Ok, we just got back from the screening.
second post to avoid mouseover spoilers.
It’s long at almost 2 1/2 hours.
There’s a lot of action packed into that time.
It’s funnier than the last three movies put together. That might have partly been the imp beside me - when the patronus appeared, she started humming very, very quietly … ‘Doe, a deer, a female deer…’ she’s developing a wicked wit and almost silent method of delivery - time she started going to movies with her friends and not with me because she knows too damned well how to get me into a fit of giggles.
The acting was fine - like they’d finally relaxed and started enjoying themselves.
The movie ends with Dobbie’s burial and Voldemort stealing the elder wand from Dumbledore’s tomb.
Things that were better in the book (according to Maggenkid who’s read it more often and recently) 1. the escape from Xeno Lovegood’s house. In the movie, they just bolt when the Deatheater’s arrive. No exploding horn, definitely no attempt to help Xeno.
2. the dungeon at the Malfoy’s was more intimidating in the book - her imagination is scarier than Mr Yates’. It looked bright and airy, like there were windows just out of sight, they hardly needed to light the single lantern. Very clean, too.
3. No statue of the Potter family in Godric’s Hollow and no visit to the family home to discover the supporting notes from the wizarding world.
Things that were better in the movie:
1. Hedwig was set free before leaving Little Wingeing. She returned to defend Harry during his escape - indicating the true Harry (better than recognising a spell) and sacrificing her life for his.
2. Bugger all time spent at Grimmauld place.
3. Better pacing through the whole camping trip.
4. The Snatchers almost finding their camp - effectively creepy.
Ask anything.
a good time had by all? love the singing.
how was dobby’s burial? did luna give the eulogy?
i’ll be seeing it on fri.
I’m seeing it on Friday with my nieces, although I haven’t seen the last two movies and I haven’t read the book since it came out. Hopefully I’ll remember enough of the background to be able to follow it.
Went to a midnight screening and then again later the same day - it is an amazing film. There aren’t many films I could sit through twice in one day, especially when they’re loooong like this one was, but I was just as enthralled the second time around.
A *very *good time, though Maggenkid found it hard to sit still - no so much out of boredom but too much kissing! Eeeewww!
No eulogy or gravestone for Dobby. Nice scene though.
Watch out for the tale of the three brothers, we were both really impressed with how that was handled.
Oh and the kid’s final comment? “He’s a really dorky dancer, isn’t he?”
Don’t think I could do twice in a day, but we’ll definitely be adding the DVD to the set. It was the racing version of the book that I’d hoped for - like OOTP, all padding stripped away to leave a cracking good story.
Is Hogwarts or its faculty members in this at all?
Are Young Dumbledore and Young Grindelwald in this one?
Does Imelda Staunton kick ass as Delores Umbridge again?
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Not really. Hagrid, Prof Lupin and Prof Moody help the “Harrys” escape at the beginning. Prof Snape is mentioned in headlines as being Headmaster, but only appears in Death Eater scenes. Prof of Muggle Studies is tortured and killed as per book. The nearest they get to a school scene is a brief encounter on the train between student and Death Eaters.
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Kinda. young Dumbledore only in photos. Young Grindewald in flashbacks photos & exposition
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Yep.
from what i’ve read so far the tale of the three brothers being animated is what i would expect from a wizard book.
i picture stick figures or close to moving on the page as the story is read. is this the way it looks? does ron have his “sometimes death sneaks up on you” line?
Don’t remember hearing that line - I may have been distracted by the kid.
More complex than stick figures. Similar feel (not look) to the tales of Ea in Watership Down. I like old European fairy tale books and have a few with this style of illustration so it really appealed to my sense of aesthetics.
I heard there was a subtle dig at the Twilight series. Did you catch it? What is it?
When Hermione is beginning to read the tale of the three brothers, she says (something along the lines of) “Three brothers were walking down a long, winding road at twilight” to which Ron interjects “Midnight. Mum always said midnight.”
Hermione is already angry at him at this stage so she gives him a quite humourous blank look, so he backtracks and says “Twilight’s fine. Better, even.”
So it’s not really a sly dig but the opposite. I personally thought it was funny but a bit odd, in-universe, Harry Potter has very little overlap with real world pop culture and it was just a little bit jarring to have a wink to the audience like that, but it isn’t really super-obvious so it’s not too much of a big deal.
We’ve got The Tales of Beedle the Bard and it really does say twilight. Though it is the version translated from the original runes by Hermione Granger, so fans can argue her interpretation of the runes till the thestrals come home.
Sorry, I wouldn’t notice a Twilight reference if it sparkled at me.
I think that exchange was in the original.
I just had a quick look at the book to check - Ron does interject with the “my mum used to say midnight” but sticks with it (saying it sounds spookier with midnight) instead of conceding that “twilight” is better, as he does in the film.
Ah, I guess it’s kind of a joke about it, but not quite.
I saw what you did there…
Yeah, just a little thing that sort of stops you in your tracks and makes you wonder “was that a coincidence or not?”
It’s definitely better to see the movie first because they make changes to the book for no particularly good reason. And I spent a good hour explaining the movie to someone because a lot of stuff was lost to the viewer.
I was surprised at the scene with Wormtail because the book version built on the mystique of events having consequences down the road.
There was no reason to insert Dobby at Grimmauld Place and his burial didn’t match the book at all. I had to explain why Hermione didn’t help the elf (in the book he died almost instantly). Not sure why they buried him in the dunes and not on the grounds of the cottage which is where the next movie will pick back up.
The enchanted mirror fragment wasn’t explained, and I think non-readers missed the fact that the pendant/horcrux was strangling Harry underwater in response to the sword of Gryffindor.
I thought there would have been more development in the woods but there is no room to cut anything else.
The movie moved well considering how much ground it had to cover. It didn’t seem like 2 1/2 hrs to me. I wanted to see more but I don’t know how they could have inserted it. Everything seemed truncated as it was.