Thoughts on Deathly Hallows Pt. 2

[amanuensis1]

Deathly Hallows, part 2...

Let me summarize that I very much enjoyed myself. Though I didn't walk out of the theatre falling over myself with alskjflk I loved it joy, I don't have much to say that's negative, because it would just be rehashings of my same old dull saw, that I found the last book something of a goofy mess. I think this film did very, very well with its source material, and that nearly every falling-short moment is a factor of the book's limitations. Let me focus on the good stuff first and I'll close with the negatives for anyone who wants to hang on that long.

My favorite parts turned out to be the beginning and the end. I loved the cold open, and the scene between Harry and Griphook was intense. I know we're all about the Alan Rickman performances in this series but today I'd give an award to Warwick Davis first.

Speaking of which, every performance was wonderful in this. I have loved watching, in particular, Dan Radcliffe make this journey through these movies along with fictional Harry.

I guess Wormtail did die at the end of last film? I didn't realize he was actually offed then, but since he became Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Film I suppose he must have been.

Did Ron polyjuice or just magic himself up some long hair and beard in that Raid On Gringotts sequence? My god, he looked dishy. I actually looked away from Dan and from Helena Bonham Carter for a while, and that's saying something.

Wasn't the dragon a great effect? I kept looking at the pink skin of the thing, how fleshy it looked. Animation's getting more remarkable every day.

Kelly Macdonald! Ciaran Hinds! Oh, I love those two. Good use of aged makeup on Hinds, too. I remember when Ciaran Hinds was a Regency Role leading man hottie, I do. Wasn't all that long ago. Time to watch Persuasion one more time. And Gosford Park. Yes, AGAIN.

Hee, slightly-CGI'd Snape in his younger years. It was fulfilling getting to see all the moments of Snape's behind-the-scenes heroism. Snape saying very little in response to Dumbledore's question about whether he's developing feelings for young Harry, just flicking out that Patronus and leaving it at that, made my heart happy. It looked less like, "I loved Lily but I don't actually like the brat," and more like, "I remain devoted to her line forever."

The inclusion of Harry and Hermione's connection about his horcrux status--"I think I know, I think you've known"--was such a nice choice. I'm not sure the emotion in it measured up during the scene (your best friend's going off to die now, Hermione) but nonetheless I liked having that acknowledgement there.

Watching Neville kick ass was satisfying. I had no problems with the slaying of Nagini/destruction of the final Horcrux occuring as it did, but it looked as if Voldemort just fizzled out after that act, as if the destruction of the last Horcrux automatically killed Voldemort. And that robs Harry of his own credit at that last moment, which saddens me. In the text Harry won because he came to understand the loyalty of the Elder wand, and chose his confrontation spells with Voldemort purposely. So that was about the only film choice with which I disagreed. (Except, yeah, I didn't care for the send-the-Slytherins-to-their-room either. But even in the book the Slytherins were never redeemed, so. Fanon has done a much better job of it.)

I was pleased that in the aftermath Harry and Ginny don't go running joyfully to each other--it's not a time for adolescent kisses. Her brother's dead, and it's a time for her to grieve with her family, as they show.

MALFOYS R DOIN IT 4 THEMSELVES. I love how their "We are so outta here, Jack" makes them nearly heroes, on the relative scale. And how the moment that we didn't hear between Narcissa and Harry likely had a plan outlined in those whispers. Voldemort marching up to the castle in those early morning hours happens for just one primary reason and Narcissa knows it and Voldemort doesn't: it's the exchange of hostages, so to speak. They go there to get Draco out, because that's her price for helping Harry. Once it's done, that's why Harry makes his move. I'm not saying Narcissa manipulated Voldemort into going, but that really is, narratively, why it exists. (Who will gif AWKWARD HUG for me out of that Voldemort-Draco hug, once the DVD is out? You will make me so happy.) Lucius, I love you masterful, I love you scruffy, I love you defeated. You just do it so sexily.

The epilogue ended up my favorite part. Look, I have never been an epilogue-hater in terms of its place in the story, not at all. I think it makes a perfect narrative conclusion. As an active fanfic writer I just felt sad that JKR killed 19 years of room in which I could have played in her canon without violating anything, that was my only beef. But I loved the epilogue so much here. Harry as a father, this Harry's relationship with his children, particularly Albus, just ran away with my emotions. WOOBIE ERUPTION.

And Draco at the train station, oh, god, bless Yates/Kloves/EVERYONE. Draco acknowledges Harry with a smile. Maybe it's all we got and all we were ever going to get, but it was the director's choice to include it and it's still HUGE. A Draco who has a wife and a child and is allowed to mill about with others who are sending their children off to Hogwarts is certainly a defined creature; a Draco who will do all this and SMILE at Harry in passing has practically achieved good-guy status at the end of everything. He can smile without sneering, he can smile at Harry in particular, and it's the kind of smile that knows it would get a smile in return. They are not only at peace with their lives but with each other. Yeah. HUGE.

It did look like those two took up all the time of the makeup folk for that scene, though, so that the ladies got told, "Shoot, we're out of time. Eh, just dowdy up your hair a bit and try to act mature."

Had I been making the choice I would have allowed a moment's encounter between Albus and Scorpius, something to show the parallels of Harry and Draco's encounter, this time ending amiably. I really wanted them to pass each other in the train corridor, size each other up with a look, and then have a comfortable nod of "'S up?" as they go by. Oh, well. Still, I got that smile, and I'm not unhappy.


Now, for the harsh honesty: I thought the film did a great job with source material that had for the most part left me wincing in embarrassment. I wasn't wincing while watching this film, though my mouth had a wry twist at how difficult it was to hide some of the clunkers in the narrative. Snape's backstory comes at such a poor time, this huge infodump (mindbogglingly complex, too) interrupting the action that has actually had a decent chance to build, and Voldemort marching on Hogwarts with an army just seems the absurd culmination of a storyline that never made much sense to me. Who would actually have followed Voldemort in this way? Why was Voldemort escalated to look like he wanted to rule the world when his origins painted him instead as someone who just wanted immortality? So much retconning to build him up to this "I will march with my army" villain that just never fit. I was nearly laughing when the DEs arrive with not!dead Harry at the gates in the morning; it seemed so comical.

Harry's vision of the afterlife must have been a bitch to contemplate filming, in the middle of all that action and dark confrontation. Suddenly we're in clean sterile white Heaven Waystation, another jarring interlude that made me feel more like snickering than anything.

But enough of that. This is a time to be happy for everything that did work. Overall I thought Part 1 was a better film than Part 2, even if Part 1 is all setup. My favorite films of the series remain 3, 4, and 5. And my little Harry/Draco 'shipper heart emerges unscathed. Three cheers and a tiger for me.

Comments

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

"And Draco at the train station, oh, god, bless Yates/Kloves/EVERYONE."

I've never even liked Draco and I really, really liked that scene. And all of Narcissa's scenes.

"He can smile without sneering, he can smile at Harry in particular, and it's the kind of smile that knows it would get a smile in return. They are not only at peace with their lives but with each other. Yeah. HUGE."

When I was looking up "Astoria Malfoy" in the HP Wiki I saw mention that Draco was a devoted father, and very much not raising his son in the same way he'd been raised. So, you know, I take it as read that he grew and learned and he really is at peace with his old nemesis and vice versa.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

You know, I never knew that about the Draco errata! It fits the way I wanted to imagine him, so, am happy.

Am also happy that I'm finally vindicated in my Helen McCrory love. So many complaints about her as Narcissa from fans on my flist for the past few films, and me over here in my corner saying WHAT IT'S HELEN MCCRORY WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE.

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

"You know, I never knew that about the Draco errata! It fits the way I wanted to imagine him, so, am happy."

Well, considering that Harry's own younger son is named after two wizards who drifted well into dark magic in their teens and then more than redeemed themselves in later life, there's no reason to think Draco couldn't follow a similar path (and again, I'm saying this as someone who was never a big Draco fan). I mean, given the World War II parallels and all, Draco's the classic Hitlerjugend recruit stuffed full of propaganda who finds out the hard way that war really, really sucks and his Fuhrer is an unhinged madman, so. Some quite interesting potential character development there to chew on.

"Am also happy that I'm finally vindicated in my Helen McCrory love. So many complaints about her as Narcissa from fans on my flist for the past few films..."

............what? I LOVE her. I LOVED her Narcissa, here and in the prior movies. Okay, admittedly I'm a hardcore Helen McCrory fan anyway, but, what was "wrong" with her?

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't know why there was so little HMcC love. Some said she just didn't "look right" for Narcissa and I think the rest just kept saying they hated her hair.

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

I loved her hair! Frankly it was a lot more interesting than if she looked like Aryan Wizarding Barbie.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

It was different and wizardly and cool. I liked it too. Especially in this film!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Draco's the classic Hitlerjugend recruit stuffed full of propaganda who finds out the hard way that war really, really sucks and his Fuhrer is an unhinged madman, so. By the way, I'm going to be quoting that one forever kthanxbai.

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

Quoted for TRUTH. :-D

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

MALFOYS ARE DOIN' IT FOR THEMSELVES !!!

I totally have Annie and Aretha in my head now!

Was Ciarin Hinds Aberforth?

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've been singing that all afternoon! But just that line because I don't remember any of the rest of it. ^_^

Hinds was Aberforth. Nice show of it, too!

[crescent-moony.livejournal.com]

Cheers, love~

I was amused by what you said about the epilogue's rendition, particularly. I've never been an epilogue-hater, either; I thought it was fine in the books. But to be honest, I walked out of the theater finding it just as awkward as most of the fandom did when they first read it, simply because the main cast could not pull off mid-30s, in my book. It just looked like they'd thrown on some stuffier clothes on the lot paired them with children they were too old to have. ^^;

But that was really my only complaint. (Though it's been a number of years since I last read the source material.)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I do understand if a fan's complaint about the epilogue is the makeup (or lack of) and ability to see them as adults. Somehow it didn't bother me, particularly as it was clear they put a lot of effort into Radcliffe on that. But it's hard to suspend disbelief when you know these actors were playing a much younger age fifteen seconds ago.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

MALFOYS R DOIN IT 4 THEMSELVES.

Yes, yes, yes to this. I wrote something similar in my post, actually. I adore how the films portrayed the Malfoys.

I also loved the epilogue, for pretty much exactly the reasons you state here. And yes, for that smile from Draco. It was SO much better than what JKR gave us!

I would have allowed a moment's encounter between Albus and Scorpius, something to show the parallels of Harry and Draco's encounter, this time ending amiably.

I was holding my breath for something like that, and I wasn't too surprised when we didn't get it. But yeah. *sigh*

Pretty much word to everything you've said here!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

JKR didn't give us anything like that smile, did she? The Malfoys were just there, and it was open to interp. They could have been standing there in their own little puddle of gloom, thinking, "Hope no one throws rotten fruit this time." If we'd said, "What if it had been a friendly encounter? With a smile, even?" we'd have been ridiculed. NOW IT'S (FILM) CANON.

I really wanted that "full circle, let's not make the same mistakes our parents did" Albus 'n' Scorpius moment. Sigh. But I'll survive.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

OH YOU SWEETHEART. God, so awkward and (intentionally) hilarious. Great moment. Thank you SO MUCH! *hugs*

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Ah ha ha, you are FANTASTIC. &hearts &hearts &hearts

DH2 rocked me socks - and the rest of me, as well!

[tsuj.livejournal.com]

I blinked and missed the beginning of the Draco smile. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to see it again. :D


Actually, I have been very frustrated by the way Draco was portrayed in HBP. That he said to Dumbledore, "He'll kill me," and not to let him add, "He'll kill my parents," makes me as mad as... well, someone who's really, really mad! (metaphor fail)

Re: DH2 rocked me socks - and the rest of me, as well!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Actually what I can't remember is if we ever saw Scorpius's face in this! I was looking at Draco, and then I looked at Scorpius and he was just a blond head being hugged by his mum.

I would so have liked the "He'll kill my parents" for Draco too! I haven't been losing sleep over it but I did sigh, when we didn't get that.

[vlredreign.livejournal.com]

Had I been making the choice I would have allowed a moment's encounter between Albus and Scorpius, something to show the parallels of Harry and Draco's encounter, this time ending amiably. I really wanted them to pass each other in the train corridor, size each other up with a look, and then have a comfortable nod of "'S up?" as they go by.

THIS. OMG, THIS, TIMES INFINITY.

The one thing that I hated more than the fact that Harry married his mother was that little aside with Ron telling his duaghter to beat the Slytherin...seriously, didn't they just fight a war because of that shit? I was like, oh, yay, way to perpetuate that shit into the next generation, Ron. And so I thought that having Albus Severus kind of make up his mind, walk up to Scorpius and say, "Hey, this is my first year, name's Al, nice to meet you" with his hand extended. To me, that gesture would have meant so much. You would think that after seven books, JKR could have seen fit to ad the caveat of "Those do do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it", amirite?

That said...yeah, I thought DH1 was better. DH2 was like...Michael Bay, but with a plot.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

seriously, didn't they just fight a war because of that shit? I was like, oh, yay, way to perpetuate that shit into the next generation, Ron. Yes to EVERYTHING. Including the use of the word "shit" because there is no other word to describe what all that shit is.

You would think that after seven books, JKR could have seen fit to ad the caveat of "Those do do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it", amirite? You are right you are so so so much right. Fanon's done a better job interpreting the Slytherins interestingly than JKR has. I keep remembering something she said in an interview and it was basically that the Slytherins ARE bad guys, but you have to have a place to put the bad guys because you need to keep an eye on them but want to show them that you do (sincerely) accept them on your side. It's very simplistic, but sticking to that simple interp is less in keeping with the way she allowed other ethical issues in the books to grow.

DH2 was like...Michael Bay, but with a plot. Hee, and I actually like Michael Bay films, because they MOVE and have just enough plot.

Your icon! LOVE.

[meredyth-13.livejournal.com]

A tiny part of me was holding its breath when Albus sat down in the train - I so wanted him to say 'Hi, I'm Al Potter,' to which a voice would reply 'Hello, I'm Scorpius Malfoy.' And as the train pulled forward and our view slipped away from the window, we'd see a small blond boy with a smile sitting amongst the others, and my world would have been a happy place. Actually, that's how I'm going to remember it, over here in my bubble, because the idea that they could meet and maybe just be friends would cement for me how the world could have changed for the better in HP land.

There is so much I need to go back and watch again to catch - I barely even recognised Draco in the epilogue before the scene was over, I didn't really see his smile, or have time to register its import.

I made a conscious decision to read DH only once before the films were finished, so I could know how JK ended it, but not watch the films picking them apart for all the deviations. And while there may be aspects of the two films I would have preferred to have done differently, I'm happy - content that these are the films we have.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

A tiny part of me was holding its breath when Albus sat down in the train

Oh, dear one, that part of me was there too but it was so so so so SO tiny, by that point. I had accepted that we wouldn't get it, and when Albus went into that compartment I was telling myself, "Calm DOWN. There will be no white-blonds in that compartment." Which means I wanted it so badly but that tiny tiny part that actually dared hope was just a pinpoint by that point. But can I join you in your bubble and insist that it happened?

[meredyth-13.livejournal.com]

I am firmly convinced he was there - and that's how the film ends for me. Repeats viewings will not change this. I can see and hear it, and so it shall be. :D

You are welcome in my bubble always, gorgeous lady. It is a large bubble and very strong - capable of carrying many loved and like minded people.

In honour of my break with reality, I am re-reading BlameBrampton's Sins of the Fathers, to be followed by Fathers who could do with a spot of Sinning - which satisfies both my need for happy next gen resolution, AND my H/D fixation. :)

[melusinahp.livejournal.com]

Hooray for enjoying the epilogue! You're the first person besides me on my flist to admit to it. Definitely an apt narrative conclusion and "Harry as a father, this Harry's relationship with his children, particularly Albus, just ran away with my emotions." That.

I was hoping Albus and Scorpius would end up in the same train carriage and look at each other. At least then we'd have gotten to see Scorpius's face.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

You could really see how precious Harry's children were to him (even if we all have the feeling Albus in particular is Harry's special boy) and how far he's gone to raise them lovingly. Especially when Albus isn't afraid to be hugged multiple times by his dad in front of other kids at the train station!

So it wasn't just me, thinking I never saw Scorpius's face? Oh, I want the extra footage from that scene badly now, just to see! See what I said to meredyth_13 above, about how I had been trying to crush my hopes about Albus and Scorpius ending up in the same carriage together. How I would have loved that, though!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_hannelore/]

How is it that you wrote almost exactly the same review I wanted to write?? :D I was seriously with you just about right up to the epilogue (which I didn't *hate* but I still felt sort of "eh" about it) which I called "Justin Bieber goes to Hogwarts." :P pauraque and I were also puzzling over why there was just Harry's one kid, because doesn't he have two? Maybe it was already too confusing, there sure were a lot of kids!

For me, the pivotal ending would have been the scene with Snape, but understandably they did have to go by the book. I also felt the scene with Snape's memories worked really well for me, particularly because it had Dumbledore absolutely saying, "yep, you're right, I totally manipulated both you and Harry!"

I didn't come out of the theater with utter joy either because the book really wasn't among my favorites, but I did feel like everyone (except poor Bonnie Wright. WTF) did a stellar job and the acting between Dan and Ralph was downright amazing. Also much with Ciaran Hinds love and Warwick Davis. I just wanted the movie to STAY in some places and then wind off into a different direction, like more about the goblins. The dragon! Oh man, I so want fic just about the dragon.

Neville has always been one of my favorites and Matthew Lewis hit it out of the park. Not to mention that little grin between Neville and Luna (who in my mind, always totally got together) was just what I needed. Come to think of it, it's almost impossible not to mention nearly the whole damn cast. And I LOVED having some kick-ass McGonagall. eeeeeee!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

why there was just Harry's one kid, because doesn't he have two? Maybe it was already too confusing, there sure were a lot of kids! Yes, you could see James right alongside Albus, with Lily there too; they just didn't identify him as James. He was already going on ahead, confident because it was his third year (or second; I forget canon!). Lily didn't get any lines either, I recall.

How delightful it was to watch the impression that Snape had been the undercover good guy all that time--man, they even whitewashed out the whole "mudblood" thing, didn't they?--and Dumbledore was the master manipulator. Intense! Snape deserved a bit of whitewashing, though, I thought, after all this damn time. ^_^

[cellia.livejournal.com]

ia with pretty much all you said here. I also thought that the movies made me like Herione and the Malfoys just a touch more than the books did. I like them well enough in the books, but it's fanon, and fanfic, and the actors who give them the extra touches. (I *loved* the scene of the Malfoys booking it out of there.)

I also cried like a little baby for much of the 2nd film--sometimes I'm just a crier! But Harry going off to meet his death and the ghosts... for all JKR's faults, that has massive emotional punch in the books and on film ;___;

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I think the adult actors in particular do fight for their own character development and interp, so that we get these rich turns of character in the films. Isn't it wonderful?

[elizardbits.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD ABERFORTH DUMBLEDORE WAS CIARAN HINDS

*FLAILS*

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

INDEED HE WAS.

(omigod, I have MISSED that icon!)

[waccawheels.livejournal.com]

Thank you for voicing most of what I felt, especially about epilogue. I've never hated the scene in the Book in the first place, though I admit it was a bit too long; so I think the film trimmed it kinda nicely. :-B

My god, he looked dishy
YES!!!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

When it comes to, "Book is huge so the material has to be compressed like mad," films, I think the HP films do a great job, I do.

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[maya231.livejournal.com]

I found the epilogue somewhat "eh" in the book--could have done without it, so was surprised that I enjoyed it more in the movie. I totally missed Draco smiling at Harry and was all "where is the nod?" Must rewatch--it went by too fast, as did the Draco rescue scene, both of which have taken up at least half a page in some fics I've read, so *nods*

The look on Dan's face as Harry hugs Albus was just perfect for me. A lot of the family oriented fics explore that part of his character, how important and healing having his own family is to him, and I loved the way I got all of that from his expression. Just when I start to wonder whether he can act... :P