I've seen the movie twice now, and I am still a little fuzzy on all the details I want to zoom in on... however, my feelings for the film are set. Below are the MANY reasons why I liked it, with some spoilers and a few things I
didn't like...
I chose the Snape poster for this entry since he's one of my favorite characters, but is not really in the story until Part 2. Probably my favorite comment about this film came from the FugGirls over at GoFugYourself.com and it ran:
My thoughts exactly, ladies!
Overall, I LOVED this movie. Having just finished re-reading the book, I was extra critical of the movie, and even so, the movie satisfied me and I was very impressed with the adaptation. I can say with no reservations, this was the best adapted of all the films so far. I kind of wish they were able to go back and split the last 3 movies, too. It seems to have helped!
One thing I loved about Part 1 is it really hit the emotions like it should. Sadness, fear, doubt uncertainty, etc. The movie opens showing how the trio is cleaning up and preparing their lives for what comes next. The most moving of all, in my opinion was watching Hermione erase her parents' memories of her existence and watching her disappear from framed pictures throughout the house.
Then, it switches to the Malfoy Manor. I thought this scene was TERRIFYING. I kept wondering how younger kids who love Harry Potter would react to it because it was so frightening even to me, a 24-year-old woman who has read and knows what to expect. I loved seeing Snape, even for a moment. Alan Rickman never disappoints. Plus, the moment where Voldemort asks for Lucius' wand was perfect. Jason Isaac plays Lucius so terrified in this scene that I actually felt badly for him. And when finally, Voldy kills Charity Burbage, I love that the first reaction shot is on Draco, and Tom Felton plays him perfectly. He does not want any part of this and he is NOT ready to be a Death Eater or to kill or even be near someone being killed. LOVED this scene. I knew we were really in for a great film after this.
Maybe one of the funniest moments for me was in the 7 Harrys scene, and this wasn't meant to be funny... but it was: Everyone comes into the house on Privet Drive and in about 10 seconds we get a bunch of exposition that they skipped in the other movies. It's like "Hey, I'm Bill! I'm the oldest and most forgotten Weasley brother. I was bit by a werewolf! I'm married to Fluer!" and then Lupin comes in and makes a joke and Tonks is like "Hey, remember how we're married! And we're pregnant and...!" and then Mad Eye interrupts, thank God. It was PRETTY hilarious, but I am glad they included that. I bet anyone's who hasn't read the books head was spinning at that moment. It was also wonderful to see the twins again, just because they are so precious. I was actually appreciative of the change that George walked in on Harry and Ginny kissing at the Burrow, rather than Ron, because George's "Morning" was spot on hilarious!
I love the chemistry between the trio, as always. The moment they are together, it's seamless. There is real friendship and affection as well as comedic timing. They can play off each other in both types of scenes, dramatic and funny. I guess working together in 7 movies will do that to you, but also, these kids are SO talented. I especially love watching Rupert Grint looking with puppy eyes at Emma Watson, finally giving us Hermione/Ron lovers what we've been wanting to see. And he does it SO well. It's subtle, and funny, but real and genuine. Every time there was a little nuance of their relationship growing, I got more and more excited for what's to come in Part 2.
They changed a lot having to do with Kreacher, I guess, for time. They didn't have time to show Harry mend his relationship with him, even though it proves very important in the end as Kreacher leads the house elves on a rebellion against the Death Eaters in Part 2. Instead, they insert Dobby into this part and have him help Kreacher bring back Mundungus. Because of this, Kreacher is almost completely overshadowed... which upset me because I love Kreacher. I'm one of the weird ones who isn't a big fan of Dobby in the least, so I was mostly just annoyed during this part, though I did understand why they did it. However, the tiny aside where Ron goes to shake Dobby's hand and Hermione looks on lovingly was precious. AND I really enjoyed Kreacher continuously poking at Mundungus threateningly with a small fork as though it were a wand. HILARIOUS.
The ministry scene was great. The adults they had play the kids were awesome, and Harry's even tried to walk like him. I didn't like that Harry changed back into himself before they left... though that was a weird decision, but overall it was a really great scene, albeit not my favorite.
With that said, the scene I was
really hoping to be satisfied by was the scene where Ron leaves. In the book, Hermione's reaction is what really gets me, and so I really hoped they would hit that on the head as best they could. Without conveying that emotion, it would be hard for the viewer to understand what a blow it was to their quest that Ron left. Thankfully, this scene was played out very well. The boys' argument was raw and furious as Hermione looked on helplessly. I could feel Hermione's tension and desperation as Ron asked her to choose between Harry and him, then leaves. It was in this moment that Emma had me sold on this scene, when she leaves the tent and all you can hear from her are her pleas to keep Ron there. Broke my heart! It was perfect.
They added a little scene between Harry and Hermione after Ron left where Harry comes over to her and they dance to a song on the radio. At first I was super awkward about it because I didn't know where the movie was trying to take it, and I was like "SEXUAL TENSION WHY OMG!" But, the second time I watched it, I understood it much better and saw that it was just a very sweet moment between two friends, one trying to cheer up there other. I was glad for the addition! Again, chemistry x 10000000000000. The same can be said for when Ron returns later. SO cute and funny, and perfect.Their chemistry cannot be complimented enough.
I was really thankful they cut out Harry's obnoxious obsession with the Hallows. I love Harry so much, but there are moments I want to slap him for being so irrational. He's like my precious little brother that, sometimes, I just want to shake. So it was nice in the movie to not have to deal with that. I also thought it was interesting that they didn't talk too much about Dumbledore's past and all of the doubt and anger Harry shows towards him throughout the story. They talk a bit about it, but in the book it consumes him, almost. I am sure that they are saving all the details (such as Aberforth's resentment towards his brother, the coffin-side brawl, his mother hating Muggles) for the Kings Crossing scene in Part 2. It may just be too much for them to deal with in Part 1 and have to recap in Part 2 when the answers are revealed.
It goes without saying that I loved the Godric's Hallow scene. There really is no way to capture on screen the beautiful writing JK put into it, but they did a good job anyways. And the Bathilda Bagshot part was horrifying, also. I thought it would have been a bit scarier.. but then Hermione finds a fly-infested room with blood on the walls, and that made it hit the mark. GROSS! How frightening!! It was awful in the best way.
Which brings me to the Malfoy Manor scene part 2, AKA: The Hermione Torture Scene. In the book, this scene absolutely HORRIFIED me and so I was expecting a whole lot. The first scene at Malfoy Manor delivered, the Bathilda scene delivered, so I had high hopes for this one, too. However... as awful as it was... it didn't hit the mark for me. I think Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix sitting on Hermione, holding her down as she carves into her arm was so unnerving... but then later on you see that she carved "Mudblood" into her arm and it's a teeny tiny little thing. I'm not saying that wouldn't hurt, I'm not saying that isn't a HORRIBLE thing, and I am not even saying that I didn't like that idea... I just wanted MORE overall. I wanted Ron to be more concerned, I wanted there to be more urgency overall in the dungeon, I wanted more violence upstairs, and I wanted Hermione to look a lot more beat up.
I MUST disclaim that Emma and Helena's acting in this scene was awesome and they both did GREAT. I mean, especially the second time I saw it, I was just haunted by hearing Hermione's screams and seeing her struggle. It was truly awful. I just thought she needed to be bruised, she needed to be bloodier, she needed to look like the WORST most FRIGHTENING witch in the world was TORTURING her. Because that's what was happening, but she did not look like that at all.
As for the Dobby stuff, as a stated before... I am not the biggest fan of him, and I am sorry. Therefore, all the extra lines ("Dobby only meant to maim or injure...") he got were really just unnecessary to me, though everyone else in the theater seemed to enjoy them. It just seemed like it made the scene less frightening and just... silly. It didn't match with the tone of what was supposed to be going on there. But it made the death scene hit harder, I guess, for those who haven't read. I thought that the death scene was sweet and touching, and I did feel sad then.
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| Does Hermione REALLY look like she's just been tortured? NO! She's gorgeous and there is no blood! Ron looks like he was more tortured than her... Pssshhh. |
I was glad for how the movie ended. I thought that it was wise to skip the interrogation and save it for the beginning of Part 2. It may be a good way to review everyone on what has happened so far. And then, for the first time, David Yates does NOT gloss over the sad atmosphere of the ending and he allows the bad guy to win! Hooray, David Yates! There was no uplifting music... there was no trio looking hopefully into the sky even though someone important just died. There was exactly what was supposed to be: grief, fear, and what seemed like Voldemort winning. Then it blacks out and leaves us totally wanting more. I think I made the comment that I wanted to just sit in the seat until summer when the next one comes out, haha.
I never felt like the movie dragged. I never felt like any of the little things I disliked overshadowed anything else that was more important. There was nothing within this movie that upset me or was fundamentally wrong. This was the BEST adaptation of all the films. And maybe with a few more viewings, it will become one of my favorites. Cannot wait for Part 2! Even though I don't want Harry Potter to end... ever. Is there a way to do both?!
I was talking to my friend Matt, who I went to High School with, and he's now at NYU getting his masters in composing (which, on a side note, makes him perhaps the coolest person I know). I asked him when I was explaining my idea for this entry which story or movie changed his life. He replied it wasn't a story so much as a score he heard when he was 15 years old. It was the first Harry Potter score. ...And now he's a composer! Because of that one score he heard from 10 years ago. That's power. That score shaped his future. A good friend of mine from college said once: "Lives change on a day-to-day basis, for a number of reasons: either a best friend gets married or you see a beautiful sunset. Or you read a powerful book."
I'm sure anyone who has been interested in reading my blog is probably under the same belief that stories have the power to change perspectives, change ideas, change hearts, and under the right circumstances maybe even change lives. I really wanted to have an entry where people could discuss and talk about the story that impacted them in this way. In my experience, there has been one movie that has impacted me more than any other: The Lord of the Rings.
It was through reading this series that I discovered I could enjoy reading. No one assigned me these books. No one forced me to test over them. I picked them up on my own and read them, and found I couldn't put them down. I never imagined before that I could ever feel so attached to a book. This was the beginning of me experiencing what (I later learned) Keat's called “the holiness of the Heart’s affection and the truth of Imagination.” I began to realize that some things that are created in the mind can be more real than some actual things in our lives, and through fantasy, real-life truths can be found. A Tolkein scholar has said, "People make the comment that this type of fantasy is escapist and evading the real world, but I think that [thinking] is an evasion. [The story] is actually trying to confront something that some people would rather not confront."
Also, I fell in love with the cast of this movie. They will, perhaps, always be the cast-love-of-my-life. I don't know another movie that has ever been cast so perfectly. But besides that, they also gelled so beautifully with each other behind the scenes, it was that much more fun to watch them on screen. Chemistry abounds! Watching the actor commentary and seeing pictures of them from set, hanging out, or even red carpets was just a blast because you knew they loved each other, these films, and the experience of making them as much as you did. These movies/this story changed their lives, too, and it made me feel like I was, in some way, connected to these people. Because even though our lives were changed in completely different ways, they were still changed for the same reason and by the same means. 
Ultimately, because I adored this cast like I did, I wanted to watch all the special features I could get my hands on about the making of the film. I learned about every element of film-making, from adapting and writing a script, to story boards, to casting, to making scenery, to props, to directing, and much, much more. It made me discover my love for the art of film-making and it awakened my passion and interest in everything that goes with it.
This is NOT a review! REPEAT: This entry is NOT a review. I am certainly going to have to see this movie another time before I feel confident in writing up what I think of it. I am just going to recount what last night was like with the HP movie release experience with my friends!
Anyways, it's always fun to watch Shutter Island. For me it is one of my favorite films of 2010 (as can be shown in my original Shutter Island review, click!) AND who doesn't LOVE watching Leonardo Dicaprio? I mean really. But for all others present, Caty, Justin, and my hubby Justin, it was all their 2nd viewing. Those who have seen this movie know that the second viewing of this movie is a completely different experience than the first time! It was fun to see their reactions and talk about it afterward.
