Archive for the ‘Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows’ Category

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part Two Review

Posted: July 17, 2011 in Alan Rickman, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Harry Potter, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Helena Bonham Carter, Movie Review, Ralph Fiennes, Rupert Grint, Warner Bros., Warner Brothers
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Release Date: July 15, 2011 (3D/2D theaters and IMAX 3D)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: David Yates
Screenwriter: Steve Kloves
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Jason Isaacs, Alan Rickman, David Thewlis, Julie Walters, Bonnie Wright, Kelly Macdonald
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for some sequences of intense action violence and frightening images)
Official Website: HarryPotter.com

It’s hard to put it into words without sounding like a Harry Potter fan who can’t accept a film that doesn’t stick to its source material 100%, but I can’t help it…I was terrified for the Deathly Hallows!  Of course many of my fellow book readers can probably share the sentiment with me right?  Part one of the Deathly Hallows did in fact leave much to be revealed, and part two is shorter than part one!

Four hours prior to my trek to the movie theater, I popped part one into my DVD player and threw a few questions at myself as well as my wife, essentially coming to the conclusion that there was NOW WAY they are going to fit in everything necessary for this final film to come to a successful conclusion.

Evil thoughts of film failure jolted my brain, thoughts like “There’s too many Horcruxes to destroy” & “how cut down will the conversation between Harry and Dumbledore be?”  Those moments leading up to the actual start of the film were filled with fear and angst for me.  How in the world could this film work with so much left to reveal?

However, in a classic finish to a storybook’s ending, The Deathly Hallows part two turns out to be one of best in the HP franchise.  My fears and struggles had subsided almost from the start as an effortless flow of storyline came through in true J.K. Rowling style.  The film achieved some amazing feats with its overall look, the editing flow, musical score and acting quality.  But while the movie does a fantastic job at keeping all of the important scenes from the book in the film, there is still a sense of loss and uncertainty throughout the entire film.

Every single Harry Potter novel is filled with incredible moments.  These moments are what make the books so interesting and is the reason they are so popular to this day.  And just like the boy who lived himself, the films have been up and down in how well they bring these moments to life.  But this is all due to the fact that, just like any film adapted from a novel, time constraints prevent the film makers from truly giving the audience the author intended.

Part two, essentially only deals with the last third of the book, skipping over what really weighed part one down with all of the teenaged drama and emo moments of confusion and disloyalty.  The film starts off with images from the last from the last movie, with Voldemort driving the Elder wand into the air as the blinding beam of magic shoots up with all the force a Slytherin can muster creating the WB logo in the stormy sky.  This, in turn begins the focus on the action and confrontation of the book’s climax.

The film does a fine job at expanding on the excerpts from the book and turning them into wonderful visual splendors to behold; the chaotic and dangerous trip to Gringott’s, the fantastic protective spell that hovers over Hogwart’s, the great and epic battle sequence that destroyed Hogwart’s, and of course the last moment Snape and Harry have before he discovers the professors overall purpose in the story which changes the shape of thing to come.  Of course, as great as these moments are, the film will never be able to truly bring out their full effect that the book was able to do.  But this is, of course, a testament to Director David Yeats directing abilities and making the Harry Potter fans weep, as found in this video review of the film…

On the other side of the coin, the money and time that went into making everything as perfect as possible cannot go unrecognized as Stuart Craig’s production designs were fully realized in every aspect of the word.  The Room of Requirement had more furniture in it than the American Furniture Warehouse, and Gringott’s vault contained over 200,000 coins and other golden and silver treasures that would make Scrooge McDuck salivate all over his fine Victorian clothing.  One should ask the question, is there anything we wouldn’t do for Mr. Potter?

Apparently not as the casting in this film was, of course, nothing BUT stellar.  The amazing part of this entire franchise is the film’s three stars, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, have been with us since The Sorcerer’s Stone.  They were great then and have only grown in their acting abilities.  But the question remains, will their magical stardom haunt them for the rest of their lives?  Will they be able to transcend the effects of being the Hogwart’s trifecta?

One of the most interesting aspects of the Harry Potter Franchise is how well it ran with a conservative approach, with only The Half Blood Prince being daring enough to transcend that trend.  Rarely have the Potter films truly defied anything that Hollywood typically has to offer.  Yet the films have been a success with each and every installment, begging myself to ask the question… “If Rowling had never written the books, and the films still came out like they are, would they have been as successful?”

I tend to answer in the affirmative.  It’s one of the most epic stories I have ever read, and while the films stick to a conservative approach, still come off in fine fashion.  But it has more to do with the excellent acting performed by each and every member of the cast.  And as always, Alan Rickman, (the beloved Snape) always leaves the lasting, and most memorable impression.

But the fact is the books do exist.  And it is in the words of Albus Dumbledore which inspire the most out of this story, “words are our most inexhaustible source of magic.”  J.K. Rowling might more of a witch than we realize.  Her profound and enjoyable way of telling a written story has more magic than anything J.R.R. Tolkien was able to conjure up…and that’s saying A LOT!  It is Rowling we have to thank for bringing us one of the most epic and memorable stories the world has ever seen.  Thank you Rowling, you are an inspiration.

And, for your entertainment, please enjoy, directly from the Fine Bros., seven Harry potter movies recapped in seven minutes…

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part One Review

Posted: November 21, 2010 in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Movie Review
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Harry-Potter-and-the-Deathly-Hallows-Movie-PosterRelease Date: November 19, 2010 (conventional theaters and IMAX) 
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: David Yates
Screenwriter: Steve Kloves
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Bill Nighy, John Hurt, Rhys Ifans, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Imelda Staunton, Jason Isaacs, Miranda Richardson, Warwick Davis, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Brendan Gleeson, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis, Julie Walters, Tom Felton, Bonnie Wright, Jamie Campbell Bower, Richard Griffiths, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Fiona Shaw, Helen McCrory, David O’Hara, Natalia Tena
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for some sequences of intense action violence and frightening images)
Official Website: HarryPotter.com
 
This is the penultimate, cinematic excursion for all Harry Potter fans as it begins the terrifying mission of Harry, Hermione, and Ron to destroy the secret of Voldemort’s immortality: The dreaded horcruxes.  But what are the objects and how do they find them?  The clues are not easy to find and the young magical trifecta must go on this search without an ounce of help from their wizarding mentors.
While the three continue on this search, the wizarding world has become an exceptionally dangerous place to live as Voldemort and his Death Eaters have taken over the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts.  Bringing torment and death to all muggle-borns and “traitors” to the magical world, Voldemort still seeks he’s ultimate prize; the boy who lived, Harry Potter.  And with the discovery of a very powerful piece of magic called the Deathly Hallows, Harry and his friends must hurry to find all three pieces of this magic before Voldemort does or this could be the end of Mr. Potter and the wizarding world as we know it.
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I wonder how many young readers who bought The Sorcerer’s Stone over 10 years ago are calling back on their childhood memories while waiting in the massively long lines at their local movie theater with great anticipation and nostalgic reminiscing?  In the literary landscape of great novels, the Harry Potter Series has been one of the most successful franchises in not only compelling young men and women to read, but adults too.  What I’m sure seems like a lifetime away for the young readers, and probably only yesterday for their parents, the memories of those first books have come back for fans everywhere.  And as I waited (first in line I might add) to enter the theater, I could hear both young and old fans talking about their experiences reading the books and how it changed their viewpoints about what children’s literature is.
So here we are, the premier is over and thousands of nostalgic viewers have walked out of the theater, and likely to bring in many other like-minded people.  And with David Yates, who directed both this and the previous film, taking charge of the this final, two-part installment of the Harry Potter film franchise, they are likely to be satisfied, but with a bitter taste in their mouths.
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This is the filmatic chapter (yes, I made up a word.  My blog, my rules…deal with it!)embraces the independence that is forcibly pushed onto Harry, Ron and Hermione as they venture on alone with no supervision or mutual friends to help them.  Even with the consistent humor floating all throughout this film, the dark and scary tone of the story, with the added flavor of isolation thrown into the mix takes central focus, leaving you with very little hope that the three of them will succeed.  However, David Yates, intelligently using the characterizations created by J.K. Rowling of Harry, Ron and Hermione, give us a ray of hope that the ability to rely on one another will pay off in the end.  But make no doubt, these three are truly on their own.
And let’s face it, the loneliness extends further than the pact these three have created as friends; individual loneliness exists as well.  Ron, while obviously the moodiest one of the three, feels very neglected in his often bumbling ways and begins to take it out on his friends.  Likewise, Hermione finds herself in a somber state when she truly has no one to fall back on, especially after obliviated her parents’ memories as a means of keeping them safe from the muggle-born hunters.  But or course there is Harry, whose sense of alienation is the most predominant.  Not only does he hate risking the lives of those he loves, constantly dealing with his friends complete misunderstanding of his condition, and having never met his parents, he must also live with a consistent, yet random barrage of images burrowing into his brain of Voldemort torturing and killing people with whom he has, or did have, a deep connection with.  The last connection to the magical world is the one he wants nothing to do with.
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I think most people would agree that this is not your typical children’s film.  Unlike the first four films, which maintained a very hollywoodish feel of happy endings and gumdrop smiles, this film is quite slow and depressing.  At the very least, five major players in the story either die or are tortured, with no censorship on the creepy and sinister feel which comes along with it.  The idea that Children’s literature should be uplifting and happy is debunked with this 7th film as the ending shows the bad guys winning and the good guys loosing.  Parents who wish to alienate their children from all things unhappy and sad should be wary of the Deathly Hallows.  It’s not going to make you smile, nor will it uphold anything that you’ve probably been trying to teach your kids.  (good triumphs over evil, witchcraft is a bad thing, etc.  You get the idea.)  However, if you want your kids to be damn sure that being on their own will be tough and exceptionally scary and that they should rely on you and never leave home again, please, pay the ticket price and show them the light.  But do keep in mind that this is the first part, and the second will come in July.  And most likely your fears will be relinquished with the story’s resolution.
Speaking of scary, if you’re easily startled by dark and horrific films, then pack an extra skin suit because your skeleton might just jump away from you during a few scenes.  One in particular, Nagini vs. Harry Potter.  The fight was scary enough, but tension was built up to an all time high as the terrifying Bagshot disguised snake made me want to shut my eyes and hold my wife until it was over!
Very disappointing is the lack of familiar faces such as Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Tom Felton and Michael Gambon, but clearly the film’s ownership was with the story’s protagonists.  David Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint have shown their acting maturity in their masterful performances in this 7th film.  Even at such a young age, they have proven themselves to be masters at their craft.
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The film has the overbearing task of explaining everything in preparation for the second half of the story without making itself 10 hours long.  Many worries were a float amongst fans as to how exactly Yates and company were going to accomplish this.  While there’s still a lot of craziness thrown at us with all the Horcrux and Voldemort jargon, Yates still finds an opportunity to give us a vividly imaginative animated scene explaining the back story behind the Deathly Hallows.  In and of itself, it’s an amazing experience and didn’t have a disconnected feel from the story itself.  Likewise, the entire film, while being a slower paced film as a way of delving into the whiney and moping emotions of the characters, presents many exciting and fun scenes that keep the film moving and enjoyable to watch.  The action is incredible and never wavers, but isn’t overwhelming.
In comparison with the book, I honestly didn’t feel as though I was missing something.  Sure, we don’t get the touching moment of “fond farewell” with the Dursleys, and none of the extensive conversations between numerous characters are given full attention, but everything important was hit upon without sacrificing the story’s meaning or forgetting the characters personalities.  I will always consider the book immensely better, but the film’s quality should never be in question.
I enjoyed this film very much and consider it to be the best of the Harry Potter cinematic franchise.  Does it match up with the book?  Of course not.  But in and of itself, it is an incredibly executed film that doesn’t revert to Hollywood stupidity of dumbing down the story purely to satisfy the needs of those who haven’t read the books.  I suspect that the majority of film goers who embark on this Potter journey will leave happy and anxious for the final part.
Rating: 10 out of 10 stars