Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

[pseu_trapd]

I need to write down everything that I think about the movie before I go seeking out other people's comments. So here's a big list, in no particular order, of all the things that I loved, that I disliked, and that took my breath away.

1. The cinematography was sublime, in the Kantian sense: beauty informed by terror. The image of the magical dome being formed, showing the strength of what magic can accomplish; the shot where Voldemort dies and we see Harry framed by the crumbling arches of the castle; the Death Eaters running towards the bridge where Neville stands as a lone sentry; young Snape and Lily forming beautiful magic underneath the trees. This is one of the most visually stunning films I've ever seen. 
2. Related to that, the lighting was always on purpose. Bright gray twilight, sunsets, shadows.
3. Snape's death was shocking, more gruesome than I expected. And then, so was Snape's tenderness in saying goodbye to Harry.
4. I could watch a whole movie about young Snape and Lily. "Shimmering and lovely and sad."
5. Based on the previews, the scene of Harry grabbing Voldemort and jumping off the tower looked ridiculous, but then it actually wasn't so bad in the movie. The previews made it look like a lingering moment, as if they were talking and then leapt, but they were in the middle of a fight. The thought of Harry touching Voldemort on purpose seems a little out of character, and too frightening for me to consider, but perhaps it shows Harry's strength and growth--he is not afraid anymore.
6. Oh, Neville. I was afraid for a little while that he wasn't going to be the one to kill the snake, because the Nagini fight scene went on so much longer and Harry, Hermione, and Ron were trying to kill it too. But I think that was a good choice--it heightened the stakes. I appreciated how much emphasis Neville got in the film--I think he got more attention than he got even in the book. Neville is every bit the hero.
7. Also, did I mishear, or did he go off at some point to confess his love to Luna? That would be a deviation from the book that I would really enjoy.
8. I was hoping that they'd save Fred, but I knew they wouldn't. And was that Lavender that Grayback killed? I wish they'd had more time to deal with the grief of those lost.
9. The scenes at Shell Cottage were beautiful.
10. So much of the film was exactly as it needed to be--based directly on the books but with the added element of visual sumptuousness.
11. Helena Bonham Carter did a good job as Hermione, and Hermione did a terrible job at being Bellatrix.
12. All of the acting was great. Totally believable. I read in a Jason Isaacs interview that all the adults were in a friendly competition to act the best, partially because all the kids (although few of them are kids anymore) brought their best every day. It shows.
13. I'm so glad they made two films. They couldn't have done the battle of Hogwarts right in any less time.
14. Harry Potter, come to die, became my hero. I've been annoyed with Harry in the past, and it did seem like he was the default hero, triumphing through little talent of his own; but in this moment, he was noble and strong and right.
15. Malfoy family FTW. Even though they picked the wrong side and Lucius, at least, is a murderer and a bigot, they stand together. I love that they leave before the battle is over--they choose their family over either side. It's a really weird way to show the importance of family, and yet it touches me as much as the Weasleys do. 
16. Just like in the books, the no-name characters are given personality. The goblins at Gringotts all felt believable, even though we only saw them for a moment.
17. I loved Luna calling Harry out for not listening to her. That's right, Luna, you know what you're talking about.
18. I wish we'd gotten more of the Grey Lady's story. It's a small thing, but she's fascinating.
19. I loved the scene of Voldemort speaking Parseltongue to Nagini.
20. Harry/Snape shippers are totally going to freak out about Snape's dying scene.
21. I'm so glad we got to see Ron and Hermione in the Chamber! I loved being back in the Chamber at all, and they were amazing. Ron's explanation of how he knew the Parseltongue words to open the Chamber were just as lame as in the book, but whatever.
22. I guess the anti-Apparition spells were broken? Because everybody was Apparating everywhere, except Harry. Maybe he should've tried that.
23. Voldemort and Draco? Most awkward hug ever.
24. "Not my daughter, you bitch!" That's right, Molly, you are the best. Holy crap, what spell did she use to disintegrate Bellatrix?
25. The kid who plays Blaise reminded me of the dude who plays Yaxley in AVPS. It was distracting.
26. I'm so glad that they moved the explanation of Harry and the elder wand from the middle of the battle (seriously, monologuing, anyone?) to afterwards. Also that they cut the "you can't kill anyone because I died for them all, just like my mother" crap.
27. Snape cradling Lily's body and sobbing, with infant Harry in the background? Stunning. Alan Rickman (like everyone else) did a fabulous job in this film.
28. I wish the scene in afterlife!King's Cross had been longer. But on the other hand, they cut a lot of the "Ima splain everything," which I appreciated.
29. I loved Dumbledore's comments on the power of words, because isn't that what this is all about? Words and images will live forever in us. The job of fiction is to be realer than reality--even if it's all in our own heads.
30. Dead Voldemort soul fetus? Horrifying. Brilliant.
31. I wish they'd had room to give Petunia more dimension, but I understand why they chose not to.
32. Speaking of which, where were the house elves? And Trelawney dropping crystal balls on Death Eaters? I guess they didn't want to interrupt the tone, but I love that moment in the books.
33. McGonagall, sending the Slytherins to the dungeons? Uncool. I loved you in this movie, but that was even worse than Dumbledore taking the Cup from them in book one. Not all Slytherins are evil, you know, even though Pansy Parkinson is an idiot.
34. No Ravenclaw tower. Sad but understandable.
35. No explanation for Ron using the Imperius curse on that goblin? Also uncool. I think, in the books, it showed how far they were willing to go to win, even though it never came back to bite them as it should--and it did, here, because the goblin killed himself. But there was no further discussion of it, and I think there should have been.
36. I keep coming back to the Prince's Tale. Every moment was beautiful. Even if they could have CGI'd Alan Rickman's wrinkles out a little more gracefully. It's also interesting how they took out Snape's Worst Memory--it changes the dynamic of his relationship with Lily. It makes it so it can be interpreted that they never had a falling out--it's possible that, even though he became a Death Eater, they stayed friends until the end.
37. I wish we'd seen Harry fix his own wand with the Elder wand, because what, does he just keep Draco's? That doesn't seem right. It was an important moment in the books that I wish they'd kept.
38. I love how they interspersed old footage with new, especially in the Prince's Tale. It reminds us that this is one story, not seven or eight. 
39. I loved the return to the Sorcerer's Stone music on Platform 9 3/4. New beginnings--life will go on and the story never ends.
40. "Will you stay with me? Until the end?" All of you will. None of you beautiful, beautiful heroes will ever leave me. You defined my childhood and underlay my daydreams, and I will love you forever.