Jill Finally Saw Deathly Hallows

Well guys, I finally went to see Deathly Hallows.  I was just getting back from vacation when it came out and didn’t have anyone to see it with, so I wasn’t in a huge rush.  Then I decided I would reread the series and rewatch the movies before going.  Well, I am certainly not as quick a reader as Jen!  As of Friday, I was still working on Order of the Phoenix.  By that point, I was getting really impatient, so I skipped movies 5 & 6 and pushed myself to read/listen to Half-Blood Prince and decided I was going to see the movie after that one.  I figured the book will always be better, so why not just go back and reread Deathly Hallows after seeing the movie?  So that’s what I’m doing.

Anyway, the movie?  It’s been a few hours now and I’m just now able to put things into solid thoughts.  In short, it was amazing.  I wanted to turn around and go see it again, and I don’t generally want to watch something twice in a row.  I’m going to see it again in theaters, I think – possibly in 3D.  (Anyone else see it in 3D?  I figure it’ll be my only chance to.)

My initial thoughts afterward–

– I left the theater feeling a little shaky and very quiet whether from the grief of it all being over, the deaths (Snape in particular) or just low blood sugar (I went at lunchtime).  I still haven’t quite figured what I’m feeling, but I suspect it’s largely sadness that it’s all over.

– The whole film is SO emotional!  Highlights for me include Harry entering the room in Hogwarts from the picture frame with Neville, McGonagall’s preparing the castle for battle, Snape’s flash of memories, and Harry’s resolve to go to Voldemort & his parents, Remus & Sirius with him.  That said, though, I didn’t truly cry at any point.  I got teary a lot, but I think since I was in a room full of strangers, I was able to hold it in.  I kind of wish I’d had a private screening, so I could really let it out.

– The battle scene & the prep for it was spectacular.  I actually was reminded at one point of the huge battle in The Two Towers (even though it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it).  I love a good fight where good is outnumbered but makes up for it in spirit.

– McGonagall is so bad-ass in this film.  I mean, yes a lot of people are incredible, and I’d heard people say McGonagall and Neville are great, but wow.  Another moment where my heart swelled was when everyone was lined up in front of Snape and he’s asking if anyone has anything to say about Harry, when Harry himself steps out.  I honestly couldn’t remember if that was in the book, but I kind of loved it.  And speaking of Snape and feeling emotional — the scene at the very beginning where he’s standing at the top of the castle looking down at the marching students – OMG was his face not PERFECT knowing everything we know about Snape?  Alan Rickman, you ARE Severus Snape.

– The castle being blown up was emotional too.  It’s a little like the scene in the book where Harry leaves the Dursleys’ home – like you’re losing a part of your childhood and officially becoming an adult.  Only way more dramatic.

I’m sure I’ll have more to say after it’s sunk in a little more.  Until then…

– Jill

Harry Potter 7 – P2 Trailer

Yes, I am doing two posts in one day.  I decided it was important to share the trailer for Deathly Hallows Part II with all of you.

And now I have a question I need advice on.  Should I re-read Deathly Hallows before the movie comes out?

I really want to re-read it because it’s been awhile and I have forgotten a lot BUT I am afraid when things are different in the movie, I will be confused and distracted.  I didn’t re-read before Part I, and I don’t feel like I was as excited or as into the movie as I would be if I re-read.

So…what do you think?  Arguments for and against?  GO.  🙂

Thanks,
– Jill

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1: Jen’s Review *Slight Spoilers*

I was very fortunate to be able to attend a midnight screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One last night with two of my friends. I was the official placeholder in line for most of the night, so I got to the theater around 5:45 pm. I was about the 15th person in line, which I thought was pretty awesome. As a veteran of midnight shows I came prepared with a bag containing a pillow, 2 blankets (1 of them an HP one) 3 books, 2 decks of cards, an entire box of Kleenexes, and lots of chocolate. After sittting on the floor for over four hours, we finally got to go into the theater and got perfect seats (I will not complain about that because my sister and many others had to wait OUTSIDE at their theater for HOURS).

Here we are right before they let us in.

Let me just start my “review” by saying that I thought the movie was nothing short of amazing. I usually have a series of steps that I go through after seeing a new Potter movie for the first time. My initial reaction is one of “That was totally awesome!” After processing the movie for about half an hour, problems start to come to the surface and I get very upset about changes that were made. “Why did they take that scene out!!!???” “How could they make that character act that way?????!!!” Then after fretting and fuming for usually a day, I give up on all of that and go back to truly loving the movie. I haven’t gone through the back and forth process with this movie….I still feel the same way I did after I left the theater….it is nothing short of perfection.

I will say that there were a few things I questioned or did not feel were addressed enough. One of my favorite things in book 7 is the about-face that Kreacher does, and that was not fully addressed here, but I understand why it did not make it in. I also did not like the way they did the Harry/Hermione kiss with the locket. Everything up to the kiss was perfect, but call me a prude, I was a little freaked out by the actual kiss.

The only thing that really irked me was in a scene right after Ron comes back. In the movie Ron says, “I think Dumbledore gave me the Deluminator because he knew I would want to come back.” In the book, Ron feels sheepish and says Dumbledore gave it to him because he knew he would LEAVE and Harry is the one who points out it proves Dumbledore knew he would want to COME BACK. This may seem very nitpicky and a foolish thing to make a fuss over, but that scene in the book really struck me when I first read it. I saw Harry’s reassuring statement as the moment that he truly forgives Ron for leaving.

Anyway, enough griping…..here are some highlights of things that I LOVED from the movie:

*Everyone’s acting was spot on. Bravo Dan, Rupert, and Emma for being totally awesome. Emma Watson has really annoyed me in the last few movies, but she really knocked my socks off in this one. Everyone in the movie was phenomenal and at the top of their game.

*So many perfect Ron and Hermione moments were lifted straight out of the book!!! The scene where they almost held hands in their sleep!!! The scene at the piano!!!

*The Ministry scene was freaking awesome!!!! I thought it was going to be rough having to watch other actors play the trio for so long, but that scene turned out to be one of my favorites in the whole movie. Sophie Thompson as Mafalda Hopkirk and David O’Hara as Runcorn were so awesome!!!! Sophie was of course Miss Bates in the Gwyneth version of Emma (and is Emma Thompson’s sister) and David O’Hara is from one of my favorite all-time movies The Matchmaker!!!

*I loved how awful Ron and Harry looked the whole time. The circles under the eyes, the haggard appearance….it was great. I also loved the fact that Hermione looked fantastic the whole time….but then again, as my sister said, “I really don’t think they could have made Emma look anything but beautiful.”

*The Three Brothers sequence blew my mind!!!!!!! (There are not enough exclamation points in the world to end that sentence.) I was so impressed that they didn’t try to hurry through the story in an abbreviated fashion, but instead (as far as I could tell) took it word for word out of the book. The way the scene was imagined was so hauntingly beautiful and visually stunning that I literally can’t stop thinking about it.

All in all, this was one of the best midnight movie experiences I have had. Everyone was really loud and annoying in the line to get in (so many college freshman in attendance!!!) and there was lots of laughing and commenting during the previews (Cowboys and Aliens got a huge laugh when the title came up), but once that WB logo appeared, it became silent as the grave faster than you could say Silencio. A whole theater full of people watched the movie in almost complete silence. There were laughs and gasps, but I was shocked at the complete lack of talking, fidgeting, and annoying theater noises. This movie was a special experience for everyone there, whether they were 19 or 45.

I will definitely be seeing this a few more times in the theater with Kleenxes in hand (thank God for that full box!). Hopefully everyone else loved it as much as I did.

Jen

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Will Blow My Mind!

So the MTV Movie Awards aired on Sunday night and apparently it was all about vampires and werewolves.  They did allow a few precious seconds for the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  Holy Buckets!!!  Here it is:

So, I have watched this several times (and by several I mean over and over and over again).  These are my quick observations.

1.  Wow, the trio look like grownups.  When did that happen???  Harry looks so freakin’ old!

2.  The fight scene with Ron and Harry looks AWESOME!!!  I’m pretty sure that I would have pulled a Ron if I was forced to camp with a piece of Voldy’s soul for such a long time.

3.  Emma Watson looks like she is once again using her only emotion—on the verge of tears.  But for this movie, it probably works.

4.  So does the scene of Hedwig flying away mean that she will be spared???  Who knows, a girl can hope.

5.  Ummmmm, so this trailer has the Gringott’s dragon in it……does that mean they are going to make it all the way through the Gringott’s scene in the first movie???  That seems like a pretty bold choice.  That would leave nothing left but the Hogwarts stuff right??  It’s been too gosh darn long since I’ve read that book.

6.  This looks amazing!

Jen