Beware. Very long post ahead. Read at your own discretion. I just go on and on and on. I urge you to try it sometime. Very cathartic.
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So I decided to let this sink in for a day without commenting on here. I've actually been discussing it at length with those that I saw it with, and I've had to vehemently defend the film when dealing with one friend. We discovered though, that the core issue was that he's really not a humungous fan of the series (he does enjoy it though), and he wished that, for his own sake, he would've watched at least HBP again before seeing it. After I went though a bit of explanation, he garnered more of an appreciation for the film (even if he did think the camping was a bit slow and that it's a bit absurd to make casual fans wait 8 months for all of these lingering questions to be answered). He also concedes to the fact that you really need to pay attention to not only the film, but to the series, in order to truly be involved. I think that's an important, albeit probably obvious point to pay attention to in terms of the GA. That said, I think I've convinced him to join my Harry Potter marathon before DH Part 2. He truly wants to enjoy the series (he's seen every film and likes the story enough to let me explain it to him for an hour), and I hope he will be able to appreciate the finale.
Now...enough about him. I'm sure you're all dying to hear what I have to say. Even if it takes me over 2500 words to say it.
First off, as others have said, it's hard to judge this against the other Potter films for two reasons. One, it's half of a whole, and two, it's a
very different film than we've seen before. Regarding point one, while PoA is my fav film (I need to see Part 1 again, as I think it can take that spot even on its own), I think DH will easily that spot once Part 2 comes out. If the trailers and reports are anything to go by, Part 2 is going to be epic beyond belief, and when combined with Part 1, I predict this to be the Potter film I hold above the others (although it is very hard to compare the later films to the older ones. I love both for different reasons.).
Now, a little bit of expansion on my second point. This film is
different. Very different. Not the typical Potter film we've seen before. And the "road movie" / lack of Hogwarts formula aspect of it is only a small portion of why I say this. The first thing that really struck me was the editing and structure. Right from the opening WB logo, I knew this was something else. I
loved the opening. Silent, sound rising, WB deteriorating (Harry's comfort zone being ripped and shredded away), and WHOOSH! Hard cut to Scrimgeour's eyes. Very awesome. And so right away, with the cuts between the montage, the opening title and then Snape's arrival at Malfoy Manor, I could tell that the structure and flow of the film would be something unique. It took some getting used to, but the simplistic (and many) fades to black, the lingering shots, the Voldemort visions and the several moments of silent acting were all apart of a uniquely edited story. It made Part 1 feel very much like a chronicling of the trio's foray into the cruel, empty world. I'm normally one who likes a movie with very little fading, cutting to black etc., but it really, really worked here.
Apart from the editing front, there is a lot to love about this movie. There are also some very minor quarrels I have, but it's hard to get upset because there's a Part 2 coming. Nevertheless, I will discuss. In no particular order or structure, I'm just gonna list off some paragraphs of the things that stood out to me:
The acting. Brilliant. First and foremost, there's Emma, who is as talented as she is beautiful (i.e. extremely). She was very clearly a star in this one, from beginning to end. Hermione was written very well (I'd go as far to call her my favorite character in the film, in both writing and acting), and Emma played it wonderfully. A lot of focus is placed upon the Oblivate and torture scenes, and believe me, they had my heart swelling (the pictures of her as a little girl disappearing was heart-wrenching, and the dazed, defeated and, dare I say it, "raped of innocence" expression after the torture made my flesh crawl
), but I think the part where she hit me really hard was after Ron was splinched. I know, such a small moment that is rarely discussed, but it got to me. That moment, perhaps above any other we've seen, showed me just how much Hermione loves Ron, and how much of a toll the mission is taking on her. The tone of her voice, combined with shakiness and tears nearly had me well up myself. She was in top form here, and it was for such a small moment. I truly cared about her here, and I felt her pain. There is so much more I could go on about, but I think you get the gist of my opinion of her performance. I'm sure it also helps that she's the only actress I've ever had a mega crush on. *clears throat* As for the other two members of the trio, Dan and Rupert were spot on. Dan really sold Harry's isolation and despair, and a lot of his acting went unspoken (told simply through his eyes), which I thought was fantastic. My favorite moment of his was the long, lingering shot of Harry after Ron leaves (more on that shot in the next paragraph). Ron's descent was portrayed very well by Rupert, and he really did shine. His return and his overwhelmingly positive demeanour was something that really made me smile. The rest of the cast was well acted for what they had to work with. Harry, Ron and Hermione were very clearly the stars, but the returning and new cast didn't miss a step. Fiennes was evil as ever, Rickman is just such a badass, Helena excels in a role she clearly has fun with, Ifans was a very cool addition (I loved his "Vo
ldeMORT!") and Nighy was incredibly intense. Props also goes to the three ministry workers that the trio impersonated. The actor playing Harry was very funny and had some great comedic moments, as did Ron's actor. All in all, there were absolutely no problems for me on the acting front, and it was definitely a leading component in keeping the film strung together.
The emotion and harsh reality. I think we can all agree that this is easily the most emotional, and trying Potter film. And rightfully so. Yates, Kloves and the team did an incredible job showcasing the true preposterousness (and unfairness) of giving three teenagers a seemingly impossible, and life threatening task. When discussing the film with my friend, I often told him to take a step back and look at this realistically. Our heroes are 17 year old kids. That's what they are. That's the reality. In a normal world, they'd be at school, stressing over exams, relationships and catching a golden snitch. But this isn't a normal world, and they are entrusted with a most abnormal task. How would you feel if you made your parents forget of your existence, knowing that it could be years (if you even survive) before you ever have the chance of reuniting with them? How would you feel if you left 6 siblings and two parents behind, knowing that both you and them may not make it through the next few months? What if you never had the chance to say goodbye? How would you feel if you were trapped in a potentially lifelong quest, knowing that at the end of the tunnel, you face either death, or becoming a murderer? Perhaps it's due to the fact that I've grown up (almost) alongside them for the past 10 years, but I slipped into the trio's shoes so easily during this film. Via the books and the films, I've developed a friendship with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and so it hurts when they hurt. I cry when they cry. I feel sad when they're sad. As I mentioned in the above paragraph, my favorite Harry moment in the film was after Ron leaves, and we get a good 10 - 15 second shot of him alone in the tent, before we fade to black. His parents leave, his godfather leaves, his mentor leaves and now his best friend leaves. The isolation is not purely physical. At this moment, Harry appears compelled to say something. Anything. To voice a concern. To scream. To cry. But he can't. He just stares. You can see the thoughts buzzing around in his head as his eyes slowly shift from tent's entrance, to the tent, and back to the entrance again (great acting, especially through the eyes, by Dan). You can almost feel yourself joining him in saying, "What have I done? What are we doing? What do I do? Please...tell me. Anyone." The farewell to a character in the final moments of the film hits the same notes. I admit, I welled up, and it was a truly beautiful scene. Another loss of innocence; a loss of someone so true and loyal and full of love, right to the very end. And who has to deal with this? Who finds it attacking them head on? 17 year old kids. Searching for the right words, Harry finally shouts, with a bit of a whimper in his voice, "Help me!" And his friends are just as lost as he is. Their world is shattered. They don't what to do, but whatever it is, they must do it. Harry's cry for help far supersedes the literal task/moment at hand in the scene, and I think the rest goes without saying. I'm getting emotional just writing about it.
On the flip-side, however, we get wonderful addition to the film; Harry and Hermione's dance. I have to admit, beyond the death, beyond the pain, beyond the struggle, this is the scene that hit me the hardest. Yes, for some reason, during such a light, positive moment, I teared up, nearly reaching the waterworks. But why? At first, I gradually eased into a smile, just as Hermione does. But halfway through, I start to question the salty discharge (reference anyone?) building up in my eyes. It was a beautiful scene, because it represented all that is right in the world; friendship, happiness, being there for someone you care about and doing anything to make them happy, and of course, unconditional love. The power of love. Something that comes up ever so often in Potter. The power to remove the negative (remove the locket and the misery) and attain something positive (a smile, a laugh, fun). Again, I'm almost welling up as I right this. Perhaps in that moment more than any other, Harry was my
hero. Sure, he fought off Dementors, a Basilisk, Voldemort and Death Eaters, but this scene showed that Harry is hero beyond the line of battle and beyond courage and grit. Here's someone with such a troubled past and an equally as troubled future, and yet, he embodies love in every sense of the word. To make Hermione smile, to make her laugh, to make her forget about the cruel game played by reality - that is a hero. That is someone to look up to. That is someone that you want to aspire to be like. Dumbledore was right all along. Love is Harry's greatest power. It is his greatest gift. "What is it?" "Love, Harry. Love" On another level (sad shift towards pessimism), however, this scene also feeds into the point I was making earlier. This one, sweet dance, is only a small candle burning in an endless pit of darkness. By the time it's over, my tears continued to build, but for a different reason. As Hermione walks away from Harry, stone-faced and abandoned by the warmly welcomed smiles, the cold reality returns. Ron is still gone. The journey must continue. Is it okay to feel happy when there is so much wrong with the world? When there is still so much to do? Until Voldemort is destroyed, the trio will be forever trapped by their task, and the memories of a last dance will fight to outlast the new, harsher memories that will form along the way. Above all, this is what DH Part 1 was about to me. And this is what it got so right.
Finally, the story front. I have some mixed feelings here, but a lot of that is due to my desire for the final two films to succeed plot-wise. As I've mentioned in the past, I am by no means a stickler for book accuracy. Yes, sometimes I'm a bit peeved when things deviate too much (for instance, I wish we had at least one more memory in HBP, as those really were the defining moments of the book). On the whole though, I am very grateful for the films, as they are the closest thing I have to living the stories from the books. And for the most part, they've done very well in capturing the spirit of JKR's tale. I have no problem reading a book and going straight into the film, as I treat both as separate entities. As such, I judge the films in the film universe, and not the books'. I think this freedom has allowed me to enjoy (and even cling to) the film's immensely. So, here are some of my thoughts on Part 1. First of all, I can't believe how much was crammed into the movie, yet how much didn't make it in either. If you follow the film scene by scene, you can see that almost every single moment is devoted to something important, yet there is still so much that never made it in. Initially, I thought that having two films would mean we'd get everything, but now I can truly see how foolish that notion was. I should have realized just how much content exists in DH. I think it should be obvious now, if it wasn't before, that there really was no logical and faithful way to cram everything into one movie. Anyhow, for the most part, I'm very pleased at how much they were able to fit in. It's hard to comment without seeing Part 2, but I feel that most of the subplots that were slowly built in the book (ie: Dumbledore's story) will be completely fleshed out instantaneously (avoiding the long mystery present in the books - although it did make it's way somewhat into the films) through dialog/exposition in the next one. I'm fine with that, as long as all loose ends (the doe, Dobby and the mirror, Dumbledore's possession of a certain object, etc.) are also tied up, and tied up well. As commonly mentioned, the one thing that I was kind of sad to see, was the lack of explanation for the mirror. It would've only taken one line, and I wish they would have included it. Sure, they could mention something in Part 2, but for an object that was so prevalent and important in Part 1, it really should have had an explanation. I feel bad for some of the GA who surely will not get it. My only other let down is that I wish the final scene was longer. I would have liked a couple lines from Voldemort. Yeah, it was made to be a big deal, but I think that with a bit more length and a focus on some wild, jubilant and triumphant emotion from Voldemort, it would have been that much more chillingly epic. I was really looking forward to it as an ending, and it's a shame that virtually all of it was in the trailer. Aside from that, I thought the Deathly Hallows themselves received a great treatment via the wonderful animation, and I hope/believe that Part 2 (we know that he asks Ollivander based on the preview footage from the HBP Blu-Ray) will be bring even more focus to them (as well as Harry's obsession with them). All in all, I'm amazed at how much they put into this one, and at how fast such a content heavy film was able to move. Even knowing the story so well, I really need to see the movie again, as it was a lot to take in the first time. Story wise, it was a very nice setup for Part 2 indeed.
Still reading? LOL. As I said, it's a very difficult film to grade when given the knowledge that we still haven't met its other half. Based on what Yates and the team have done here, however, I know that I'm probably going to love Part 2 no matter what (hell, I was gonna love it anyways LOL). That said, I do expect it to be a very good film. And so, to conclude, as you might have been able to tell by this mega post, I really got sucked into the movie. I'm a very big Potter fan, and I think this film, beyond the magic and the action and the plot got the two most important things right: the emotion and the characters (trio primarily). These are characters that I've grown up with. That I've watched age. That I've laughed at and shown my appreciation for, and that I've cried with or felt their pain. The film got everything right about the trio. I want them to win. Desperately. I want them to succeed. And above all, I want them to be happy. They deserve it. Even though I know how it ends, even though I know the twists and the turns and the fate of our heroes, and even though this connection with a fictional story and fictional characters is all in my head,
it doesn't make any of this less real. And that, my friends, is why Albus Dumbledore is a brilliant, brilliant man (if you haven't read the book, you'll know in 8 months
t
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Thanks for reading.
It just touched me, the way I kinda felt it's the end, so I'm really hoping the movies will end like it, emotional.
