Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows review (Spoilers ONLY behind the cuts)

[gioiamia]

ABOUT SPOILERS: This post starts out with a general, spoiler-free review.  I have tried very hard to put anything that might be considered a spoiler underneath an LJ-cut ( click here if you don't see the cuts).  I've even used fake LJ-cuts below so I don't give away where the film ends. However, if you consider discussions of the film sets,

Comments

[aggiebell90]

Here via stmargarets (and rumpelsnorcack is on my flist, too, actually!)

Here's a question, from one parent to another. Did your daughter do okay with the scary/intense scenes? I'm asking because my 10 year old son wants to go see it, but like your daughter, he hasn't read the books yet (he's in the middle of PoA right now). Other than the constant explaining (which I'm going to have to do, too), what did she think of it? My hubby and I are actually going without the kids (on, like, a real, live date!) on Friday before I take the the two oldest to see it, so I'll get an idea then, but thought I'd ask another parent.

On another note, based on your comments, I'm going to have to take a whole case of Kleenex with me, so I don't drown the rest of the audience.

Stupid LJ text limits inhibit my babbling (1 of 2)

[gioiamia]

Hi, there! I actually had this conversation today after my sister called with the same question in regards to her kids. “Pookie” rolled her eyes at me and said nothing was scary at all. So I don’t think your son will have any trouble with it, unless he is like my 11-year-old nephew and easily prone to having nightmares. Just in case your son is prone to bad dreams, here are the only scenes I could think of that might be an issue

Stupid LJ text limits inhibit my babbling (2 of 2)

[gioiamia]

Also from a parent’s perspective, there might be a couple of other scenes for you to be aware of, which I did not mention above. I’m rather over-sensitive and conservative about some things, though, so these may be no biggie to y’all

Re: Stupid LJ text limits inhibit my babbling (2 of 2)

[aggiebell90]

OOh, thanks. This helps a lot. I don't mind being spoiled at all, really (I figure I know the plot already, so...) but I can also wait--it's only 2 more days. In fact, I think I can probably guess the "side-boob shot" scene, just based on other things I've heard so far. :P

Based on this, I think No.2 son will probably be fine. He says he likes to be scared (not horror movie scary, but this kind of scariness seems to be right up his alley), and he's done fine with the other HP movies (even the Inferi in HBP didn't seem to faze him too much--creeped me the heck out, though!). No.1 son's 17, so he won't have a problem with it (the other two are 6 and 4 so they're going to have to wait a bit--I can't wait until I can properly introduce them to the whole HP Universe.)

I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing it after reading your review. :)

[germankitty]

Here via daily_snitch, and I've just seen the movie (a day early). I'd like to add that I was really impressed by Dan Radcliffe in DH -- especially the graveyard scene. (The fact that he comes across as very, VERY good-looking most of the time helped ... and seeing him stripped down to his tight lack boxers wasn't half-bad, either! *drooly grin*)

What disappointed me was the depiction of Fenrir Greyback. The actor was/looked FAR too young, and his costume/makeup really wasn't creepy and scary enough. Sure, he leched a little on Hermione, but that was IT. Not enough by half, IMO.

I don't remember how true the scene on the Hogwarts Express was to the book, but NEVILLE ROCKED!!!

And couldn't agree more on the two male Malfoys, especially Jason Isaacs' Lucius. Wonderfully done!

I'm looking forward to seeing the film again with my (grown-up) son on Monday!

[gioiamia]

I TOTALLY agree with you about the graveyard scene. My hubby and I were discussing that, and were both struck by how good he does at conveying a LOT of emotion through a very restrained acting style. For example, when Hermione conjures the flowers, his expression is this great mixture of appreciation for her gesture and her presence and extremely deep grief as he mourns his parents in a way we really haven't seen. So much was conveyed in that very brief moment

[mariem_1]

And I'm really glad you brought up Fenrir. I had to take my daughter to the bathroom right when Fenrir first appeared on screen (when Hermione was behind her wards watching him), and I kept having to whisper explanations to my daughter throughout the Malfoy Manor scene, so I was never sure if that was suppose to be Greyback. It just didn't seem possible that the attractive, smarmy actor could be representing the dirty, disgusting, horrifying werewolf who was old enough to have infected Remus. And you're so right - he didn't convey that same kind of lecherous, creepy-as-hell image that book!Fenrir does. They made movie!Fenrir look sexy - I totally don't get that.

That was probably Scabior, one of the Snatchers.

Fenrir

[gioiamia]

Yes! I was thinking of the snatcher. Thank you for clarifying! That's a big improvement in Fenrir's depiction. Grazie!

[shyfoxling]

Hermione is shown repeatedly in this film as being particularly powerful as well as brilliant. Much as I love Hermione, I must admit that I think that was over-played a tad. ... I’ll need to re-read the book again (I think it’s been about a year since my last read-through), but based on my recollection, I think Hermione’s strengths were over-emphasized at the expense of making Ron and Harry look like they are no-where near as skilled of fighters as she is.

Funny, that jives with my recollection of the book. Maybe not in terms of power per se, and fighting skill is something else again, but Hermione definitely has a much broader command of magic than either of them. She came across a bit "super!Hermione" in the book as well, IMO.

[gioiamia]

I'm re-reading it now, and I think that you're right and she does come across as a lot more super-Hermione than I remembered.

I still think she's played up a bit more in the film, but perhaps it's just striking me that way because Harry's power and skills do feel like they've been played down. Off the top of my head, there are two scenes in particular where the film credits Hermione for casting a spell or saving the day when it was really Harry who did so.

None of that particularly bothered me in the film, to be honest, because it wasn't that dramatic, plus I think that St Margerts is right and it probably will balance out when we see the next film. Plus, it's not THAT extreme. It just startled me a bit because I didn't remember Hermione being quite so Super! and Harry being quite so Passive! in the book.

[dolphinluv2783]

Could you elaborate for me more about the side-boob shot? I'm taking my 11 year old to it this weekend, so I just want to know ahead of time what's coming.

[gioiamia]

No problem

[gioiamia]

You may have already seen it by now, but I found a screencap of that Harry/Hermione kiss. It's a terrible picture - probably taken by someone pointing a camera at the screen. But for what it's worth, here it is:

[dolphinluv2783]

I really never even noticed the side boob. :) But yes, it was quite a bit of nakedness for these movies. I did like how well that scene was done, really playing on Ron's insecurities.

I also LOVED Snape, even for just the few minutes he got. I thought Alan Rickman did a great job of portraying him at Malfoy Manor. Was he so impassive because he didn't care, or because he was playing his role so well? Loved it.

[harmony_bites]

I just saw the film yesterday and loved it (impressions posted on my LJ) So now I came back to read the spoilerly parts of your review--and I mostly just nodded and went YES! YES! all through. But just one thing I disagree with:

But JKR repeatedly emphasized that Harry was a more powerful wizard than Hermione was a witch.Yes, I think in raw power, raw talent, Harry is more powerful. Among other things, when Voldemort "marked him as his equal" with that scar, he gained some of Voldemort's own power, like Parseltongue. But Hermione, the "most brilliant witch of her age" has something Harry doesn't--not just intellect--but application

[gioiamia]

I actually have been hashing that out with my hubby recently, and I definitely see your point. What stuck in my mind was the fact that Hermione emphatically told Harry in OotP that she was not capable of leading the DA - that he was. She reminded him that in Defense Against the Dark Arts, he had beaten her test scores and had consistently shown himself to be better at the subject. And since it is that type of spellcasting that comes into play heavily in Deathly Hallows, it struck me as inconsistent for Hermione to be the one constantly shown as the hero of the film

[harmony_bites]

ermione emphatically told Harry in OotP that she was not capable of leading the DA - that he was. She reminded him that in Defense Against the Dark Arts, he had beaten her test scores and had consistently shown himself to be better at the subjectHarry remember though got extra points from a fawning examiner--got a chance to have extra credit others didn't. All though the Triwizard tournament, he had to be spoonfed the solution to various tasks

[gioiamia]

Harry remember though got extra points from a fawning examiner--got a chance to have extra credit others didn't. That was in his OWLs, though, and the DA discussion took place before then. And I don't think the examiner fed him points. The only thing the examiner did was allow him to cast a patronus for extra points. I'll agree with you there that it wasn't exactly fair to offer him the opportunity for extra points and not offer that chance to the others. Of course, to be fair to the stupid examiner, he had no clue that Harry had trained the DA to be able to cast it, and I'm sure he thought that such a skill was impossible for anyone at that age except the great Harry Potter. *eye-roll