I’d be remiss in my duties as a geek girl if I didn’t write about my thoughts on the final Harry Potter movie, The Deathly Hallows Part 2. There were many things changed from the book, some that I was okay with and others that I was not happy about but I’ll save the details for the hidden section. I’ll be discussing various plot points and the musical score so if you’ve never read the books, haven’t seen the movie and/or don’t want to see any spoilers I’d recommend skipping this post for now. Then come back once you’ve watched the movie and let me know what you think.
Here there be spoilers!
Though the movie started very suddenly after a preview, in hindsight I think I liked that. It threw you off balance which was perfect for the first shot (after the recap of Voldemort claiming the Elder Wand). From the opening scene with Snape looking over the Hogwarts courtyard (complete with a hauntingly beautiful score) I found myself actually interested in the movie and how it would play out.
One of the things that the movie(s) eliminated was Dumbldore’s story and the full truth of what happened with his sister, Ariana. It made me a bit sad to find all of that insight into the character cut from the film. I also found I missed Neville’s triumphant moment where he’s being tortured (while Harry is believed to be dead) and he grabs the sword of Gryffindor and beheads the snake, all in one amazing scene. Though he still beheads Nagini in the movie, it’s not quite as awesome. Also, they cut many of Snape’s memories. They left out almost all of his and Lily’s friendship, her dislike of James and Snape trying to apologize to Lily. Luckily they made up for it with a memory of Snape making his way through the Potter’s destroyed home and finding Lily dead. The moment I saw him crying out and cradling her body I bawled right there in the theater.
There were things that I enjoyed, however. Snape’s death in the novel always felt so cheap to me. The movie had me in tears as the snake struck again and again. And then Snape’s tears as he died, telling Harry that he had his mother’s eyes. I felt that was much better done than in the novel. Also, even though it was cheesy, I liked seeing Ron and Hermione in the Chamber of Secrets, getting the basilisk fang and destroying a Horcrux. And a huge thank you to the person that provided the blatant bit of fanservice by having Neville and Luna together at the end.
There were other points that got laughter (McGonagall’s excitement at casting the spell to animate the suits of armor) and applause (Molly killing Bellatrix) and various bits in between. For me, one of the best parts of the movie was the score which I’m currently listening to on repeat. The music is haunting and builds the intensity slowly but keeps you almost vibrating with tension. It’s rare that I fall in love with a movie score so quickly but this one did have me from the opening scene with Snape.
All in all, I think it was definitely one of the best of the movie series and one that I might even watch again in the theater. If you’re a fan of the books and usually hate the changes made for the movies (like me) you might enjoy this one more than the others.
Have you seen it yet? What did you think? I’m totally waiting to hear your thoughts!
