Movies - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 & 2 (in 3-D)

I've been invited to at least two Harry Potter movie outings this month, which reminded me of when the book version of this movie was released, and I was invited to two parties whose primary purpose was to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

We went to the double feature starting at 9:00 PM last night. Thus, we lined up at 7:30 PM, and there were still hundreds of fans camped out when we arrived. Pictures will be posted shortly, but let's just say for now there were tons of Hogwarts uniforms, a band of effectively costumed Death Eaters, and a Golden Snitch.

If you've never read the books or seen the previous movies, you really need to be well-versed in Harry Potter lore before watching the Deathly Hallows. You can check out my homage in haiku for the book.

To 3-D or Not to 3-D? My verdict: Don't bother watching it in 3-D. Even the scary snake sequences are truly scary because of the audio of the snake strike, not the visual.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1

The best part of the entire Part 1 is the animated sequence about the origin of the Deathly Hallows. It was so delightfully rendered, with each scene flowing effortlessly to the next. My favorite bit was when the third brother was hiding from Death. The music was so effective. Also, how George copes with his lost ear is hilarious and awesome.

The worst part about Part 1 is the boring, unmagical setting of the woods, which brings Horcrux-induced angst in all of our beloved main characters. Get out of the woods as fast as possible! Also, before Ron destroys a Horcrux, he must confront an image of a kissing Harry and Hermione. What? This wasn't in the book!

The ending where Dobby saves the day is a nice way to end the movie, as I am teary-eyed as Voldemort retrieves the Elder Wand from Dumbledore's grave. A good cliffhanger.


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Kept to less than two hours, a relief after sitting through the overly long Part 1, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was a vast improvement on Part 1 because more happens.

The part that turned me into a blubbering fountain is not Snape's death, which was brutal and not too overt, but his redemption, when Harry sees Snape's life through the dead wizard's final tears. We and Harry see how much Snape loved Harry's mother. Alan Rickman is awesome. Also, my tears continued as the snitch opens up and Harry, holding the stone, sees the spirits of his parents, Remus, and Sirius, who remind him that they are with him always.

In Part 2, some characters I love have an opportunity to shine, like Professor McGonagall, who takes over the defense of Hogwarts after dueling Snape. Maggie Smith's rage and delight are so satisfying. Neville Longbottom, fully grown and towering over all his Hogwart contemporaries, wields the Sword of Gryffindor with aplomb as he kills Voldemort's snake. Crazy Bellatrix is wonderfully portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter, who also does a great job playing Hermoine-pretending-to-be-Bellatrix when they infiltrate the vault.

One of the most satisfying parts of the ending of the book was Molly Weasley defending her daughter Gini from Bellatrix, yet that part where Gini fought B was cut way too short in the movie b/c if you blinked you would have missed it. Still, Mama Molly was fantastic, and Bellatrix's death was spectacular. Likewise, I was looking forward to Voldemort's death, but the scene itself was a little disappointing.

One of my favorite lines in the book that was rendered ineffective in the movie: After retrieving the Ravenclaw Diadem, when Harry goes back to save Draco, Ron yells: "IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I'LL KILL YOU, HARRY!"

Some Major Things in the Book that Were Cut from the Movie:

• Percy's redemption arc. Percy was not mentioned in the movie at all. To be fair, Fred's death was almost glossed over, and if a character needed to lose dialogue lines, I suppose Percy would be the reasonable choice.
• Ron's decision to try to help the house elves…and when he does, then he earns Hermoine's kiss. Instead they experience their first kiss after finding a basilik's tooth. This is an external cause for a first kiss rather than a character-changing cause, and thus in my mind it is less powerful. But for a movie, it works.

But in the very end...YES! They DO include the Epilogue! Yes, the actors are aged (sometimes a bit too much, like Draco). Harry's son is absolutely adorable, as is the way Harry delivered advice to his son, Albus Severus Potter.

Those who are faithful Harry Potter fans will not be too disappointed, I hope. While there were many moments I wish the director could have expanded, overall, it was a fun experience. Mischief Managed.