Harry Potter 7
Holy Shit. I saw HP part 1 yesterday, and slept on it. I wasn't sure what exactly to write about it, so I thought I'd just start.
First off, I noticed how far these kids have grown. I think Rupert Grint totally stole the show - he was a great tool in comedic timing, but when he had to buckle down and get angry (the fight scenes), he was bloody amazing. Emma Watson's presentation finally looked 3 dimensional instead of just a whiny kid or a plot device. I don't blame her - I think it was mostly the writing, but I think they finally found what they were trying to find in Hermione, the character. Too bad it took this long...
I LOVED the scene where Bellatrix was torturing Hermione. Actually, all of the Malfoy Manner scenes where great. The "Mudblood" touch was spot on, emotional, and just pure evil. God I love Helena Bonham Carter...
I also really liked what they did with Greyback and Hermione with the enchantments in the woods. It was an added scene, but a really good way to show the enchantments working, and to re-introduce Greyback.
The 7 Potters scene had just enough humor and seriousness, just like the book.
DOBBY! I LOVE how they brought back Dobby, and how they kept him true to his character.
"Dobby, can you dissapparate out of here?"
"Of course, I can Harry Potter. I'm an elf."
When he died, all I could think of was when Harry asks Dobby to "never try to save my life again" at the end of book/movie 2. I didn't cry, but I did tear up a little.
The Three Brothers animation was a really neat way to deal with the story. I enjoyed the animation. The only downer is that when it started, I felt like I was removed from the movie for a moment, and again at the end of the tale. Overall though, I really liked the way they did it.
Lastly, I really liked the added scene with Harry and Hermione dancing after Ron left. That added a nice realistic dimension to their friendship. It was a nice moment where Harry tried to cheer up his friend in a very sweet way. My friends would do the exact same thing, but it also showed how much Hermione loved and missed Ron. What that scene did more than any other scene in any of the movies was show Harry and Hermione's relationship in a real way, and that it would never go beyond the deep love and friendship that they have. There was a moment that I remembered thinking that the two people in this moment have a choice - to become physical for the wrong reasons (desperation, loneliness, stress) or to stay where they are, and perhaps making their friendship stronger. We've all been in a moment like this before, and I think they walked that line wonderfully. I've read that most people hated this scene, but I really, REALLY, loved it.
Again, some of the biggest plot points that were missed in previous movies were dropped into this film, and some of it was incredibly awkward (like, finally meeting Charlie Weasley BILL Weasley with his face all cut up from Fenrir Greyback - it just seemed a bit contrived; or finally meeting Mundungus Fletcher, again, it seemed a bit rushed, and probably wouldn't have had those characters been introduced in previous movies). Since they had to get the necessary information in, and they are running out of time to do it, I think they did the best they could and I think they did a great job with what they had.
I think overall they stayed true to the book, found a way to add in the information that Book Harry knew that Movie Harry didn't know (though it did seem contrived at times), and it really left me wanting more.
What did you think?