The Potter Finale - disapointed?

[gb2000ie]

I watched the last two Potter films tonight. I'd never actually seen part 1 before because I was ill when it came out, and I figured I'd save it till I could watch the two together.

To say I'm disappointed is to put it mildly.

You'd assume that having taken two whole films to finish the story they'd actually get to the heart of the story, but they don't.

The internal battle within Harry, Horcruxes or Hallows, nope.

Dumbledore's tragic life story, and how he was corrupted by power, ignored.

Harry's epiphany and transformation from lost kid to in command adult, doesn't happen.

Harry's final showdown with Voldie where he is in complete control, and starts dictating terms to Voldie on how he can save his soul - gone.

Voldie's death, inverted. He is supposed to AK himself out of existence, not get beaten by Harry's spell work!.

The core plot is lost, and the characters are poorly portrayed. It was a pair of films without substance. Nice effects, a dramatic battle, and good music, but no substance.

It's an exceptionally poor adaptation of the book. Having seen film 6 I should have guessed as much. If you can turn a book about Voldie and Snape and Draco into a rom com, why not turn the last book into Transformers with magic!

Maybe in 50 years someone will try this series of films again, and get it right.

B.

 

[name_1]

OH! i thought the movie followed a lot of the parts of the book, comparatively to the other previous movies... while it is not perfect but out of all the installments, I must say this is the better one!

 

[taurus2904]

I went to see "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" today. Opted for the 3D version since it was the last film and I had a gift card. I will say it was nice feeling I could reach out and touch the characters, particularly wet!Ron when the Trio emerged from the Black Lake or many of Harry's close-ups and those lovely lips. The 3D version was great for some of the effects, but having seen it like this I wouldn't necessarily plunk down my own money for another 3D any time soon. It was nice, but not enough to justify the extra cost per ticket.

I can sort of agree with you on several points, gb2000ie. I did want some more substance. I think studios underestimate some of the movie-going public that we can't sit still for more than 187 minutes or process complex information and deep plots. Sadly, that is true of much of the world now and those of us who can get short-changed. The last few films seem to take it for granted the audience will have already read the books and we can fill in the story on our own. "Here, have some effects and more of this side plot...don't want you to overdo it on the entree."

I think another of the problems with this movie series was the way the studio played musical directors' chairs. Each one had his own vision of the story and they often conflicted. I've long thought that was a disservice to the whole storytelling-made-visual for this set of books. I won't even go into the whole epilogue travesty. Blech. Even in book canon, it doesn't exist for me.

Warner Brothers and David Yates could have added 20 -- maybe 30 -- minutes and adequately covered the Dumbledore family story, Neville's being the other child of prophecy (and why it was so important that he perform his specific task in the show-down), and given more than a wink to Narcissa's and Draco's reluctance (and uncertainty). Perhaps the divisions among magical folk/creatures should have been illuminated a bit better in earlier films, too.

Yes, I was quite disappointed with the final show-down scene, much for the same reasons you gave. It just wasn't true to the story we'd read.

I was sorely left wanting in the Great Hall battle, as well. That came off as "Oh, and there's some fighting going on over there...and we're walking, we're walking...next we have....." Part of that is descriptive and narrative don't translate well to screen. Molly's weak delivery of my favorite line she's EVER said was -- ugh, how to explain that one! -- it was like standing at the altar and having your partner answer the do-you-take question with, "Yeah, sure, whatever," in a distracted, deadpan tone.

Overall, though, I liked it (Part 1 better than Part 2, actually) and I'm impressed with what they've done -- both as a movie and the advances these teams have made for the industry. The films have enhanced my experience of the story, and sometimes even clarified it. They are no comparison, however, for the books.

 

[thedivaprincess]

As someone who read and loved the HP books I have always, from the very first movie, had to view them as a stand-alone. I try not to think of them as movies based on the books, and just think of them as movies. Hard to do, yes, but has saved me a lot of disappointment too!

 

[muslceterranean]

Luckily I've never read the books and thus I was on the edge of my seat during this last film. I thought it was fantastic! I loved it and highly recommend it!

 

[gb2000ie]

Luckily I've never read the books and thus I was on the edge of my seat during this last film. I thought it was fantastic! I loved it and highly recommend it!

Then I can highly recommend the books/audiobooks, because the films are just a very superficial glance at the world and at the plot, and they miss so many of the wonderful themes that people fall in love with the books for.

B.

 

[Waltfore]

Luckily I've never read the books and thus I was on the edge of my seat during this last film. I thought it was fantastic! I loved it and highly recommend it!

I agree with this as well. Having never read the books I loved the movie and it's not unrealistic for the movie to have some differences than the book so things don't happen exactly the same way. Although looking at the Wiki provides a lot more insight into the series as a whole however. It has a list of the differences between the book and the movie. At the least it doesn't seem as bad as some of the other movies based on video games/books that just plain suck lol.

 

[gb2000ie]

I agree with this as well. Having never read the books I loved the movie and it's not unrealistic for the movie to have some differences than the book so things don't happen exactly the same way. Although looking at the Wiki provides a lot more insight into the series as a whole however. It has a list of the differences between the book and the movie. At the least it doesn't seem as bad as some of the other movies based on video games/books that just plain suck lol.

I've have NEVER complained about little things changing, in fact, I have praised movies for making the right little changes to make a successful adaptation. The third movie is the perfect example.

We are NOT talking about "small differences" we are talking about differences which alter the very spine of the story. Voldemort & Harry's showdown is not incidental, it is the culmination of the 7 books worth of leadup to that point. Utterly changing every important fact about it except for the fact that Voldie looses is nothing short of a travisty.

Frankly, having never read the books, you have no idea how badly JKR's story was butchered in the last three films, and film 4!

B.

 

[muslceterranean]

Then I can highly recommend the books/audiobooks, because the films are just a very superficial glance at the world and at the plot, and they miss so many of the wonderful themes that people fall in love with the books for.

B.

Maybe when I retire I will sit down and read all the books, but I really don't have time to do that these days. Thus the films satisfied my desire to see this story play out and I love that I'll be able to enjoy watching them for the rest of my life.

I agree with this as well. Having never read the books I loved the movie and it's not unrealistic for the movie to have some differences than the book so things don't happen exactly the same way. Although looking at the Wiki provides a lot more insight into the series as a whole however. It has a list of the differences between the book and the movie. At the least it doesn't seem as bad as some of the other movies based on video games/books that just plain suck lol.

I've have NEVER complained about little things changing, in fact, I have praised movies for making the right little changes to make a successful adaptation. The third movie is the perfect example.

We are NOT talking about "small differences" we are talking about differences which alter the very spine of the story. Voldemort & Harry's showdown is not incidental, it is the culmination of the 7 books worth of leadup to that point. Utterly changing every important fact about it except for the fact that Voldie looses is nothing short of a travisty.

Frankly, having never read the books, you have no idea how badly JKR's story was butchered in the last three films, and film 4!

B.

I buy that the story is likely not completely what was in the books, but I felt the build up to the final battle in the last few movies was adequate. I loved it all.

 

[gb2000ie]

I buy that the story is likely not completely what was in the books, but I felt the build up to the final battle in the last few movies was adequate. I loved it all.

It's not the buildup that's the problem, it's the battle, in fact, it's that it was changed to be a battle at all!

The final show-down in the books is nothing short of amazing, it's a battle of wits, and Harry is 100% in control, and he really gets to Voldemort. Voldie tries to break Harry down with really well chosen words, but Harry has become a real man, and he's better than Voldemort in every way. He has all the facts, he has all the courage, and Voldie is a pathetic figure desperately trying to hang on to power. Think Hitler in the last days of the reich.

The key think is that Harry breaks him down to the point that out of sheer desperation Voldemort tries to Avada Kedavera Harry, and, for the second time in his life, kills himself. Of course, this time he has no horcruxes, so dead really means dead!

There was no final battle with wands, it was with minds, and if you read the last chapter before the epilogue it's just amazing, and reads like a script. As you read it you can see the film in your head, and it's wonderful. It's not one of those things that works in a book but could never be done on film, all they had to do was transcribe the text into the script, and let the actors follow the directions in the book. It would have been AMAZING.

Throughout the series we are supposed to see Harry develop and grow, and the only two films to get that right were 3 and 5. Harry the victorious hero does not make an appearance in this last film, and Voldemort is supposed to kill himself, that's the point, evil is self destructive!

B.

 

[Jehovah Dog]

Have never watched a Harry Potter film,but the reviews for this one are very good,so may catch it on 'dvd'.

 

[gb2000ie]

Have never watched a Harry Potter film,but the reviews for this one are very good,so may catch it on 'dvd'.

This film will make ZERO sense on it's own! It's the second part of a two-part film at the end of the 7-part series!

B.

 

[Feeling2121]

I was happy with how it was, I know some friends weren't happy because some parts were missing out. But I still enjoyed it and someone who's seen all the movies I'm happy and sad to see them come to an end.

 

[illumulli]

Potter Nomore

I enjoyed the finale movie to the biggest saga in history. Selling 168 million on opening night, which I was at the midnight showing (crazy). It broke box office records with 486 million for the opening weekend, wow. That's crazy in this economy.

 

[hawtsean]

Love it, hate it, wish it were different...............J.K.Rawlins is a very rich lady based on all of her readers' and viewers' emotions.