Escape to the Movies: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

[Ren3004]

I just thought the third one was better directed. To be honest, all the movies always leave out important things. It's like their favorite thing to do. Also, I was a lot younger then (when the fourth one came out), and much more of a fangirl, and all I could think was "HOW DARE THEY! CUT THINGS FROM MY BELOVED HARRY POTTER! CURSES!" and the likes.

Anyway, I just came back from watching the final one, and it was actually very good. So kudos to everyone involved. It was a good way to end a very enjoyable series.

Well, I'm right now rereading the book XD Hopefully I'll enjoy the film; I did like Part I.

And while I did think there was a glaring cut in PoA, I do admit that it was very well made and all the later films followed its style in the castle, the robes, etc. But yeah, there was never a perfect HP film. *sniff*

 

[Saarai-fan]

Saw the film last night. It was good, but the whole movie's pacing just felt rushed a bit.

In the book, Remus Lupin and Tonks tell they've gotten married and later have a baby. In part one of the Deathly Hollows film, Remus mentions he has news for everyone, but is interupted before he can tell it. Obviously, it would of been about him and Tonks marriage and possibly she being pregnant. In Part 2 of the Deathly Hollows film, Remus and Harry have a conversation and they mention that Remus has a baby. With all the sidestory from the book mostly have been taken out in the film about Remus and Tonks being married and having a child together, the whole scene where the mention the baby in part two just feels so out of place. Just out of nowwhere that we hear they had a kid. I just couldn't help but to think they should of either forget about the whole baby thing for the two films, or should of committed more to that particular sidestory in the film. It just really felt so out of place.

Also, I didn't like much either the part of Harry's big speech toward Voldemort in their duel being not done in the film from the book and just the two having a quiet duel against one another in their final duel. Like JeanLuc, Ewhac, and Thunderhorse said in this topic, the book just made the characters seem to have gone full circle in the final battle. Maybe the director just felt it would of been better the way he did it, but I think it should off been more faithful to the book. If only a little.

Anyways, like I said, it was a good film. I'd still say Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix were better films though.

Needless to say, I'm hoping to see what Moviebob shows us next week, as I'm sure he'll be reviewing this...

PLEASE DON'T SUCK! PLEASE DON'T SUCK! PLEASE DON'T SUCK!

 

[o_d]

I'm glad it's over.

After the third film this series started limping like a one-legged walrus. Mainly due to it being the same fucking movie everytime: Harry returns to Hogwarts and discovers an evil plan by Voldemort. No one but Ron and Hermione believe him, but in the end the truth reveals itself and Harry is proven to be correct, only to be disbelieved again in the next movie. Wash, rinse, repeat.

That and the fact that David Yates lacks any form of cinematic vision.

Didn't that only happen in Order of the Phoenix?

 

[Ironic Pirate]

I stopped watching them after the third film.

My sister had the fourth one on the other day. (She was watching all the films leading up to this one.) So I sat through it and watched the thing.

I'm certainly not going to bother catching up with the rest or see this one.

If they're on TV at somepoint and there's nothing else on I might catch them. I just think Rowling has to take the cake for most undeserved megggggga success ever though.

I don't know, it's objectively better then Twilight, and in terms of sheer effort it's pretty high as well.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

I stopped watching them after the third film.

My sister had the fourth one on the other day. (She was watching all the films leading up to this one.) So I sat through it and watched the thing.

I'm certainly not going to bother catching up with the rest or see this one.

If they're on TV at somepoint and there's nothing else on I might catch them. I just think Rowling has to take the cake for most undeserved megggggga success ever though.

I don't know, it's objectively better then Twilight, and in terms of sheer effort it's pretty high as well.

The twilight craze has died down though.

I think that was just a passing flick that some douche thought would look good on the big screen.

Harry Potter us still a huge thing. And how many years down the line are we?

I just really don't like the books and I don't think they deserve as much praise as they get.

Twilight hasn't died down...

The reason Harry Potter seems so much bigger is because it has a movie coming out right now.

 

[Vainglory]

Was I the Only one offended by the poor quality of the fan-service scene at the end? I mean i understand it wasn't written that well to begin with, but honestly, dressing the characters in old person clothes and casting midget children, letting the guys grow out stubble? Thats just not good enough.

 

[magicmonkeybars]

Didn't give a shit when it started, don't give a shit now, call me in ten year when the rest of the world doesn't give a shit either.
This was nothing special or interesting just another way to fill the hollowness of life in the 21st century.

 

[brinvixen]

But yeah, there was never a perfect HP film. *sniff*

I think this last one comes down pretty close to "perfect". It has its gripes, but there's one rather touching scene that had me a bit misty-eyed. And overall it was a good watch. The series definitely finishes with its dignity intact. Well worth seeing it theaters, worth the money and the time.

Not a bad idea to skim the book first either. It expects you to remember a lot of stuff.

 

[SandroTheMaster]

For a series where I sincerely and desperately loathe the main character to no ends... It wasn't bad.

 

[Jaime_Wolf]

Easily the most insightful and least grating Escape to the Movies I've seen.

I liked it.

 

[Mechanix]

After watching it today, I honestly wished I was as hardcore of a fanboy as others. I was set up to become one though; I started the series at a really young age (I must have been 10 or something) but after I read the sixth book, I just lost interest. I had no desire to pick up the seventh book, even though it was the end, the finale, the climax.

The movies went both ways for me. The first 2 or 3 were very good movies, definitely something special. In the middle though, they started to feel rushed, and they took themselves way too seriously. They got back on their feet with Deathly Hallows pt.1 however, and now I feel like it's totally worth it to watch all these 7 movies so you can enjoy the cinema greatness that is Deathly Hallows pt.2.

Was I the Only one offended by the poor quality of the fan-service scene at the end? I mean i understand it wasn't written that well to begin with, but honestly, dressing the characters in old person clothes and casting midget children, letting the guys grow out stubble? Thats just not good enough.

I have to admit, whoever was in charge of costumes and makeup in the last scene deserves to be fired, no joke.

 

[Mischlings]

I have to admit, whoever was in charge of costumes and makeup in the last scene deserves to be fired, no joke.

I have to agree there. For full disclosure, I'll admit that I hated the book's epilogue and only watched enough of the movie's to see what all the characters looked like, and that was just awful. Seriously, there are many ways they could have done that better -- cast other actors that look like the characters and dub over their voices, use better makeup, like giving someone wrinkles (seriously, there's no way any of them wouldn't have a few at that point), or, well, anything but that. Just... no. That's bad effects, and you should be shot for that.

 

[Disthron]

FYI, Harry Potter 1 and Lord of the Rings 1 both came out the same year and both started production around the same time too. They were both huge productions that took a long time and a lot of money to produce. So much so that I think it was inevitable that we would have seen at least the first movie in the Harry Potter franchise and all the Lord of the Rings movies. Remember, unlike the HP movies LotR was all fillmed at the same time. Even if the first LotR movie had bombed they probably would have releaced the rest just to try and recoop there costs.

Anyway, I don't think it's fair to say that one made the other possible. I think it's more accurat to say that they played off of/enhansed one and other.At least that's my take on it anyway.

 

[darkman80723]

When I went and saw it (also, if you can, date the manager of the theater....free movies ftw) I was excited...but have to admit that by the end I was just kinda put out by it. Not sure what it was exactly but to me there just seemed to be something lacking that I had when reading the last part of the book.

 

[Avistew]

I hear that the epilogue scene was re-shot. It was originally done with adult actors and pasting the faces onto them, but they apparently weren't happy with the result. I also heard that when they re-shot it, they had to rebuild the set because it had been taken down by that point.

So people who didn't like that scene can probably expect to see the other one on the DVD as a bonus or something?

 

[Abedeus]

Thank god the series is over. Never before has such a popular book series been so completely bastardized over so many years as Harry Potter has. After the first two movies I saw the whole series go down hill with what amounts to "YOU NEED TO READ THE BOOKS FIRST" almost emblazoned on each frame due to the movie's nonsensicle plot-holes, sudden drop-in characters that appear out of context and the shear frustration of how horrible the films were.

Thank god it's over.

Wait... You hate the movies, because they made millions upon millions of kids read books they might enjoy?

Holy crap. I know the children are the future, unless we stop them now, but if not for HP, I would have never gotten interested in fantasy books. And if not for Harry Potter, I wouldn't read any of the Forgotten Realms books. And if not for those, I would have NEVER discovered the wonders of Discworld.

Yeah, I was about 9 or 10 when the first book came out, so for me, HP is half of my life and half of my childhood.

 

[Erja_Perttu]

I'm really surprised at how many people don't like the movies. I saw it the other day, and i really liked it, thought they got the Snape bit bang on - but at the same time I will readily acknowledge the some of revelations were a little out of the blue.

Spoiler: This one in particular was weird

When Harry said to dead-Lupin that he was sorry that his son wouldn't know his parents - the son that had never been mentioned before at any point in the films... had I not read the books I would have been seriously confused.