Coming in at a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing, HP7 is receiving generally favorable reviews, although I never trust film critics when it comes to HP, since lots of them appear not to know what they're talking about. I've read a lot of whinging (that's how they say it across the pond, you know) about how the middle of the film drags, but I'm not really sure what they expected the screenwriters/director to do about this, since the book has them out in the woods living rough for chapters and chapters, and of course (in terms of plot) if it wasn't so tedious Ron wouldn't have left in the first place. Generally I thought it was pretty good; definitely one of the better additions to the franchise, especially after that plot-and-character-butchering monstrosity known as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Although I tend to be of the opinion that splitting the last book into two films is a shameless bid on WB's part to milk the franchise as much as they can before their cash cow finally snuffs it, I did appreciate the extra detail they were able to put into this movie because of it, and actually think they split it in a pretty good (if depressing) spot.
General impressions out of the way, I think I'll take this opportunity to subject all of my readers to my extremely detailed opinions on a few aspects of the movie (because I'm sure at least Caroline misses my rants). Since Kenny's visiting this week and we saw the movie together, he's going to guest blog this a bit with me and pop in and out when he feels like it.
First, I thought that some of the film had a very LOTR-y feeling about it, which I suppose isn't a bad thing, since the seventh book is more of an artifact quest than a school-days adventure. A lot of those sweeping helicopter shots of them climbing over random hills, rocks, &c. come to mind here. And no one can seriously tell me that they didn't think LOTR throughout the whole locket debacle...really. All I could think of was, "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you!" Silly Ron. Someone should have told him that one does not simply walk into Mordor. But while the film had that LOTR-y vibe to it in the sense of a quest involving objects (collecting them though, not getting rid of them), I thought that one of the biggest problems of the film was the lack of attention it gave to said artifacts.
This is actually a problem that has carried over from the sixth film, in which the genius screenwriting team over at Warner Bros decided to cut the (significant to the plot) Pensieve scenes in favor of a (superfluous) blowing up of the Burrow and other similarly unnecessary diversions. What we're left with at the beginning of the seventh movie is a rebuilt-and-looks-exactly-the-same Burrow and a Harry Potter who doesn't know his Horcruxes, which is a pretty significant setback in that whole "finding Horcruxes" part of the seventh installment. How the screenwriters are planning to mop up the mess they've made of the plot remains to be seen, since they certainly didn't make any moves toward rectifying Harry's ignorance of Hufflepuff's cup, Ravenclaw's mystery item, and Nagini in Part 1. The Hallows are also suffering from a lack of attention in my opinion. Sure, we got to see the Elder Wand, but wouldn't it have been nice if someone had even mentioned Harry's invisibility cloak, even once? They took it out of the Ministry of Magic sequence for unknown reasons, so it would have been nice to at least throw in a passing reference sometime in the 2hr 30min run time of the film to remind people he has it, which is a pretty frickin' significant fact. Take it away, Kenny. |
| Since book one, guys. |
[KC] It is here that I would like to offer my first interjection. While the infiltration of the Ministry of Magic scene, taken as a whole, was not as much of a disappointment as the Department of Mysteries in Order of the Phoenix, the screenwriters for Part I of Deathly Hallows decided to take some uncreative liberties that didn't seem to do much of anything. For instance, why didn't Harry have his invisibility cloak? I mean, the viewer already knows that it is in his possession; he's had it since the middle of the first book for Christ's sake. Hermione could have easily pulled it out of Felix's magic bag and handed it to Harry with little explanation; and as Kelly pointed out, it certainly would have reminded everyone that Harry already possessed one of the Deathly Hallows. Good job screenwriters.
Another thing that particularly vexed me about the manner in which the infiltration was portrayed is that the screenwriters decided that Harry, Hermione, and Ron are found out because the effects of their Polyjuice Potions wear off. This strikes me as a particularly idiotic and needless change to the story. For one thing, having "Undesirable #1" running around without a disguise in the Ministry of Magic without being captured seems rather absurd. While Harry is undeniably a gifted wizard, and Hermione is even more so (sorry Ron, you're just not that awesome), there is no way that they could have made it out of the Ministry if their cover was blown so early. In the book, the Ministry becomes aware of intruders, but has no idea who they are. If word got out that Harry Potter was in the Ministry, shit would have blown up in a much more rapid fashion. Also, if the Polyjuice Potion wore off, there really wasn't any point in having Madeye's eye in Umbridge's door and having Harry retrieve said eye. Think this through WB. Tossing it back to KQ. [/KC]I of course had a few other issues with the screenwriting and plot of the film in addition to the Horcrux/Hallows situation. For example, I thought introducing Mundungus in this film was horribly forced and is a prime example of the lack of foresight the screenwriters have had throughout the franchise. In another example of this, Bill (who's mild facial scratches would lead audiences to believe that Fenrir Greyback is a playful kitten instead of a child-mauling werewolf) was hurriedly introduced before the wedding, I assumed because we would have to see him and Fleur again at Shell Cottage, but they never reappeared. The Rita Skeeter bio of Dumbledore was crowbarred into the script without much background or elaboration, and therefore lost most of its function and significance--the realization that Harry perhaps did not know Dumbledore, that Dumbledore was in fact fallible, and the ensuing doubt and resentment that this brings to our trio and especially Harry. The films have never done psychology well, as evidenced by Half-Blood Prince, which completely missed the point of the attachment that Harry had to the HBP and the significance of his revelation as Snape.
[KC] As Kelly said, the films have never done psychology very well. One major instance: Kreacher. In the previous books, you grow to loathe Kreacher because he was, after all, a large reason for Sirius' death, and that is unforgivable in my book. However, in the seventh book, you grow to realize that all Kreacher ever wanted was to be treated with dignity, and once he is, he becomes rather pleasant. This was completely left out of the film. Omitting this particular relationship robs the viewer of an instance where magical creatures and wizards come to an understanding and are able to work together. Another scene that was left out that had psychological value was the Dursleys' departure. In that scene, Dudley is surprisingly reluctant to let Harry leave and actually demonstrates concern for his cousin. Again, by leaving this scene on the cutting room floor, the filmmakers are ignoring an important theme that is strewn throughout the book: reconciliation. So much of the book is about rectifying previous misconceptions and coming to understandings in order to raise a united defense against evil. Unfortunately, the only reconciliation that was deemed worthy enough to make it into the movie was Ron's return--and if they cut that out, well, we really wouldn't have been able to continue the story now would we?
Lastly, Hedwig :( If she were left in her cage during the escape, her death would have been much more tragic. Moreover, having her attack of the Death Eaters be the identifying factor of the real Harry was a huge blunder. Harry needed to find out early on in the movie that he needs to change the way he conducts himself. Expelliarmus is no longer an appropriate spell when people are throwing unforgivable curses your way. By having Hedwig as the identifying factor and not Harry's use of Expelliarmus, the movie never successfully has Harry question how he should be acting in these dark time (see also how he suddenly stops saying "Voldemort" without any explanation in the film). [/KC]
One more thing: WHAT WHAT WHAT was with the Harry and Hermione dancing scene in the tent? I swear to God, this movie contained enough fodder for even the most hardcore Harry/Hermione shippers to feed off of for a lifetime. I feel like at least one of the writers probably moonlights writing Harry/Hermione fanfics on LiveJournal. What the heck.
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| No. Bad screenwriters. Bad. |
[KC] My personal take on the dancing scene, apart from being absolutely horrified by the inanity of it all, is that it was far too reminiscent of Peter Parker's emo dance in Spider Man 3. For those of you who do not recall the particular allusion I am making, I am, of course, referring to the instance where our friendly neighborhood Spider Man decides that he is hot shit, gussies himself up in some dark clothes, and dances on down the street (youtube "Spider Man 3 dance scene"). Pointless. Just like this stupid scene in HP. Someone should be fired. [/KC]
That said, the movie also had a lot of good points, including some great performances from the cast. Alan Rickman (Snape), in his 4 minutes of screen time, still wowed me with his reaction to the Muggle Studies professor at the Death Eater meeting in the beginning of the film. At first I thought this might have just been me seeing things that weren't there because of the book, but afterward Kenny confirmed that he thought the same thing. And I absolutely cannot talk about this movie without mentioning the outstanding performances of Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy and Tom Felton (probably the best part of the sixth film, incidentally) as Draco. Holy crap they were good. The scene where Voldemort takes Lucius's wand comes to mind, as well as Draco attempting to identify Harry's face under the Stinging Jinx. And, although Rupert Grint (Ron) continues to be the best of the trio, even Danielle Radcliffe (Harry), about whom Kenny recently remarked (I would say accurately), "Yeah, I think everyone's a little disappointed with how he turned out," managed to pull it together at the crucial moments. I've definitely said in the past that I would never forgive him for not making me cry when Cedric died in the fourth movie, but I think his performance with Dobby may have gone towards making up for that. How frickin' sad was that, people. 
[KC] Dear lord, when I finally remembered what happens to Dobby (as the knife was sailing through the air T_T), I think I left imprints on my face from the stress of it all. His death certainly was portrayed adequately enough to create an uncomfortable sadness in the theater, but I though the filmmakers should have gone for the jugular. Rather than having Harry bust out a small grave in the sand dunes within what seemed like 45 minutes, they should have left the scene as it was in the book--Harry refusing any help and digging the grave all night long. I remember putting down the book because that was so unbelievably tragic. But, as I said, the scene wasn't anywhere near botched, I just think it would have been better if some people (Kelly) were reduced to audible sobbing.
While I do agree with Kelly's comments about the general acting talent in this film, I do have to express my sincere disappointment with the direction of Bill Nighy (Scrimgeour). Seen in films such as Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Pirate Radio, Pirates of the Caribbean, and pretty much every other British movie in existence, this man is a genius. However, and this is a huge however, he was a rather large letdown in this movie. As soon as I saw his beautiful face appear on screen, I gushed: "HE'S SCRIMGEOUR! KYA~". And then the fall. He was not nearly as suspicious, interrogative, or aggressive as he should have been in his brief moments on screen. Had he been directed as he should have been, it would have demonstrated clearly to the audience Harry's continuing mistrust of the Ministry and solidified the fact that he is alone in his quest. [/KC]
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| Limbo...that boy is so fragile. |
[KC] I write in concurrence of Kelly's immediately preceding paragraph. Five seconds into the animated sequence, the thought that crossed my mind was: "This is the best part of the movie. Hands down." I would definitely watch and entire feature-length film if it were animated in this style. Simply gorgeous. [/KC]
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| Brood more, Harry. Things only get worse from here. |
So...that was a ridiculously long post about Harry Potter, but since I'm living in the land of Hogwarts right now, I feel justified in foisting my opinions on you in a long-winded and high-handed fashion. I'm dying to know what you guys thought of HP7! Leave me some comments! Next week look forward to another guest blog by Kenny and hopefully some London adventures.
Mischief Managed,
KQ & KC
Ah yes, what an excellent review. I agree with nearly all of your points—especially in regard to the dancing scene and the lack of horcrux knowledge. How in the %$#& is harry supposed to know where ravenclaw's diadem is if fuckin Ginny hid the half-blood prince god-knows where in the room of requirement? And yes, why have Hedwig die like that—it is a million times better in the book and much more tragic when Hedwig is trapped in the cage.
ReplyDeleteAlso your comments about the ministry scene are excellent, I had actually forgotten how much they changed it, and you're right, it makes no sense. However, I personally loved that scene because someone ELSE was playing Harry Potter. I turned to Owen during that scene and said "I wish this guy could play Harry Potter for the whole movie."
One thing you guys didn't mention that I found troubling was that they did not include the words of encouragement outside of Harry's childhood house. That was a very powerful moment in the book, and I have no idea why they wouldn't include it.
I did love the moments of unintentional humor in the movie—when Ron gets all mad right before he leaves I burst out laughing. There is just something so ridiculous about that scene.
I have to disagree with you about the animated deathly hallows scene—I didn't like it very much. I liked the tim burtony aspect of it but not the CG—it was too futuristic for me—I would have preferred some hand-drawn shit. But overall they could have done much worse.
Fantastic review,
Drew