Deathly Hallows-2

****WARNING LOTS OF SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT****

I'm going to be completely honest here. Deathly Hallows was great, but it could have been incredible. The book is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, it was definitely worth seeing, and I will watch it again when it comes out on DVD. I just think it could have been better.

Things I Liked:
  • The added scene in Snape's memories where Snape is holding Lily after she died. It tore my heart apart.
  • Neville's speech. It was amazing.
  • Snape's memories.
  • Molly killing Bellatrix. It was everything I could have hoped for and more.
  • Helena Bonham Carter. She is amazing. The part where Hermione is disguised as Bellatrix is BRILLIANT.
  • The epilogue. Though I wish they'd shown Teddy!
  • Neville saying that he needs to go tell Luna he loves her because he could die before he gets another chance.
  • The Slytherins being sent to the dungeons. I'm a little undecided on this point, but it was kind of awesome.
  • The part where Harry tells Snape to tell everyone how he looked Dumbledore in the eye and killed him
  • Filch. I loved Filch.
  • The "Still. After all this time?" "Always." lines.

Things I Didn't Like:
  • Neville and the snake. Harry never even told him to kill the snake and it took him forever to do it. I was so looking forward to seeing him pull the sword out of the flaming Sorting Hat and slicing the snake's head off.
  • The battle with Voldemort and Harry. It would have been incredible in the Great Hall. I wish they hadn't attempted to make it more cinematic.They also cut out most of the dialogue between the two of them. I LOVE the dialogue in that scene.
  • The fact that Harry doesn't fix his own wand before he snaps the Elder Wand in half.
  • Harry telling Aberforth about the search for Horcruxes. Harry doesn't tell anyone but Ron and Hermione. Not even Lupin! He wouldn't go around telling people he just met, not even if they are Dumbledore's brother.
  • The things in Bellatrix's vault were supposed to burn, not just multiply.
  • The Gray Lady scene. Helena never wanted the diadem destroyed. I also wish they'd talked about how Voldemort had happened upon it.
  • Ron and Hermione's kiss. I couldn't quite decide if I should put this in Like or Dislike. I have to admit, I did love it, but I liked the book kiss better.
  • They just randomly announce that Lupin has a son. There's no mention of him prior to Lupin's death and no mention of Harry being Teddy's godfather.
  • There's no Percy.
  • Fred's death isn't really shown. That scene is one that I cry the hardest over in the book, but it's also one of the best.
  • Voldemort was in some random boathouse instead of the Shrieking Shack
  • Harry seeing Hermione and Ron before walking to his death. The only person Harry talked to in the book was Neville and that was to tell him to kill the snake. Harry didn't want to see anyone else because he was afraid of losing his nerve and what they would say.
  • No Grawp.
  • Where are the Carrows during the entire Battle of Hogwarts?

Comments

Caitlin R. O'Connell said…
There were a lot of moments, especially towards the end, that felt rushed to me. And some of the staging seemed a bit awkward. (Why was Ginny and co just standing around, like "hey Bellatrix, want to duel for fun today?")

Also, I thought Neville's speech was silly. Voldemort would have killed him six words into that. And for God's sake kill the damn snake faster!

I liked Ron and Hermione's kiss, though. I thought it was nicely done. Different from the book, of course, but I liked it.

And Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape were win. ^_^
July 15, 2011 at 1:08 PM
Brittany said…
I definitely agree with all of this. I loved the part where they showed Harry as a baby and Lily saying, "Mummy loves you, Harry." or something like that. :)

I wished they'd shown all of Snape's memories, not just little snippets without any dialogue. Plus, Lily has GREEN eyes! Harry's supposed to have her eyes, and even though they're blue, you can pretend they're green. But the actress who played Lily as a child had brown eyes. :P

I didn't really like the ending part, with the battle between Harry and Voldemort. I wish they'd kept all of the dialogue and I wish they'd fought in front of everyone, just like it happened in the book. Same with Neville and the snake.

I also didn't like how they cut the Percy and the Weasleys subplot out of the movies. I saw him once with the Weasleys when they were with Fred's body but that was it.

And I agree with you, they shouldn't have had Harry talk to Ron and Hermione first. In the book it was sort of a big deal, how he watched everyone but didn't want to tell them what he was going to do, and how he felt like he was seeing everyone for the last time.

But overall, I liked the movie, but mostly just the first part. :)
July 15, 2011 at 2:23 PM
Katie Ashley said…
So glad I wasnt the only one feeling let down by the movie.

I was very disappointed in Fred's death as well as Lupin and Tonks, as well as the barely there mention of Teddy...and he's not in the epilogue either!!

I also thought it was rushed, and it didn't do a good job connecting the Deathly Hallows to Harry and all, and him being the heir of 3 brothers story.

Totally thought the Battle of Hogwarts was mediocre.

So sad...I also think rereading the book right before I went also hurt my movie appreciation.
July 17, 2011 at 1:10 AM
Anonymous said…
I like your thoughts and agree with most of them. I hated Neville's speech in the movie, I felt really let down by that. In the book Voldemort recognizes the Longbottom name and says he would be a good addition to the death eaters, to which Neville replies he will join them "when hell freezes over". This was stronger, simpler, and just.....better.

The other thing is, I wish they had shown Harry leaving Hogwarts to meet Voldemort -- with his invisibility cloak on -- and not telling anyone. It added such depth to the scene that he was leaving quietly, he was afraid to talk to his loved ones.....and it also set up Neville killing the snake as a purposeful, informed, deliberate action that contributed directly to Voldemort's downfall. The way the movie did it, I love the scene visually and dramatically but hate that it made the killing seem random, as if he did it to save Ron and Hermione, as if he stumbled across them and killed the snake. That takes away from his position as a fearless, determined combatant.....a true soldier as we he was so respectfully portrayed in the book.
August 23, 2012 at 8:39 AM
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