Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows

[danoyse]

Potter will have much longer legs than Twilight, Twlight was very much a see it first then we're done movie. Harry should have a very impressive first 10 ten day, I'd bet a lot of people will be there Thanksgiving weekend.

I know a bunch of people who are waiting for Thanksgiving weekend, since they don't want to deal with the crowds this weekend.

 

[StylishHokie21]

It will be exciting to see another Harry Potter in the theaters. I only saw the first two in the theaters and lost interest. It wasn't until last year when I read the books then immediately became hooked.

 

[Homer J. Fong]

Okay, right, review, coherent thoughts, okay...I'm not sure I can do that yet. The first time seeing a Harry Potter movie for me is far more an experience than a viewing of a film that can be criticized, positively or negatively. It is that, sure, I do come away after an initial viewing with strong opinions of what I liked and what I didn't, but the sheer excitement overwhelms all. In recent years, the last time I've had that feeling is with Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Chris Nolan's Batman movies (and Star Wars is, of course, complete as a film series). I'm gonna miss that feeling.

I can give some sort of review here, so let's have a go. For the most part, every Harry Potter movie has done a fantastic job of evoking just the right tone, the right emotional measure, of feeling like the book. Half-Blood Prince felt like the book to me more than any of them, that's why it's my favorite movie. No, I can't judge this as a movie, because it's not one, it's about half of one, and we'll see the second half in July, but Part 1 does a great job of taking you to the same emotional places and keeping you with these characters in the way it should. When the announcement was made that Deathly Hallows would be a two-parter, one of the things I became very worried over was whether we would visit Hogwarts again. I am absolutely not one of those people who comes down on the Camping Trip from Hell section of the book, because it HAS TO drag the way it does, it HAS TO be that tedious and monotonous at some points, to give you that real frustration, and isolation, and longing, for home, and for family, for confidence that you have a plan and aren't just wandering aimlessly, for a world without war, for Hogwarts. And if we'd, say, cut to Hogwarts to show Ginny, Neville, and Luna trying to steal the sword of Gryffindor, that would have been hurt. I am SO glad we did not see Hogwarts in this part. I don't know that I felt everything from the camping stretch that I was meant to (for example, Ron's abandonment felt too sudden; maybe with a brief moment of, I don't know, the trio around the campfire with Ron grousing about the lack of decent food could have helped that a bit), but it does all work really well.

On the acting front, there were no weak links, but there was one small disappointment, and I'm sorry to say that was Bill Nighy. I don't think he was bad, I just feel like his performance lacked something. He gave you inklings of Scrimgeour's ferocity, his gruffness, his stubbornness, his caring, but it didn't click. I took great pleasure, as usual, in Ralph Fiennes', Helena Bonham Carter's, and Imelda Staunton's performances, they're particularly fun, and they (but especially Helena) truly seem to be having fun with these roles, while still being sincere about them and taking them seriously. However, this part is really, more than any of the others, for the trio. As with Half-Blood Prince, my ranking of the quality of their performances (and sure, it's dumb to rank their performances, but I do have somewhat of a point here) goes: 1) Emma, 2) Rupert, 3) Dan. That's not to say that I have any problems with any of them here, I think they were all fantastic, but this sort of feels like Emma's show, she makes the biggest leap between HBP and DH, doing such marvelously emotional, and subtle (she's taken way too much flak over the years for being over-the-top - sometimes justified, more often not) work here. She had me moved from minute one, showing us a Hermione having to sacrifice her relationship with her own family, their entire past, to protect them. Emma was, IMO, the strongest of these three out of the gate, because she was the most natural, the most winning, but she excels with the demands she has this go-round beautifully. And Rupert! How great it's been to watch him develop as an actor! And especially with the comedic moments - his timing is perfect by this point, as opposed to the mugging and squealing that grew so grating in CoS (yes, of course, this is in some part due to direction - as is everything). Rupert does a fine job making Ron funny at the right times, bitter at the right times (and in a way that's not too big or impossible to sympathize with) and everything else, it's a great, well-rounded performance. Dan is an interesting case: I think he's good in Sorcerer's Stone, but not anywhere on the level of the two others (who had less acting experience - which is to say, none), I think he's worse in Chamber of Secrets, very flat, and then Alfonso Cuaron gets a lovely performance out of him in Prisoner of Azkaban, and that's Dan's biggest leap from one film to another, but he makes another big leap in Goblet of Fire, another in Order of the Phoenix, his performances just keep getting more and more impressive, kind of leaving Rupert and Emma, as good as they are - and true, they're not in the lead with as multi-dimensional roles anyway - racing to catch up. HBP, though, doesn't feel like much of a development for him, although I do think he's quite good in it (especially when he gets to be funny, as Dan's very funny on his own) - and I suppose that's because Harry is much more passive or reactive in that story, he's being given a lot, prepared for a lot. As I type this, I'm actually retreating from my point of saying "DH feels the same way, not that much of a progression in performance," because we haven't seen the whole DH, the whole performance! To sum up (and if you're reading this, don't you wish you had just skipped forward down to here?

), I'm really happy with Part 1, and Dan, Rupert, and Emma are certainly the biggest reason for that.

Onto some things I'm not so happy with: Look, I love the Harry Potter films, individually but particularly as a series, but what's really frustrating to me is that, usually, their flaws seem like they could have been so easily avoided, with some more careful writing, or direction, or editing, or whatever it is in that case. And that's true again, especially when David Yates and/or Steve Kloves (but I feel like it's more the former), in a problem he's demonstrated before, assumes everyone in the audience knows this book as well as...well, as well as people who post on an online forum. Such is not the case. Now, I am not someone who thinks that every single character or element needs to be reintroduced every time, because if that happened, each film would be 9 hours long, and one of the benefits of doing a sequel is that you don't have to do that, you've already introduced what you've already introduced. However, sometimes David Yates forgets that what he's really doing - or should be doing - is not coming as close as he can to filming the book, but making a sequel, making a part of a line of films, and when we see Fleur, a character who defines "inconsequential," show up out of the blue, and in a wedding that we aren't even told is her wedding, or when Godric's Hollow is referred to as such numerous times when it has never been cited by name in a film, or when the same is true for Grimmauld Place, or when we're reunited with Dobby so awkwardly (as if he hasn't been cut form the last three films), when Elphias Doge and Auntie Muriel are shoehorned in and Dumbledore's backstory is so barely touched on, when Harry carries a broken shard of mirror with him everywhere, a remnant of a memento that meant something, but was cut from a previous film...these are problems.

I'll list my other grievances as they don't coalesce into a paragraph:
-I'm of two minds on the opening scene: On the one hand, I do like the way the organized Harry, Ron, and Hermione dealing with their individual families being in danger into a montage...but then there's that other hand. That, "Why are Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw, and Harry Melling in this movie at all?" hand. That, "How disappointing that they cut such a wonderfully written sendoff for these characters?" hand. That, "And it would have been even more powerful on film, because Dudley was slightly crueler in OotP the movie than in OotP the book!" hand.
-"The Seven Potters"...Oh boy. An aerial chase/battle would have been SO much more exciting than another sequence where the hero and protector bob and weave through traffic (and, in this case, destroy any secrecy the wizarding world has from the muggle world...again). I'm disappointed. The version I've had in my mind's eye for 3.5 years was far more exciting, and logical.
-I did try to think of things I expected to be cut before I saw this, and I was correct in my assumptions with all of them (and I already knew that Dudley's apology moment was cut), including Lupin yet again being rendered a non-entity. I missed his scen with Harry in Grimmauld Place so much. I understand why it's not here, but it does hurt, because it's a powerful scene for Harry too.
-So, the dancing scene...I haven't felt that awkward during a movie in a long, long time. I know why it's here, I understand the attempt to bring some sort of levity to the proceedings at that point, and it's not necessarily out of character...but it doesn't work for me. I understand the want for a little humor or charm at that time, but I don't agree with it. And I'm not going to deny, the way that little scene was cut, I could empathize with Ron a little bit. Dan and Emma have great chemistry onscreen, as do Rupert and Emma, but it is in a different way, it is friend chemistry or brother/sister chemistry...Still, I was uneasy at that moment.
-More than any of the other moments or whole scenes I miss, I miss Harry and Ron's conversation after Ron destroys the locket. Cutting to Harry showing up by the tent hurts things, it really does; we're missing an emotional beat there, and I certainly hope it was at least filmed.
-Harry and Ron are sent to the dungeon of Malfoy Manor (okay, I don't believe it's referred to as a dungeon, but come on), and what should be the peak of the tension in Part 1 - in fact, the climax of Part 1 - totally lacks tension. Hermione screams a chilling scream, and Emma did a great job, but where was Ron screaming her name in that horrible, visceral, incredibly passionate way back? Where was Wormtail's death? I was looking forward to that so much, and yes, I am now rather bloodthirsty - I am hoping that's in Part 2, but I doubt it. There was basically no suspense to the section in the dungeon there, so disappointment on that front.

On the whole - well, no, not the whole, but on the whole of this part of the whole, I am very happy with it, because the strengths of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 so far outweigh the weaknesses. What's bad is frustrating, but what stays is what's good: Voldemort murdering the innocent Muggle Studies teacher, Harry and Ron having a fight that cuts so deep, the gruesome image of a massive snake bursting out of an old woman's corpse that makes you feel rather violated yourself, the death of an innocent owl or a kind, mistreated, valiant elf. The powerful moments in the Harry Potter films are so powerful, and we haven't scratched the surface of them yet.

 

[sideburnking]

First off, hello everybody! This is my first post!
Long review ahead!
Anyway, I downed two cups of coffee and a 5- hour energy drink to see the first midnight showing of 'Deathly Hallows: Part 1' with a big group of friends.
I must say, for the most part, it was GREAT!
SPOILERS!
First, though, I'll get the few parts I didn't like out of the way:
1. Fenrir Greyback was one of my favorite characters from the books, so I was disappointed that his role has so far been greatly cut down, ESPECIALLY in the scene where Harry, Ron and Hermione get captured. I don't get who the Snatcher was in this movie that basically took all of Greyback's lines/ actions from that scene in the book. The actor was okay, but that scene in the book was a great deal more intense because it was Greyback, a vicious werewolf whose bloodlust was well- established up to that point, doing those things (Plus, in the scene when Hermione is almost caught by the Snatcher smelling her perfume, it would make more sense if it was Greyback who smelled it, due to having the advanced senses of a werewolf), and particularly the way he was practically drooling over Hermione was very unsettling. Much of that tension was lost by having it instead be done by a random Snatcher in the movie.
2. I was a bit sad that, while the movie included the Dursleys' leaving, it didn't include the surprisingly heartfelt scene of Harry and Dudley burying the hatchet with each other.
3. Having Pettigrew get taken out by Dobby was a bit of a letdown, as his death in the book from his magic hand turning against him was pretty memorable. Still, maybe they could include it in part 2 by making it appear that Dobby merely stunned him?
4. If they included Voldemort mentioning that he had an insider becoming the new Minister of Magic, why did they not have him also mention having Snape become the new Hogwarts Headmaster (In fact, as I recall, they didn't mention that at all in the movie)?
5. This is a very minor gripe, but I think the scene when Ron is reunited with Hermione could have gone a TINY bit better. In the book, it acts as a surprisingly funny scene, as Hermione walks over to him, and initially appears happy/ moved to see him again, but then suddenly out of nowhere is enraged as she yells at Ron and starts hitting him. In the movie, she was angry right from the start of that scene (Which I suppose makes sense, too). I just imagined it at first looking like a romantic reunion, with them walking slowly closer to each other, Ron smiling and sweet music playing in the background, then suddenly Hermione punches Ron in the head, the music abruptly dies, and she starts yelling at him.
Okay, now that I'm done whining/ nitpicking, here are the many things I liked about it:
1. First and foremost, the acting. The actors have all come such a long way, and they show how much they have grown to match their characters' respective growths.
2. On the subject, I thought Helena Bonham Carter made Bellatrix much more vicious and threatening than she was in the previous films.
3. A good deal of humor added in, possibly even more so than what was in the book (Partly due to the great reactions by the actors to certain scenes, such as when Fred walks in on Harry and Ginny kissing early on, the reactions from all three in that scene were hysterical), helped keep me amused without distracting from the intensity of the film. Even the beginning scene with the Death Eaters' meeting party alternated between me feeling immense dread over the dark imagery and disturbing actions/ statements by the Death Eaters, and chuckling a bit at some of the quips made by Voldemort, such as his comment on politics.
4. (These next few are all relating to specific scenes) The flying chase scene was amazing! It was every bit as exciting as I remember it being in the book. I remember being genuinely taken aback when the huge swarm of Death Eaters first appear and begin to attack them. It should be at least nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Action Sequence.
5. On the subject of this scene, although it wasn't what happened in the book, I thought Hedwig's death in the movie was better than it was in the book. Having her die fighting a Death Eater made it more moving, and helped drive home the point of how Harry's main strength is that he has so many good, brave friends and loved ones who care about him and would gladly risk or sacrifice their lives for him.
6. As others have noted, the scene with the locket's destruction was a major highlight of the movie. The effects were very good, and Rupert Grint's reactions were absolutely perfect.
7. Another surprising highlight of the movie was when the story of the Deathly Hallows is told. The animation for that scene was fascinating, with imagery that's spooky yet fitting of a fairy tale, and Emma Watson's tones of voice when reading it fit very well.
8. In the book, I'm not ashamed to admit that Dobby's death/ burial was the only death scene in the entire series that actually brought tears to my eyes. While the movie version didn't do the same, it came close. Again, the acting from all the people involved was spot- on, and Dobby's death and burial were exactly the way I felt they should have been.
In summary, while watching 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1' caused me to get I believe less than 4 hours of sleep last night, it was well worth it! I will almost certainly give it a repeat viewing, and eagerly await the final installment next summer.

 

[xwolverine2]

holy crap the line last night was INSANE!...

the movie was amazing though!
havent seen a movie this epic and stunning in a loooong time.

extremely dark and very dramatically engaging... and absolutely not for people looking to only see action(although when there is its pretty badass)


this movie was perfect to me.. just like the Lord of The Rings
10 out of 10... cant wait for the finale

never going to that theater again for a big event like this... there wasnt even really a line just about 1,000 people huddled elbow to elbow around crime scene tape put randomly around by a couple dozen police officers... horrible

 

[ironwez20]

I know a bunch of people who are waiting for Thanksgiving weekend, since they don't want to deal with the crowds this weekend.

Im waiting thanksgiving weekend aswell and trust me alot of people will be going when family come's down. Twilight wont stand a chance since harry potter is a flim for everyone imo.

 

[Frodo]

Ok here's my review. It might upset those who loved it but, it's a forum so you pays your money and takes you're chances.

It'd have to say it was half one of the best films of the year and half filler. I'd go as far to say up to the middle , it was better then the last two films, but I felt Yates's lack of restraint in terms of editing hurt the film, for me anyway.

While I felt towards the end he found his stride again , pacing in the middle really dragged. I personally felt there was quite a bit he could have cut to make the film much tighter. Maybe leave some of the extra stuff for a rerelease or the extended DVD version. That's just me though.

Overall however, it was much better then HPB and even the scenes that dragged at least had character purpose, where as in HPB, it felt like alot of filler for the sake up chewing up 2 hours.

What made it one of the best film's of the year for me however included the acting , the action, the dark tone and the overall story . I felt everyone did a good job and the end was genuiely sad . So by all means , see the film even if it does lag in the middle . As far as a grade goes i'd give it an A- to B+.

I was gonna give it an A but the middle section really brought it down for me grade wise

 

[MadVillainy]

Favorite scenes: Wand fight in cafe and Harry, Ron, & Hermione being chased [BLACKOUT]and captured[/BLACKOUT] by Greyback's gang.

I liked how they had no/a limted score made it seem alot more powerful.

 

[FVD]

4. If they included Voldemort mentioning that he had an insider becoming the new Minister of Magic, why did they not have him also mention having Snape become the new Hogwarts Headmaster (In fact, as I recall, they didn't mention that at all in the movie)?

Wasn't this mentioned over Ron's radio?

 

[redhawk23]

Ok here's my review. It might upset those who loved it but, it's a forum so you pays your money and takes you're chances.

It'd have to say it was half one of the best films of the year and half filler. I'd go as far to say up to the middle , it was better then the last two films, but I felt Yates's lack of restraint in terms of editing hurt the film, for me anyway.

While I felt towards the end he found his stride again , pacing in the middle really dragged. I personally felt there was quite a bit he could have cut to make the film much tighter. Maybe leave some of the extra stuff for a rerelease or the extended DVD version. That's just me though.

Overall however, it was much better then HPB and even the scenes that dragged at least had character purpose, where as in HPB, it felt like alot of filler for the sake up chewing up 2 hours.

What made it one of the best film's of the year for me however included the acting , the action, the dark tone and the overall story . I felt everyone did a good job and the end was genuiely sad . So by all means , see the film even if it does lag in the middle . As far as a grade goes i'd give it an A- to B+.

I was gonna give it an A but the middle section really brought it down for me grade wise

a lot of the pacing issues people have expressed were the same I had with parts of the book.

 

[corby]

Yeah it was mentioned over Ron's radio that Snape was the new headmaster.

I have never read any of the books so aside from knowing a few spoilers about character deaths I went into this with a clean slate. I've got to say I liked it a lot more than I expected and more than most of the other films (especially HBP). I nearly cried at [BLACKOUT]the end when Dobby dies[/BLACKOUT]

 

[xwolverine2]

whaats this ******** of HP7 not beating eclipse' midnight record!

damn you america!

thats horrible...maybe next year?

 

[The Apocalypse]

Who cares it's a better acted movie and has a better story.

 

[Hush]

Seeing it again tonight. Should be just as good maybe I'll get the Green Lantern trailer with it this time. IMAX neglected to show that trailer. Oh and every preview of Tron just makes it look better and better.

 

[Poetic Chaos]

Yates just needs to film an alternate ending where Harry and Hermione get together. People hate on scenes added not from the books but that dance was very sweet.

 

[terry78]

Saw it earlier and got both Cowboys and GL trailer, along with Red Riding Hood. The one scene in the movie that got straight winces from everyone in the audience was

Spoiler

Ron getting splinched

. Seriously that **** made me hurt just looking at it. Ouch.

 

[Ipodman]

I got the Yogi Bear trailer. thats looked awful. no one in the cinema laughed

 

[Drizzle]

Im waiting thanksgiving weekend aswell and trust me alot of people will be going when family come's down. Twilight wont stand a chance since harry potter is a flim for everyone imo.

I don't know about that. The films (like the books) have gotten less and less kid-friendly with each one. I feel like this one was way too intense for any kid under the age of 7. It's not like they're sticking wands up a troll's nose anymore. They're dealing with heavy stuff.

 

[Poetic Chaos]

People laughed at the Cowboys and Aliens trailer. How can you not when you have a title that fits the trailer before it so simply?

 

[Ipodman]

The kids are growing up with the series anyway.

 

[Homer J. Fong]

It's really cool that J.K. Rowling was credited as a Producer along with Davids Heyman and Barron.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Just came back from it. It felt just right. Just enough of everything. I don't feel starved until next year. It was very fulfilling. Yates has done it again, proving only the theatrical cut of OOTP wasn't his fault. He really is a great filmmaker.

But this stupid ***** sat behind us and said when the snatchers showed up unexpectadly after the Lovegood scene she kept saying, "That wasn't in the book!" "That's ******ed!" "They ruined it!"

Somebody needed to slap that *****.

I loved the added stuff, and it was very faithful to the book in a good way. For the most part, the stuff in the book needed to be shown on film and I'm glad they did it. Splitting it up into two parts was a good idea. The dancing scene put a smile on my face and the ending with them on the beach made me teary eyed.

 

[Ipodman]

Has JK Rowling appeared in any of the Harry Potter films before? She should cameo in the final film lol

 

[Frodo]

a lot of the pacing issues people have expressed were the same I had with parts of the book.

I've haven't read the book myself but I've heard that complaint. Unfortunately , I think it left my audience in a bad mood because once the film ended the no one clapped and people groaned and grumbled. I thought it would get some applause since I felt it deserved it but there you go. I think Yates really should be more hard nosed in editing for the last one .

 

[chaseter]

All of the showings at both of the theatres were completely sold out from this afternoon to closing.