Thursday, December 22, 2011

Day 8: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2


Welcome to the last day of my eight-day long Harry Potter marathon. This is purely because I have not seen any of the Harry Potter's and I promised a whole lot of people that I'd watch 'em all when the last DVD came out. That was over a month ago, so I have to do it now. I will be blogging about my journey through Hogwarts...and such.

After six days of watching the Harry Potter series, I am finally at the end. Yes, it is sad to end the series, because I had a lot of fun. But when a series ends with a film like Deathly Hallows Part 2, I couldn't help but feel the happiness/sadness/whatever that true Harry Potter fans felt. And this was another 2011 film to check off my list. Now I can say that I have seen the entire Harry Potter series, so to whoever it was that said I don't deserve a movie blog for not seeing it, I've just earned my ownership of Cinematic Paradox. Yay. Anyway, the final movie from an outsider's perspective:


-I admit, I was pretty sceptical over this movie. As I'd spent the past two weeks of my life (not every day, mind you) cleaning shelves at work, and the trailer for this played on the loop disc every hour and a half. Basically, while the trailer is quite good, how many times did they have to have Voldemort saying "NNNNYYAAAAAAHH" in it? Like, seriously. As soon as I heard a "NNNNYYAAAAAAHH" I wanted to shoot myself (or maybe that was just the messy shelves making me feel that way), even if it was my main man Ralph Fiennes' voice.
-Then again, everyone went crazy over this movie. I don't know whether this was because it was the end of the series and it was a given that people would go crazy over it, or whether this was just a really good movie. I tend to go with the latter, but let's not forget that it would work better as a conclusion to a really epic series rather than a stand-alone movie.
-Anyways, I loved how Hermione disguised herself as Bellatrix. No-one could be as convincing as Helena Bonham Carter, as that clearly shows.
-It never fails to amaze me how many British actors have been in this series. It's particularly cool that CiarĂ¡n Hinds shows up in this one.


-It's interesting how Neville Longbottom gets a lot of screen time in this movie. He seemed really under-used in the series, to me.
-I loved the scene where McGonagall fought Snape. I always knew she was a complete badass.
-That shield around Hogwarts was pretty epic. This film definitely has to be nominated for Best Visual Effects, no doubt about it.
-Okay, so this whole series was made when we learned the truth about Snape and Dumbledore. Like, I just felt like that was the best moment of the series. And I always knew that Snape was a good guy (he's my favourite character for a reason). Except, my friend hasn't seen this film, so I was having a very hard time telling her why Snape was my favourite character.


-And a big WOW to learning the truth about our Harry Potter. Poor guy.
-Jesus, the Draco/Voldemort hug. Funniest thing I've ever seen. Mind you, I wouldn't say no to a hug from Ralph Fiennes.
-**SPOILER ALERT** I almost died when Molly killed Bellatrix. The Weasley's really are a family filled with badassery.
-This film's version of Heaven was pretty interesting. Looks like my kind of place.
-The final act of this movie is the definition of EPIC. I can see why so many people are trying to get this nominated for Best Picture. Unfortunately, I don't think it stands a chance, particularly because it has been missing from all of the awards so far.
-The ending was of course sad because we have to leave everyone behind now, but I didn't really like how it ended. Let's just say, the actors involved didn't look old enough, and it was a tad cheesy. But I imagine that there were a few tears being wept in the cinemas.
-If anyone deserves Oscar nominations for this movie, it would be either Alan Rickman or Ralph Fiennes. They both play their characters consistently well, and with a finesse that isn't seen in many of the other cast members. Because the Best Supporting Actor race is so weak this year, they have every reason to get in, but I think voters will forget them and they will remain as two of the most underrated performances of all time.


-Speaking of the actors, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint do tremendous work here. They really did come a long way since 2001.
-In fact, the whole series came a long way since 2001. To think that this series started out with a very tame kids movie...
-This movie remains a highlight of 2011. All of the posters say "the movie event of a generation". I couldn't possibly thing of anything more true.

So, there you have it. I have now watched all of the Harry Potter films, and before the end of 2011, no less. Many of you have suggested that I read the books, which is something I'll start right after I read War Horse (which I keep putting off because it makes me miss my horses so much), and I'll try to finish before the end of 2012. Otherwise, I had a lot of fun watching these films. Some were better than others, but I can't deny how much I enjoyed watching them! I'll definitely be going back to them every now and again.

What I got for Deathly Hallows Part 2 (going to the lower end of this rating):

12 comments:

  1. YAAAAYYY!! I'm so glad you liked it.
    I really wish it gets nominated. Like if the 10 BP nominees thing was still there, it would have been nominated. Unfortunately the new Academy rule will go to hurt HP's chances the most.
    I would love for a Fiennes nomination. I mean I love Rickman, but Fiennes is so eerie in this film. Having said that, I think this was THE Danile Radcliffe film. HE was fantastic.

    Also yaay for Neville and Prof McBadass and Molly!

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  2. Snape and Neville are my two favorite characters. Both have the biggest character evolutions in the entire series. You really can't tell re: Neville in the movies, but it's very clear in the books. Snape is just one of the best literary characters in ages.

    I love how you went from not being sure about your feelings on Snape at the start to him being your favorite character at the end.

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  3. Wootwoot!!!! Yay!!!! If this film got nominated I would die of happiness, though like you say it doesn't really stand a chance :( Alan Rickman's performance caused me to have tears in my eyes, my goodness. I mean, I knew it was going to happen and that he was a good guy all along, but he's just amazing. I'd love to see him get nominated for Supporting Actor or something. And VFX - yes please!
    Did anyone else see a a massive influx of McGonagall pages show up on Facebook, in honour of her badassery after this movie came out? EVERYONE I knew was liking them (I may have even liked a couple!)

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  4. Glad to see you liked, it really was epic!I remember seeing it at the midnight release on a Wednesday night, on a IMAX 3D screen, with great seats and it was perfect! HP is a great series, and -SHOCK- I thought the movies were sometimes better then the books! If you really want to, you could read them, but I never really understood the point of reading the book AFTER you have seen the movie adaptation; you already know what happens and it doesn't have the same magic. Plus, in your case, there are 7 books, some huge. Maybe you should read something else. That's just my advice!

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  5. Very nice review. It's interesting to read your thoughts from an outsiders point of view. I'm going to miss Harry Ron and Hermione but I won't miss Voldemort and his "NYAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

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  6. It's so great that you liked it, I can't believe you managed to stay away from harry potter all these years, I had no choice! I watched ALL of them in the theaters, so the last one was definitely an interesting experience. And I agree with Aziza, I read all the books as well, but perhaps reading them after watching the films will be a bit boring. Though they do have a lot of things that weren't in the movies. About the other films, I'll just comment here, if that's okay:
    Thank god there's someone else who didn't find goblet of fire amazing, I just may go a little further and say that I didn't like it, at all. Though I loved Prisoner of Azkaban a lot more, it is still one of my favorites, I thought it was brilliant in every way.
    And the first two... I can't watch Chamber of Secrets now, and I have a hard time watching the first one as well. I just find them really boring and long, but when I was a kid, I enjoyed them a lot, so I guess it's just an age thing. Also, I have a soft spot for The Half-Blood Prince, because there's this really amazing part for Draco, and I love him.

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  7. Glad you liked it! :* Until I saw "The Skin I live in" and "Ides of March it" was my #1 of the year. I just adore how they used "Dumbledore's Farewell" in Snape's flashback it was one of the most brilliant moves in the series. Warner bros screwed up heavily this year in the Oscar Race - they really should be campainging hard for Rickman, the supproting nods are ridiculous - I saw most of the biggest candidates and I can't evne remember their performances. I think if there are 10 BP nominations this year it will definetly get in. It's such a good movie, the only part I didn't like was with Kelly McDonald, it was wuite cheesy and seemed possible to be replaced with few lines of dialogue.

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  8. Glad you joined in on the fun that is Harry Potter Stevee. But you are still in for more delight once you start reading the books :) Actually, I'm about to have me my Christmas HP marathon this weekend!

    Now for the movie, I always thought there was more to Snape but I loved that the book/movies did a great job of keeping it under wrap until the final moments of the saga.

    I'm also not a big fan of the prologue (even after reading the books) so it's definitely something that could have been omitted.

    I did feel that the deaths of some of the characters came and went with little emotional impact. It seems like a running theme with Yates (Mad Eye Moody in Part 1, heck even Dumbledore in Half Blood Prince...)

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  9. I agree with Castor- FRED!! They just brushed Fred aside... I was so depressed in the book when that happened (and I still haven't forgiven JK Rowling).

    The Epilogue is awful...I think the only really down point in the film. Not for the 19 years later part, but because the world's most awesome trio grew up to be the world's most boring adults. It's funny in the book.

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  10. I need to give Yates a little slack here on the deaths bit. To be fair to him, almost all the deaths in Deathly Hallows was glossed over in the book, too. Probably the only one that wasn't was Fred--but he didn't get THAT much more time.

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  11. Nikhat - Yeah, if it were 10, then this would definitely have a chance. I don't see why they keep changing the rules!
    Fiennes should get a nomination, particularly because that category is SO WEAK! And Fiennes is long overdue another nomination.
    Dan was brilliant, he REALLY came around in this one.

    Nick - Snape is awesome, and Alan Rickman plays him so well (which is why I kinda liked him from the start). I think he is one of the best characters ever.

    Ruth - Alan Rickman was beyond brilliant in this...he definitely deserves some sort of recognition!
    Haha, yes, I did :P

    Aziza - I usually read books after I watch the movies anyway (I'm an awful person!). Usually it gives me a better understanding of what is going on. But anyway, I don't read nearly enough and they look pretty easy to read so I'll give them a go. If I can be bothered.

    Film Samurai - But Voldemort and his "NYAAAAAH" is the best! LOL JK.

    Sofia - Haha, I don't know how I did either. I just have skills!
    Goblet of Fire was so tonally confused and just a little bit silly. I didn't like it that much, compared to the rest.
    If I were to watch them again, I'd definitely skip the second one. Didn't like that much. But yes, Half-Blood Prince was great for Draco!

    Sati - The Supporting Actor race is so weak that Rickman really should get in. I'm also surprised that there doesn't seem to be a big push for the actors in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. It's a weird race this year, for sure.
    That Kelly McDonald part was a bit weird...

    Castor - I hope you have fun!
    Yes, they did. Which is why Snape comes off as a really great character!
    The deaths did come and go like nothing happened. That was something that I definitely didn't like.

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You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.

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