I loved it.
Yes, I am still mourning the end of the series. I grew up with Harry: the books began when I was only a few years younger than Harry, and the movies started with us at the same age, 11. We made friends and lost friends together; we were bullied together and learned to cope together; we fell in love together and, really, grew up in nearly every aspect together. While the book ended four years ago, and that was sad as well, this ending is so much more definite - no more new anything. Books, movies, stories. It's over.
All that said, I loved the movie. Yes, the directors changed and eliminated some aspects, and yes some of that exasperated me. But overall, I feel the movie did justice to the book and to the theme that Rowling was trying to get through for all seven books. It was beautifully done; funny, touching, exciting, terrifying.
Now, this paragraph WILL DEAL IN SPECIFICS. If you don't want to know anything about the movie, SKIP THIS SECTION. I WILL ALERT IN ALL CAPS WHEN SAFE TO READ.
Okay, a few things that irked me:
- They referenced Dumbledore's past with his sister, via Aberforth calling Albus' character into question. But then, Dumbledore never explains himself. His brother just says he sacrifices people for his own benefit, and instead of getting the whole story like the book, the movie just sort of...forgets to talk about it. That was my biggest issue with the movie.
- I wanted Neville to play more of the hero. Yes, he had his monologue-type-thing, and he did kill the snake, but in the book, that scene is so much more touching and awe-inspiring because of the torture and trials he endures before he gets to do that. I feel like Neville's thunder was stolen a bit.
And some of my favorite parts:
- Snape's memories. They were beautifully rendered and Alan Rickman acted amazingly. They were more beautiful and heart-wrenching than I could have imagined.
- The general fighting of the movie. I like action; the battle at Hogwarts kept my arms in constant goosebumps. A friend of mine called it "typical", but I disagree. As far as fighting goes in this scope, there's only so much to do: a lot of Team A running at Team B; aerial shots of clashing and fighting and gruesome dying (but still not all that gruesome). But I thought it was very interesting how they incorporated the gargoyles in the castle, and the giants, and the spells around Hogwarts. Visually, this was impressive too: these spells strong enough to hold off the army of Death Eaters, but when it finally begins to collapse, it looks as delicate as tissue paper.
IT IS SAFE TO BEGIN READING AGAIN.
I loved McGonagall in this movie, and Snape. Just 'cause.
All in all, I believe this to be a most respectable and well-made final sequence of the saga. It was beautiful, and, as a major fanatic, I loved it immensely.
Now, a word on the epilogue. I know a lot of people called the epilogue - from the book, even - crap. Yes, it was cheesy (why do I keep saying "Yes"?), but all in all, I don't think the story would have felt finished without something of the sort. As a writer, I tried to end my most recent reading of the book with just the last chapter, but, though the story was "finished", it didn't feel that way. I needed that closure that the epilogue, though cheesy, provided. Sometimes, you just have to submit to the cheese factor because a writer has earned your respect and trust. I think it ended the book beautifully and happily, and I thought it was pretty well done for the movie (though, I mean, come on, Daniel - these are supposed to be your kids - act like you love them!)
A-
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