Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2 Reviews- Spoilers

Just like we did with DHI, we're having a review thread. I know we're a few days early, but it doesn't hurt. Also, this thread may contain spoilers, so if you're not seeing it this weekend, you might want to avoid this discussion..

I want to mention that I bought the soundtrack. I was not a fan of Alexandre Desplat's score for Part I. As such, I had shaky expectations for the Part II score. I bought two copies of the album- one on CD (I had to go to 4 stores to find it) and one on iTunes. Review: this score is MUCH better than Part I. It's as close to John Williams as we can get. Hopefully, this bodes well for the film.

Very exciting! I can hardly wait to hear what everyone else thinks of the movie. Thanks for the info about the soundtrack, wingert!

i hope to see the movie thursday night, anyone else?

I've got tickets for Sunday morning.

I have tickets for the midnight showing!

Im going to go not on the first day, but the second day that it is opening in the UK. That is just to spite everyone who says that it will make millions from its first showing alone. HAHA HA HA HA! But I do think it will be quite good.

I'm going on Friday night! We don't have any midnight showings around here :(, as soon as I get back I'll check this thread and share my thoughts!

noooo i just found out that a family event will set my review back a little.... i will see it by the first week, but not opening night. :-(

Just got back from the midnight showing.

Awesome.

Awesome.

Awesome.

I'll write something coherent later, but this may just be my favorite of all of the movies.

Ditto foggi's thoughts!

Laughed.

Cried.

Cheered.

Awesome.

(And I mentioned it on the "Getting Ready for DH2" thread but I have a blog post up today seeking people's thoughts on splitting the book into two films, I'd love for you all to share your opinions:
http://herbookself.blogspot.com/2011/07/one-film-is-never-enough-though-perhaps.... )

So. Wonderful.

It was super fun seeing it at midnight. Everyone cheered at the right places (I LOVE Molly Weasley's big line!), there were still funny parts, I cried a lot...

I want to see it again.

Just like everybody else, I had a swarm of emotions: crying, laughing (especially at Ron's and Neville's one liners) and cheering (at the Ron/Hermione kiss and Mrs. Weasley's "Not my daughter, you ****). This was definitley Dan's moment to shine, especially when he confronted Snape in the Great Hall; although, the myriad of British thespians helped him.

The Good:

The special effects, the music and the acting were all superb. Other than Dan, Alan Rickman was brillant. What sold me was the scene in Snape's memory when he goes to Godric's Hollow after the attack (something not in the book) and holds Lily's body. His death was jsut as gut-wrenching as it was in the book.

The magic and wonder of Sorcerer's Stone 10 years ago was gone, replaced by a deeper, intrinsic magic-- the greater good. Hogwarts became a "police state" under Snape, but you felt like there wwas a reason to fight.

The Bad:

There was no Dumbledore backstory. I also felt a little cheated with Voldy's death: he disintigrated like Quirrel did in Sorcerer's Stone; I wanted to see a dead body (as gruesome as that sounds).

Overall: 9.5/10. What a way to end the series!

We just came back. Loved it, lamented the missing parts, choked up at Snape, and snickered at some of the added parts, like Harry grabbing Voldy in a big hug and leaping from the tower.

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!!

Like everyone, I cried, I laughed and I gasped! I was teary eyed with Snape's death, I shed my first tear with Snape's memory scene and I cried with all of the close-ups of the trio at the end!

I think they did a great job with Snape's memory scene and the King's Cross one with Dumbledore (I was really afraid for both scenes, I thought they would butcher both of them)

Great eye candy with all the special effects on the movie and the music was right in all the right places!

I LOVEEEED the addition of Neville and Luna! I always thought they would end up together after I finished the last book and I really want to thank Jo for letting this happen in the movie, even though it didn't happen in the book.

And I want to also thank Jo for all of this amazing and magic ride, it has given me some great friends online (you magical people) and in real life, it made me love and enjoy reading like nothing else and has influenced the way I am now!

I loved the movie, but a couple of quibbles:

I thought they muffed the "Not my daughter..." quote. It just didn't have the impact I expected because there was just a brief shot of Ginny in battle before it. It needed more of a setup then they give it.

I also didn't like that they moved the final confrontation between V. and Harry out of the Great Hall in the midst of everyone fighting to where they were all alone.

#15: Thank you!!! I felt the same way about Molly's line. And I blinked and missed Bellatrix attacking Ginny. I kept thinking, that line was said in caps-lock of rage, wasn't it?

Ron, Snape's memory and King's Cross were my favorites. Also the scene where they broke into Gringotts. The dragon was well done and I was so happy when they released it.

Here comes bib with the cold water, as usual. As many of you know, I've always had an extremely difficult time separating the movies and the books. I didn't hate DH (either part) as much as the three before it (them) but I'm still feeling pretty picky about some of it (though I do understand the reasoning behind a lot of the changes as well). So here are my comments, the good and the bad.

1. What was the point of Luna's line about the wind chimes? That was just dumb.
2. I was disappointed throughout the movie, starting with the Ollivander scene, in the explanation of wandlore. It just didn't feel like someone who hadn't read the books would understand what was going on with the Snape killing and everything.
3. I mostly liked the Gringotts stuff. I felt super bad for the poor dragon, he was even more miserable than the one that lives in my imagination and I understood the reason for not including the curse that makes everything super hot.
4. I did NOT think that the invisibility cloak was used enough and it was never even mentioned (in either movie) in conjunction with the Deathly Hallows. The only time it was used in this movie was briefly in Gringotts and that's it.
5. I'm a bit confused about Neville and the rest of the DA. Are they hiding out in the Room of Requirement? If so, why respond to Snape summoning everyone to the Great Hall. I know, Harry's going and they have this plan, but that all seemed weak to me.
6. Who made Luna queen of exposition? It's been that way since she first showed up in OotP and randomly taught Harry about Thestrals.
7. I mostly loved what we got to see of the battle, though I wish we could have seen a bit more. I was sad that we didn't get to see Fred's death, I think he deserved more.
8. The Fiendfyre was pretty darn cool. (Would have been better with Crabbe and Goyle, but that's the actor's fault, not the filmmakers.)
9. I liked Snape's memories, except for the fact that girl Lily's eyes look nothing like Dan's and they kept focusing on them, as that's sort of the point.
10. King's Cross was excellent.
11. Ummmm....where did Percy come from? If you're not going to have the reunion scene and Fred's death, why bother bringing him back at all?
12. For a second there I was afraid Neville wasn't going to be the one to kill Nagini. I would have been beyond mad if someone else had done it.
13. I was also a bit disappointed in Molly's big moment. I think both Helena Bonham-Carter and Julie Walters were great, and it's a shame that the filmmakers didn't give it just a bit more attention.
14. I agree with the people who were disappointed in the final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort for the reasons mentioned and because of the lack of expelliarmus. They've just completely cut that whole story line out of the movies and it's one of my favorite things about the books.
15. I thought "19 years later" was beautifully done.

So, I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. Nothing will ever compare to the movie I see in my head when I read these books. A movie I'm about to start all over again. :)

#17 -- I think those are all fair points -- and many of them were things I was going to mention!

I agree, I felt so sorry for that poor dragon. They did a great job with that.

They've never used the invisibility cloak much in the films -- I guess it's one of those things that doesn't translate well to the screen? And good point about it not being mentioned as one of the Hallows. Someone or other that I talked to said that the whole side-story of the Hallows was not given enough play, either in this movie or the last one. I'm not sure if I agree with that or not.

The scene in the Great Hall, where Harry steps out and confronts Snape, seemed to me to be a way of collapsing a lot of the pre-battle stuff into one scene. I saw it as a way to give more screen time to the battle, whereas I would have preferred for them to stick closer to the book. Still, I was basically okay with it.

The point about Lily's eyes has always, always bugged me. They have never gotten Harry's eyes right, or made any attempt to make them look like Lily's eyes, and it's such a big deal that they really should have done it. I mean, I can understand that it would have been a colossal pain to CGI Dan's eyes green in every shot of him (and I seem to remember that he can't do contacts?). But it almost looked like child Lily's eyes were brown -- what's the deal with that?!?

I falt like many things in the battle went by too fast, but I was going to wait until I had a chance to see it again to comment on that, as I often miss things in big action sequences. I was glad that Molly got her line, but I almost missed the fact that Bellatrix was going after Ginny before Molly stepped in. And I knew people would be sad about how Fred's death was downplayed, but I am glad that at least that little scene with Fred and George before the battle was put in.

I would have been majorly disappointed if Neville had not gotten to kill Nagini, and I was worried that they were going to change that, but it all came out right in the end.

I did miss the "expelliarmus" plot line, and wish they had seen fit to include that.

And I loved how they did the epilogue. Did you notice that they made Harry's scar nearly invisible, as if it had faded over time? I thought that was a nice touch.

4. I did NOT think that the invisibility cloak was used enough and it was never even mentioned (in either movie) in conjunction with the Deathly Hallows. The only time it was used in this movie was briefly in Gringotts and that's it.

I'm pretty sure that when Harry asked Olivander if he knew about the Deathly Hallows he mentioned the Invisibility Cloak. But I guess the connection was never made that it was Harry's cloak.

Just saw it for the second time. I noticed a few "Easter eggs" (technically, I noticed them the first time but forgot to mention them in my original review:

1. There are pixies from CoS in the Room of Requirement.
2. The music during the Epilogue was the John Williams theme that played when Harry rode the Hogwarts Express 10 years ago. It was this scene that brought out the waterworks.

#19: Yeah, I meant Harry's cloak specifically.

Just back from watching it, and absolutely loved it.

Some of the points that have been made are fair, but for me I just got caught up in the ride that I didn't really notice them, or if I did then I'd forgotten them five seconds later when the next exciting thing happened.

One note on the Molly / Bellatrix moment - that was only the second time I've been in a cinema when there's been a round of applause, so it was obviously not disappointing for them! (The first time was at the end of Babe, so that doesn't really count!)

Oh, and Neville is without doubt my favourite character in the film!

I loved it. The thing I probably missed the most was the Percy storyline: reuniting with the family, resigning his job with the Minister, and Fred realizing he cracked a joke. As I reread the book, I realize there are other things I wish were in it, but it was still great. I thought Snape's memories were beautifully done, as well as the epilogue. It was so much fun seeing it with Foggi. I can't wait to see it again.

I loved it. Some major improvements on the book, especially the Hermione & Ron bits in the Chamber of Secrets. In my mind, that's always where they shared their first kiss.

I love it, thought it was a well-done film, although I left the theater feeling emotionally drained. I'm still not sure if that's because there is a lot of bittersweet emotion with this being the END end, or because it was essentially a 2 hour full-on adrenaline rush. Nevertheless, I want to see it again, which is only the second time in all the films that I've strongly wanted to see one again in the theater (the other was the first). I've fortunately been able to separate my appreciation for the books and films fairly well after PoA, which is probably good because I was so angry about the changes (ahem, gaping plot holes) in the PoA film that I got a speeding ticket driving home from the theater because I was too busy venting to my then-boyfriend (now hubby) to notice the speed change signs!!

I absolutely loved the one-liners that were throughout DH2, and was one of the few folks in the theater yesterday morning who loudly laughed at them. I am so glad that film Neville finally had his shining moments: the books always portrayed Neville (and Ron) with much greater depth, strength and intellect than the films, but his portrayal in DH2 was much improved. I thought the interchange between Narcissa and Harry confirming Draco was alive was well done, and I *loved* the scene with Dumbledore in King's Cross, as I've always struggled to clearly see it in my head and for once appreciated having the film's competing visualization.

I agree with the criticisms above about the Ginny/Bellatrix/Molly sequence, and the move of the final Voldemort/Harry battle. I was very disappointed with Hagrid's lines in the Forbidden Forest when Harry comes to die; they weren't delivered as forcefully or emotionally as I read them. But for one aspect (see below), I didn't like the Epilogue/19 Years Later scene, but I didn't like that part of the book either.

One thing I thought was exceptionally well done this time was the score. Thanks to @06nwingert for starting this thread early and specifically mentioning the soundtrack. Music in movies is something I usually pay attention to, but I went in this time especially primed to note it, and was not disappointed. As @06nwingert notes in post #20, I love, love, love that the Epilogue score returns to John Williams's original theme. THAT is what emotionally unified and sealed the film series for me.

Well... I've been thinking about what to say about it since I left the cinema last night. I'm inclined to agree with bib in #17.

It is undoubtedly a well made film, but on the whole, I feel that the special effects came at the expense of the narrative.

Now, I'm willing to admit that if I watch parts 1 and 2 back to back, I may change my mind, but at the moment I don't feel that part 2 was a good piece of storytelling.

Most of my gripes have already been mentioned - Fred's death, Bellatrix's non-attack on Ginny, Neville & Luna hooking up (I liked it that they didn't in the book, because it seemed so obvious that they would), etc, etc. And I'm afraid I hated the epilogue as much in the film as I did in the book. (That may be unfair though - it could be that I hated it in the film because I hated it in the book). I didn't like Gringotts - it seemed like a local branch in the provinces with about three account holders.

I'm sounding way too negative - I loved Alan Rickman (knew he would be brilliant in the death scene, even though it wasn't at all how I'd pictured it happening). Loved Neville. Loved the cinematography. Loved the score. Loved Maggie Smith. Loved some of the one-liners.

I think I shall read the whole series again, and wait until I am able to watch DH1 and DH2 as one mega-movie before I settle on a final opinoin.

As yet, I am not overwhelmed.

i thought that ron had almost no lines..... and for the record, i cried at the end, just with the weight of the fact that its over. done.

Saw it today and loved it, despite having many of the same reservations mentioned above, especially about the Molly/Ginny/Bellatrix moments, which were, well, moments instead of a few minutes that it should have taken to make that more meaningful. I wanted to see it all on the screen.

I also thought the section of the film when Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrive at Hogwarts was too abbreviated. Neville tells them that the Carews are the worst and you barely see them at all. Also don't get the whole, "what's the plan?" and Harry saying he's just there to hunt for the diadem, he's not planning to lead the fight, etc. No real arrival of the Order, they're just suddenly there.

I agree that the scene with Dumbledore was very well done, and I thought his blue robe was fetching!

Wanted to turn around on the way home and see it again. Can't wait to buy Parts I and II as DVD set.

This seems as good a place as any to post this short video of the last day of filming. It's sweet and there are a few tears.

Thanks Bib! Now I have a few tears, too.

Well dang, Bib, now I'm crying at my desk! ;) That was awesome. Thanks for sharing!

That was wonderful! It looks like some nice friendships were formed on the set. :o)

awwwwww :"( made me cry.

I cried, too -- definitely glad I waited until I got home from work to watch that! Thanks for sharing.

I saw it in Imax 3D last weekend. I need to see it again just as regular film. The 3D was okay but I felt I had to keep my head in a very specific position and that I might be losing things at the edges of the screen.

I agree with much of the other criticisms- the Deaths in battle went fast, the awkward pacing of Mrs. Weasley's line, Harry confronting Voldemort in front of people at the end (probably too difficult to film that way with all the cgi required) Also as much as I love Neville they didn't need to give him a mediocre St. Crispin's day speech.

That said I still really enjoyed it. I am able to separate the films as their own entities and I enjoyed what they did. The acting was great all around and I thought it was an appropriate finish. I just rewatched DH Pt 1 and I hope to watch part 2 again this weekend and I may have more thoughts then.

35- i felt the same way about the 3D it wasnt great.......

I saw Kung Fu Panda 2 in 3-D and I think it gave me a headache. Also found it dark in a murky kind of way. No desire to see more 3-D movies at this point.

I've fortunately been able to separate my appreciation for the books and films fairly well after PoA, which is probably good because I was so angry about the changes (ahem, gaping plot holes) in the PoA film that I got a speeding ticket driving home from the theater because I was too busy venting to my then-boyfriend (now hubby) to notice the speed change signs!!

Grk, TOO FUNNY that you got a speeding ticket for being too distraught over PoA!! LOL!

The two things that bothered me most about part 2:
1) Moving Neville killing Nagini. His little speech was no where near as awesome as yelling "For Harry!" and beheading the snake in front of everyone.
2) Harry destroys the Elder wand and now has no wand at all, as he didn't repair the old one. Shouldn't bug me, because it's such a small thing non-readers probably don't even notice. But honestly -- Harry now has no wand at all, according to movie 7b.

I noticed the wand thing too, which was irritating. Also, somewhat similar to foggidawn's mention of Lily's eyes, did anyone else notice that in the book Harry's eyes are green, in the movie they are blue, and the baby they chose to be little Harry had brown eyes? Were there no child actors with light eyes? Again, this wouldn't be a big deal if there wasn't so much mention of them in the book, including the effect on Snape. (And Aberforth didn't have blue eyes either, which is another thing that would only be irritating to people who have read the books)
However, the "easter egg" or nod at Seamus Finnigan about the propensity for pyrotechnics got a chuckle out of me.

I supposed according to the movie that Harry still had Draco's wand?

We loved the movie. I agree with those mentioning that the Kings Cross scene with Dumbledore was well done and good to see in movie form. We enjoyed the one-liners and the handling of the Ron-Hermione romance, too.

I just saw it a second time. The 3D is nothing to rave about. The only cool part was Voldemort's ashes. Occasionally I would notice some extra depth, but nothing great. If anything it was just a distraction.

I can't wait for the DVD, especially for the Room of Requirement! I paid more attention this time and noticed the white queen chess piece from PS, the boar statute from the flashback in CoS, and the phonograph from the dance practice in GoF! I am sure there is so much more!

I cried more this time, especially at the Snape parts, and got major goosebumps when McGonagall woke up the castle! When I grow up I want to be Dame Maggie Smith!

There were still parts that I missed and changes made I wish they didn't, but I think I have to say it was my favorite!

#39- i didnt even think about the whole eye thing.... hmmmm....