thanks for summarizing basically ALL of my thoughts for me! LOL

My first reaction to the end of the battle with Voldemort was to hate it. I was just kind of like.. what? NOTHING? No one knows/cares? But after watching it again today, I found myself liking it. And the epilogue! So much better than it was in the book! And yes, Draco's smile was adorable. :)

Ugh that SUCKS about who you were sitting next to the second time. HOW AWFUL. >:(

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

The more I think about Draco's smile, the more I love it. It was a genuine, friendly smile directed at Harry, like they know each other well enough to have a pint every now and then. (Or whatever, heh.) So much better than a nod!

[bloodstaindnght.livejournal.com]

I'm so jealous you've seen it twice already. This is the first HP movie I've really wanted to see more than once in the theater. My most favorite part has got to be Helena playing Hermione playing Bellatrix. I LOVED the way she kept tripping over the shoes. Rupert also made a fantastic Rodolphus (or at least that's who he looked like to me).

The funny thing to me is that I spent most of the film enjoying the hell out of the other characters and paying very little attention to Harry. I fell in love with Snape a lot more, and his death and all his memories were the first thing to make me hard core cry (the only other thing was Harry talking to his mum, Lupin, and Sirius in the FF). As you said, we finally got to see a lot of the characters come into their own and it was amazingly done.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I'm amazed that I was able to see it twice, actually. I haven't done a midnight movie since OOTP (I had a baby a bit after that and midnight movies were just out of the question for a while), and decided that I was going to make it happen for the last one. And then I had friends who couldn't make it at midnight but wanted to see it on Friday, so hey, why not go twice? Not sure when I'll get to see it again, though.

I was just looking at the Gringott's scene in the book again, and Ron was just in disguise, not trying to look like anyone in particular. There was a great line in the book there after Hermione cast a few spells on him, where Harry said, "Well, he's not my type, but he'll do." :-D

[elfflame]

Re the Feindfyre/ROR scene--I accidentally stumbled across a shot of Draco, Goyle and Blaise a month or two back, and was horrified, because I thought for sure they were going to kill Blaise, and was really Not Okay with that... Not really okay with them killing Goyle, either, but I suppose there had to be some sacrifice. But I am pleased with how that scene turned out. It was perfect in a scary, stressful way, and I really just wanted to hug Draco, poor thing. I'm glad they let him stand with the rest of the students there at the end, instead of letting him just run straight to his parents when they appeared with Voldemort.

Still haven't fully digested the movie. So much going on. I'll be seeing it again in a couple of weeks with another friend, and I'll probably wait to really write anything out myself until then.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I read somewhere that the actor who plays Crabbe was arrested for drug possession or something, and was fired from the movie as a result, so they changed the scene to make it Goyle who casts the Fiendfyre and is killed instead. It makes sense. :-P

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Deamus is now movie canon *nods emphatically*

I liked everything you mentioned. I just honestly LIKED this movie so much.

I especially liked the afterwards in that there was no celebrating. It was just about perfect because it was solemn and that was exactly what was needed.

I have other thoughts but first, I want to see it again to really cement them in my head :D

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I think I missed the Deamus scene. When was it?

[chickadilly.livejournal.com]

.... HE FELL ON YOU!!?!?!?!?!

Wow. I can't even...I mean what an asshole!!! (Icon is for that guy!)

I need to see it again but I almost think the hug was Voldemort's way of humiliating Draco - like he knew Draco didn't really want to be there? As I said I need to see it again (I feel like the midnight viewing went by so fast) to see if that idea holds up but that's kind of where my mind went with it.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Yes, total asshole!

Ooh, interesting idea about the hug being about intentionally humiliating Draco.

[pink-mint.livejournal.com]

Thanks for summing up the movie PERFECTLY! What a great review! :-D

I teared up when the castle statues came to life, too. Everything Snape, Malfoys, and Fiendfyre was so fantastic. As was the ENTIRE MOVIE.

Sorry you had to sit next to that jerk. Gross, gross, gross.

And this was their anniversary? Damn, he was quite a catch, wasn't he?

LOL!

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I needed to get this all out of my head, heh. I thought no one would read it because it's so flipping long, so I'm surprised there are so many comments already. :-)

[norton-gale.livejournal.com]

Haven't seen it yet and can't resist reading spoilers....

I also like that he smiled at Harry

OMG, more than I ever could have hoped for! Thanks for giving me this to look forward to.

[ineffably-roma.livejournal.com]

Look quick because I missed the smile when I saw it. I'd read spoilers and everyone said they missed seeing Scorpius so I focused on him and missed Draco. We never do see Scorpius' face.

[shanna-souzou.livejournal.com]

I purposefully don't re-read the books before I see the movie because I can't help being disappointed by the changes. But its nice to remember all the changes that you pointed out, and I agree that almost all of them were GREAT changes. ESPECIALLY the end with Voldemort and Harry. I'd forgotten how silly it was handled in the books and its interesting that the movie version is less "Hollywood" than the book version.

And I'm SOO glad someone else noticed smokey-eyed!Snape. I thought I had been imagining that!

In the scene after the dragon ride, my first thought was "Is Hermione giving them disinfectant or something?"

And when I was looking through my book last night, I noticed that the whole "Students out of bed...Of course they are, you blithering idiot" exchange was practically straight out of the book. I love little touches like that!!

I have to say that Kloves has made me a Lucius fan! That exchange between he and Voldemort was PERFECTION! I adore how committed Jason Isaacs is to the character. Just so much general Malfoy-love all around. I would pay for some post-war, Malfoy-sympathetic H/D fic right now.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I went back and looked at that scene in the book where they jumped off the dragon and fell into the lake, and Hermione had pulled out the Essence of Dittany to heal all the burns they had from the Flagrante curse in the vault. They just put it on their hands here, and I can only assume it was the same thing.

Kloves and Jason Isaacs did SO much for Lucius Malfoy. It's just stunning, really. Malfoy love fest!

[atira7.livejournal.com]

"Smoky-eyes!Snape, LOL. Maybe it's magic, or maybe it's Maybelline…"
^this made my day. completely ♥

I really loved the Ron/Hermione kiss as well.

"Loved Ron running after them and yelling, "That's my girlfriend!" while Harry and Hermione scramble for the diadem. And then Ron's frantic run back, right past Harry, but grabbing Hermione and dragging her with him. Very Han Solo in Episode 4."
^oh GOD yes!

"Broomstick ride. 'Nuff said. Except that I wanted it to go on a hell of a lot longer. ;-)"
^agreed. So much win.

"I think everyone was looking forward to Molly saying "Not my daughter, you bitch!" and then offing Bellatrix. The moment did not disappoint!"
^everyone in the theater cheered SO LOUD at this point.

There are so many other things in this post that I agree with or want to comment on, but it is rather late where I am and I need to go to bed haha. Suffice it to say that I rather enjoyed the film and I also had a problem with crying; I really expected to and barely did. I guess its because I so knew what was going to happen. The boathouse scene was the closest I got I think.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I think I had myself so worked up to cry that I couldn't, maybe? Weirdly enough, I cried my eyes out when I watched the first film last week. The Trio were just so tiny, and all I could think was what was coming and what they were going to have to face. :-(

[scarah2.livejournal.com]

WTF drunk dude!

I thought that Snape got interrupted halfway through getting ready for his date, and had the shadow for his smoky eye all set but no liner or mascara.

It made me a little uneasy that Voldemort got killed with no witnesses or body. I mean. No one believed Harry that Voldemort was alive a couple years ago, and Harry only faked his own death a couple minutes earlier...

I was glad for the snapping of the Elder Wand too. I wish Harry was that smart in the book.

Alas, no retcon of Bellatrix's death scene to let Neville be the one. He was robbed, I still think.

The Prince's Tale: now served in more palatable chunks! Except Snape being the first on the crime scene. LOL. There is no Sirius Black.

[shanna-souzou.livejournal.com]

Maybe he ran when he heard Sirius coming. That is one loud bike.

But yeah, the whole "clutching the dead body of the woman I loved while her infant son by another man cries in the background" moment was kinda weird and uncomfortable.

[vlredreign.livejournal.com]

I've read a few reviews on LJ, and I think I like yours the best so far. Your breakdown of scenes made me think of it in a different way, and since I'm going to see it again Wednesday, I know which scenes I want to pay more attention to.

At first, I really wanted that whole confrontation between Harry and Voldemort in the Great Hall, but what you said made such sense that I don't know why I didn't think of that. I felt that Voldemort's death both in the book and the movie were anti-climatic, and yet, waiting to kill Nagini until the last second made it better.

During the scene with Helena Ravenclaw and Harry, when she was ranting at him, I said "Wow, take a Midol", and several people around us started laughing. I didn't mean to say it out loud, but it happened during a pause in the dialogue. Oops. Really tho, she was ragging hard, and I was like, "Jesus, you've been dead for a thousand years, STFU and get over it!"

So sorry to hear about the asshole you were sitting next to, you're a lot nicer than me. Seriously? I'd have told him to GTFO me, and elbowed him in the head for good measure.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Your breakdown of scenes made me think of it in a different way, and since I'm going to see it again Wednesday, I know which scenes I want to pay more attention to.

Ooh, interesting! I was replaying the whole thing in my head and trying to remember everything I was thinking about while I watched it. I spent WAY too much time on this post yesterday, LOL.

I hate confrontation, and in this case especially, I just wanted to watch the movie. I could almost ignore the guy, at least until he passed out on me. :-P

[popfly.livejournal.com]

I agree with pretty much everything you said. Except I liked that Harry didn't hug Ron before going to the forest. The eye contact they had said so much it was all I needed from them at that moment.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I definitely thought it worked here. Ron had been through so much already, and it just seemed like he didn't have anything left. :-/

[sorion.livejournal.com]

Helena Bonham Carter playing Hermione playing Bellatrix: OMG, made of win! That was so, so adorable.

That was awesome :D

I've always thought there was more movie chemistry between Harry and Luna than between Harry and Ginny.

There always was more chemistry between Harry and the stone bricks than Ginny :X

The Prince's Tale: so much better than I expected.

My favourite scene in both movie and book.

I think everyone was looking forward to Molly saying "Not my daughter, you bitch!"

That was the scene my sister was waiting for most; I was waiting for Narcissa finding out that Harry's not dead... :)
Junior was very sad at Bellatrix being killed. She was his favourite XD

I have to day I loved Harry breaking the Elder wand.

Agreed :)

The Epilogue. I liked it.

Better than in the book, and really the one and only time Harry redeems the Slytherins... Someone bloody had to! And Draco's smile was perfect :)
Other than that, I still think they should have stayed off Rowling's happily ever after and left it open to the audience's interpretation :/ The woman just can't do romance.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

As I noted above, the scene with Harry and Narcissa did not disappoint! In fact, it was even better than I'd hoped for in some ways. Someone else pointed out on another post that there are a couple of seconds where we can't hear what's going on between them, and the implication is that they're making a plan together. :-D

[leandralocke.livejournal.com]

Wow, what an epically long review (and I admit, at first I didn't want to read it all when I saw how long it was, but then I did ^^). It's so interesting to read your thoughts on all the scenes and the changes from the book. And I have to say I agree with most of what you've said.

I just was a tiny bit disappointed at the Prince's Tale being rather short-ish. I would have loved to see more because it's one of my favorite chapters EVER. It's a bit of a pity that we didn't actually learn from the movie that Lily didn't like James at first. Ok, so we learned in OOTP that James used to bully snape, but some emphasis here would have been nice. Also the scene where Snape stands in front of Gryffindor Tower and begs Lily to forgive him. But alright. I wasn't totally disappointed, and I think the bits that were in it were really, really well done. I almost started sobbing during the first sequences with them as kids.

Neville & Loona: OMG YES!!! I've always shipped them, and in one of my many unfinished fics I made them an item. Luna was so awesome in the films, even more than in the books, and Neville becoming all BADASS here was just... woah! Exceeded my expectations.

I was glad Harry wasn't naked at King's Cross though ^^ I can see why others would have liked it, but to me it would have been awkward.

And the ROR scene: wow! What you said. Everything. I was kinda scared they'd leave bits out here and would make Draco look worse, but you're right: Draco was redeemed in the movies way more than in the books, and I LOVED Tom's acting in all those scenes. It was so clear to see his repulsion toward Voldemort, his hestitance or even unwillingness to sell Harry out and hurt him. He wanted this to be over as much as the 'good guys', he had REALIZED killing and all that comes with it was not something he'd want to do.


There's one more change that I really liked: The whole "Harry went to die to protect you, so you're all under the Fidelius Charm now". I found that to be a little over the top cheesy in the book and was glad they left it out in the movie. It was so much more grown-up and real here.


And MERLIN'S PANTS! The epilogue :D I sort of had to cover my eyes for a second and go "nooo! can't unsee!" at what Draco looked like then, but like you said it was all really well done. There was just one tiny thing me and my friend had been hoping for: Albus and Scorpius sitting in the same compartment. It would have been such a nice touch to show that the next generation won't go to school with all those prejudice against the houses, that once more Slytherins and Gryffindors or the sons of which could become friends.

I really did like the movie a lot. I was pretty much stunned when we left the theater (and I really doubt I would have been able to comment on any details if you hadn't written such a long review for me to read first and remember everything). Unfortunately, I won't be able to see it another time. I'm in Germany and ever since they started showing movies in 3D a lot, they don't show them in English anymore in every city. We had to drive to another bigger city to go see it. And there's just NO way for me to watch it dubbed in German, because ugh. I always already want to obliviate myself when I see a German trailer for it ^^

So sorry your second experience got quite ruined by such an asshole. Some people... seriously, I can't even!

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I've now read a couple of other folks' reviews, and one thing that's been pointed out about the Prince's Tale that I hadn't thought of was that it wasn't made clear that Snape and Lily's friendship ended because he called her a mudblood and became a DE. My brain filled in the gaps, but for someone who hasn't read the book it just looks like unrequited love, which doesn't seem like enough to motivate Snape for the rest of his life. There's no remorse for his own actions that lead to her death, for example. I hadn't thought of any of that before, but I think it's a good criticism.

I hope you get to see it again soon!

[melusinahp.livejournal.com]

Omg, that story about the people sitting next to you. I've have exploded. Or killed them. Or both. You are extremely patient.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Mostly I just hate confrontation, and will put up with a lot to avoid it. :-/

[pitchblackrose.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the review, I really enjoyed it :)

One think that's been bugging me. Why did Bellatrix go "poof" once Molly AK'd her? o_O I can see it with Voldie, he was really nothing but smokes and mirrors once he got that final blow, but having the same happen with Bellatrix felt as if it was somehow meant to lessen the blow of Molly committing murder. I always thought that Molly Weasley killed someone - made their heart stop, leaving only a dead body - was a big thing. THAT'S how ugly a war can be.

/minor thought of the day ;)

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

That's a good question. I think you make a good point about robbing Molly of a reasonable murder, and that may be it. I read it as a throwback to the way Quirrell disintegrated in the first film and thought maybe it was movie canon that evil people would just crumble up when they died. And that makes an interesting visual counterpoint to Snape's death.