HP 7.1
HOW FANTASTIS WAS THIS MOVIE?!
As much as I love the franchise, I have an underlying fear that the movies will be terrible because they usually are 50% of the time. This is especially true as a Ron Weasley fan because we all know Steve Kloves has a hard on for Hermione so he tends to give all of Ron's great lines to her and shun Ron to the side. Remember the ending of HBP where Harry and Hermione were having a heart-to-heart and Ron was randomly sitting there in the background? RAGE.
So I was pleasantly surprise at how great this movie was as a whole. I'm not sure how much sense it made to those who have never read the books (things that were not explained: the broken piece of mirror that Harry carried and why Dobby appeared to help them at Malfoy Mansion, why the trio were discovered at Tottenham Court because I'm pretty sure Harry didn't utter Voldemort's name, etc.) but as someone who reread the series recently, I thought this was the best adaptation of the books and I'm hoping part 2 will continue to be just as amazing. My only huge complaint was that I went to the 7pm show, which meant I was stuck with all the obnoxious tweens/teens who nearly ruined it for me with all the squealing/screaming. Note to self: suck it up and watch the 10:30pm show next time or better yet, go to the midnight screening.
Things I enjoyed:
- RON BEING BOOK!RON.
- I was spoiled for the Harry/Hermione dancing scene and was afraid it was going to be Steve Kloves pushing his ship preference on us again but it turned out to be a really nice BFF moment between the two of them. I love the Harry/Hermione friendship in the books and while there was an overtone of H/Hr in the beginning of the scene (when he's taking off the locket), I took the scene as Harry trying to cheer Hermione up and he succeed, if only briefly. Great addition to the movie and I got a great laugh out of Harry dancing dorkily.
- That effing snitch always gets to me - "I open at the close." I had tears in my eyes when the message appeared etched on the snitch.
- The trio really stepped up their acting game but it was Emma Watson who impressed me the most. This is the first time where I thought she did a great job as Hermione - thank goodness she is no longer over-enunciating or eyebrow-acting
- George bringing the funny during the awkward Harry/Ginny kiss.
- The seven Harry Potters. PERFECTION. What really made the scene was Fleur!Harry putting her head down on Bill's back when they were on the thestral. LOL.
- All the little Ron/Hermione moments. Glad they kept the hands-almost-touching moment when they're sleeping in the living room, and I swooned when he touched her face and told her she should do the obliviate spell since she's the best at charms. Look, I know that moment was not in the book and was probably inappropriate for the setting, but I've been shipping them for 10 years and am impatiently waiting for The Kiss so I will take what I can get in the mean time, okay?
Nitpicks:
- "She's like my sister... I thought you knew." Where the fuck was that line? This is such an important moment for Ron - he is forced to bare his soul, to show his deepest fears to Harry. This scene isn't so much about R/Hr vs. H/Hr but about Harry and Ron's friendship and Harry being there for his best friend when he's at his lowest point. Ron's most poignant moment in the book (and the Harry & Ron bromance) was taken a backseat just so they could keep the non-existent love triangle in the movie. SO MUCH RAGE.
- I wanted Ron to lose his shit when Hermione was being tortured. Not enough angst/urgency for me. I kind of wish there was more screaming on Hermione's part as well (I always imagined this scene to be more... intense and completely awful) but I thought Bellatrix carving "mudblood" into Hermione's arm was a chilling touch.
- Dobby dying in the book is when I lose all composure and start crying like there's no tomorrow. The part that really gets to me is when everyone takes off a piece of clothing and puts them on Dobby's body and I really, really wish we got that in the movie. Plus, I wanted Harry to carve "Here lies Dobby, a free elf" onto a rock. Also, I thought Bill/Fleur's house was located on a cliff overlooking the water rather than next to a beach? It wasn't quite where I imagined Dobby to be buried.
- Dean is one of my favourite secondary characters so it's such a shame that he was completely cut out of this film.
Overall , I really loved the movie and I'm ready to go see it again.