HARRY POTTER 7: AND THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS PT 1 & 2:
Review for Part 1(2010):
No lightheartedness in this one! Very serious movie
leading into part 2, this is again very well done, with
only a slight bit of confusion to it, especially if you
haven't watched the previous movies! Even if you
have, you can get lost pretty quickly here trying to
keep up with what's happening! Good music, acting,
plot and special effects! Another great movie! A
From IMDb.com:
I really wasn't sure what to feel watching this movie.
Having read the book, I knew the story, who the characters
where, and what was going to happen. But it was still
emotionally confusing. There isn't really a moment in this
movie where you're allowed to fully feel the moment of
what is happening. For every moment that should be happy
or triumphant, such as Ron breaking the horcrux, you
immediately have a scene reminding the characters of
the sobering reality of their situation. The story piles on
hardship after hardship. The action move very fast, with
some of the sequences I enjoyed in the book going by so
quick I didn't feel like I had the chance to savor them and
look for all the details I had waited for (the first chase
when Harry leaves home, for example). And that's pretty
much how it continued. And actually that's basically how
the book went. So you can say that this movie was extremely
faithful to the source material, probably as much as any
film adaption ever has been. I think I was maybe looking
for the movie to provide something that the book
didn't--maybe to help me realize how I felt about this
story which just seemed to happen, without allowing
me to feel a proper release after all the buildup. I
am excited for part 2, even knowing how everything
will turn out, but this time I won't expect the film
to solve any of my issues for me. - jfgibson73
Review for Part 2(2011):
A great conclusion, although it seems like it just wasn't
complete!! Can't put my finger on it, just seemed rushed
somehow! Some of the main characters that carried this
great series through 8 films where either nearly non-existant
or used very sparingly! I suppose that's because that's the way
the books went, but I can't help but think that there was
more to the stories than was in the movie! Still and all
a very good movie, with very little humor(though there
are a couple of spots), great acting and great special
effects! I just keep feeling cheated somehow! Still,
worth my time watching! A-
From IMDb.com:
I'm going to rate this movie very high because of all the
work that went into it. It is a very detailed, impressive
movie in a visual sense. The story follows the book pretty
closely, with a few minor changes that I didn't think
detracted much. Most of the movie worked very well.
I'll go through each sequence:
1. Shell Cottage -- My favorite thing here was the cottage
itself. I didn't really understand, in the book, why it was
so important for Harry to decide between finding the
Deathly Hallows or destroying the Horcruxes. A big problem
I had with the book was all the backstory given to the
Hallows, only for them to not really matter. Some people
seem to think that by choosing not to try to get the Hallows,
he is avoiding the temptation to pursue power, but I never
really got that. The whole subplot was confusing and felt
unfinished. The movie pretty much avoids Harry's conflict
as much as possible, which I thought worked in its favor.
2. The Bank -- everything here was perfect. The dragon
was amazing, maybe the best cg creature ever.
3. Diagon Alley -- much of what we find out in the book
is avoided here. I think this also makes it easier for the
viewer, because just like the Hallows, the subplot about
Dumbledore's past and his motivations didn't feel like it
needed to be there, and left a bunch of unanswered
questions.
4. The return to Hogwarts -- Harry reuniting with his
friends was exciting, and the scene with the Grey Lady
took something that wasn't especially memorable from
the book and made it a highlight. I think it's interesting
that two creatures who only got a little bit of screen
time--the dragon and the Gray Lady--were done so well,
I thought they could have an entire movie built around
each. The dragon could be amazing in either a fantasy
film or a giant monster movie. The Gray Lady was scarier
than most horror film villains, and I could immediately
imagine her in her own haunted house feature.
5. Snape's memories -- not as much of Lily's childhood
as I'd like, but a fine condensation of the main points.
6. The final battle--a lot of it went too quickly. The movie
was only about two hours. I would have liked more time to
really stop and see what was happening, but it all went by
at lightning speed. The standoff between Bellatrix and Molly
Weasley was the biggest casualty. I really wanted to savor it,
from the moment the kids start fighting her. Instead, it felt
like it lasted about 10 seconds. Really, from the moment
Voldemort walked back in with Harry's body, I started to
feel like it was losing steam instead of building to the climax.
I wasn't a big fan of most of the choices, especially how they
changed that moment in the courtyard with Neville and the
sword. Also, be prepared to have a lot of explanations not
show up, especially as concerns Dumbledore. Like I said, I
would have been fine if the whole conflict over his past
had never been a part of the book, but thankfully the
movie doesn't confuse us by making an issue out of it.
The ending felt a little bit rushed also, which I think
undercut what should have been an emotional payoff
from 10 plus years of movies and books. We needed
to see the main characters really show that the strain
was finally lifted and have a moment of private celebration
with just the trio. Instead, they were kind of cold and
emotionless as Harry destroyed the elder wand. And
the epilogue just left me wanting more time with the
characters instead of satisfied at how their lives had
turned out. This has to be the biggest movie production
to ever leave me feeling vaguely unsatisfied. - jfgibson73