deathly hallows film part one ~
(For new flisters - yeah I am a total, utter HP nerd and love the books to bit so reviewing the films is just an obligatory thing. Hi!)
Well, I certainly liked it. Me and
naroona were talking before the film about the previous HP films and whether we enjoyed them. It turned out we had quite differing opinions - she really liked GoF whereas I remember being slightly disappointed in it, and she had absolutely no memories of OotP which I absolutely loved. HBP she didn't remember much about, either, and I remember liking it but not as much as OotP which was like .. the first HP film that was good, as a film rather than just as an adaptation.
This one seems to snugly fit into that category as well (still love the fifth film more, though). I really like Yates' direction and in terms of character relationships this seemed to be better than HBP. Maybe it was also the fact that the kids are no longer kids exactly, and are improving as actors, even if they still have their flaws. But the feel of the film, the cinematography and the pacing was mostly really great and of course, the seventh book is just incredible with regards to the story (in my view anyway) so that part was easy to love.
Rather than pretend I can write a coherent, well put-together review, let me do a list of likes & dislikes & random observations. For the benefit of the reading-lazy, any negative view is -, positive a + and ambivalent ~.
+ Wasn't Snape's hair at Voldemort's mansion thingy FABULOUS? Holy blowdryer! Oh Severus. Your wives have not yet tarnished my liking of your character. :)
-naroona expressed the view that Voldemort should have a nose-like thing instead of the slit because when he talks it comes out looking mildly comical. I agreed at first after watching but later decided it was really more about the dialogue.
~ Speaking of -- Look, I'm an unapologetic non-fan of Steve Kloves. He's got a bit better over the years. For example, he's noticed that Ron actually is not just your standard comic relief idiot, he's genuinely sarcastically funny and can be quite clever, so he has actually taken to heart some of that actual characterization. So this one, in terms of the dialogue and the script, is actually quite good and the adaptation works. A few awkward bits here and there but not the book-canon-slaughter cringefest that some of his scenes (wow, that sounds a bit overly harsh .. but seriously, I used to get so angry about these things. Thankfully don't care that much anymore. :D)
+ LUNAAAAAAAAA. Harry/Luna is the OTP that should've been, fuck everybody who thinks different. Okay, perhaps not 'fuck', I respect all kinds. But. Harry/Luna, man. Beautiful stuff, beautiful interactions. And her dad! :DDDD
+ Weasleys madness :D We finally get to see Bill! And he's naturally gorge and not really mutilated by the werewolf attack - mind you, they didn't do the whole "female Weasleys dislike Fleur" thing so I guess it didn't need to be proven that Fleur would still love him despite his "hideous" appearance.
+ The whole Ministry of Magic scene with the Polyjuice was. OMG. Loved it so so much. First off, their polyjuice-selves were such fine actor picks and actually encompassed the awkwardness of the characters it was just kind of awesome. And the Death Eaterite MoM with the amazing interior designs but the clear Nazi vibes of the leaflets and the anti-Muggle literature in Umbridge's office, loved it all so much. And the wife kissing Ron! Made me roffle.
+naroona kept poking me in anticipation of the scene where Ron destroys the Horcrux. I was like what, what, I know what's going to happen but later she commented it was because she disliked it. Hmm. Okay. I think the imagined nekkid H/Hr is a bit ...spelling it out, I think when I read the scene (if I recall correctly) I thought it was more about the voices being inside Ron's head somehow or something. But I think I liked the scene just fine in the end. Maybe it was just about being glad seeing Ron at the forefront of a scene FOR ONCE?
++++ RONNNNNNN.
+ What bias? :D I don't know. Any time a film can remind me why a character is my favourite, it's kind of a job well done. And Ron is really one of those characters I am just stupendously fond of. Like I said in my OotP review (which I just re-read as I did all of my reviews of the previous films), I love him so much it's kind of sick - not Snapewives sick but kind of sick all the same. The scene where he and Harry argue, it was ...really fitting. Like it just felt as it needed to feel. And the R/Hr constant little hints and bits and things were just adorable and I want to rewatch the film just for them. *melts*
~ I'm trying to think of things I disliked. I guess the camping thingy was a bit ..dull but the scenery kind of made it worth it and asnaroona pointed out, it needs to be frustrating because it is frustrating that they can't find it.
- Fuck I feel like a cold person but, um, Dobby's death? who cares.
- I really thought they'd have discovered more of the Albus stuff early enough to make it into this movie but I guess that's not really a complaint as much as it's "omg plz gimme". Albus~
+ Necrophilic Albus/Voldemort/Elder Wand OT3 is so canon .... I mean, what.
+ The animated sequence was really nicely done, though perhaps felt a little out of place? It's tough when you have one thing that you have to do but absolutely have to break the ordinary visual narrative of the film to do it. Still. I think they did it nicely.
+ I would definitely watch it again, even the bits I wasn't enormously fond of? For a Potter film I feel like that's always saying something.
- NEVILLE. Okay. I'm with Fatboy of C&F on this. The movies have robbed us of one of the better storylines of the entire book series. Neville gets one scene in this movie? Ohgod. What a waste. Yes, I understand sacrifices have to be made. But not at the cost of one superb character -- at least not this one? I'm also with Fatboy that by the time they get to Part 2 it's kind of too late? But they've given him moments in the other films. Just not enough. Sigh.
+ olololol Draco why so useless and amusing.
So yeah, lovely stuff and I really look forward to part two. I mean, I really really look forward to part 2. Pretty sure that should everything fall into place, I'll want to see it as soon as humanly possible.
Or really, I just wish I could locate my copy of the 7th book. Where the fuck has it disappeared? *despairs*
Well, I certainly liked it. Me and
naroona were talking before the film about the previous HP films and whether we enjoyed them. It turned out we had quite differing opinions - she really liked GoF whereas I remember being slightly disappointed in it, and she had absolutely no memories of OotP which I absolutely loved. HBP she didn't remember much about, either, and I remember liking it but not as much as OotP which was like .. the first HP film that was good, as a film rather than just as an adaptation. This one seems to snugly fit into that category as well (still love the fifth film more, though). I really like Yates' direction and in terms of character relationships this seemed to be better than HBP. Maybe it was also the fact that the kids are no longer kids exactly, and are improving as actors, even if they still have their flaws. But the feel of the film, the cinematography and the pacing was mostly really great and of course, the seventh book is just incredible with regards to the story (in my view anyway) so that part was easy to love.
Rather than pretend I can write a coherent, well put-together review, let me do a list of likes & dislikes & random observations. For the benefit of the reading-lazy, any negative view is -, positive a + and ambivalent ~.
+ Wasn't Snape's hair at Voldemort's mansion thingy FABULOUS? Holy blowdryer! Oh Severus. Your wives have not yet tarnished my liking of your character. :)
-
naroona expressed the view that Voldemort should have a nose-like thing instead of the slit because when he talks it comes out looking mildly comical. I agreed at first after watching but later decided it was really more about the dialogue. ~ Speaking of -- Look, I'm an unapologetic non-fan of Steve Kloves. He's got a bit better over the years. For example, he's noticed that Ron actually is not just your standard comic relief idiot, he's genuinely sarcastically funny and can be quite clever, so he has actually taken to heart some of that actual characterization. So this one, in terms of the dialogue and the script, is actually quite good and the adaptation works. A few awkward bits here and there but not the book-canon-slaughter cringefest that some of his scenes (wow, that sounds a bit overly harsh .. but seriously, I used to get so angry about these things. Thankfully don't care that much anymore. :D)
+ LUNAAAAAAAAA. Harry/Luna is the OTP that should've been, fuck everybody who thinks different. Okay, perhaps not 'fuck', I respect all kinds. But. Harry/Luna, man. Beautiful stuff, beautiful interactions. And her dad! :DDDD
+ Weasleys madness :D We finally get to see Bill! And he's naturally gorge and not really mutilated by the werewolf attack - mind you, they didn't do the whole "female Weasleys dislike Fleur" thing so I guess it didn't need to be proven that Fleur would still love him despite his "hideous" appearance.
+ The whole Ministry of Magic scene with the Polyjuice was. OMG. Loved it so so much. First off, their polyjuice-selves were such fine actor picks and actually encompassed the awkwardness of the characters it was just kind of awesome. And the Death Eaterite MoM with the amazing interior designs but the clear Nazi vibes of the leaflets and the anti-Muggle literature in Umbridge's office, loved it all so much. And the wife kissing Ron! Made me roffle.
+
naroona kept poking me in anticipation of the scene where Ron destroys the Horcrux. I was like what, what, I know what's going to happen but later she commented it was because she disliked it. Hmm. Okay. I think the imagined nekkid H/Hr is a bit ...spelling it out, I think when I read the scene (if I recall correctly) I thought it was more about the voices being inside Ron's head somehow or something. But I think I liked the scene just fine in the end. Maybe it was just about being glad seeing Ron at the forefront of a scene FOR ONCE? ++++ RONNNNNNN.
+ What bias? :D I don't know. Any time a film can remind me why a character is my favourite, it's kind of a job well done. And Ron is really one of those characters I am just stupendously fond of. Like I said in my OotP review (which I just re-read as I did all of my reviews of the previous films), I love him so much it's kind of sick - not Snapewives sick but kind of sick all the same. The scene where he and Harry argue, it was ...really fitting. Like it just felt as it needed to feel. And the R/Hr constant little hints and bits and things were just adorable and I want to rewatch the film just for them. *melts*
~ I'm trying to think of things I disliked. I guess the camping thingy was a bit ..dull but the scenery kind of made it worth it and as
naroona pointed out, it needs to be frustrating because it is frustrating that they can't find it.- Fuck I feel like a cold person but, um, Dobby's death? who cares.
- I really thought they'd have discovered more of the Albus stuff early enough to make it into this movie but I guess that's not really a complaint as much as it's "omg plz gimme". Albus~
+ Necrophilic Albus/Voldemort/Elder Wand OT3 is so canon .... I mean, what.
+ The animated sequence was really nicely done, though perhaps felt a little out of place? It's tough when you have one thing that you have to do but absolutely have to break the ordinary visual narrative of the film to do it. Still. I think they did it nicely.
+ I would definitely watch it again, even the bits I wasn't enormously fond of? For a Potter film I feel like that's always saying something.
- NEVILLE. Okay. I'm with Fatboy of C&F on this. The movies have robbed us of one of the better storylines of the entire book series. Neville gets one scene in this movie? Ohgod. What a waste. Yes, I understand sacrifices have to be made. But not at the cost of one superb character -- at least not this one? I'm also with Fatboy that by the time they get to Part 2 it's kind of too late? But they've given him moments in the other films. Just not enough. Sigh.
+ olololol Draco why so useless and amusing.
So yeah, lovely stuff and I really look forward to part two. I mean, I really really look forward to part 2. Pretty sure that should everything fall into place, I'll want to see it as soon as humanly possible.
Or really, I just wish I could locate my copy of the 7th book. Where the fuck has it disappeared? *despairs*