Jess and I saw the final Harry Potter movie this weekend. As a person who has not read the books, and has only experienced Potter in the world of film, they have been pretty enjoyable movies. Since they broke the last book into two movies, this one takes place immediately after the previous film. The last movie as all about hiding in the woods. This movie is all about kicking ass. It was cool to see John Hurt and Gary Oldman again. If you have read any of my previous entries, you know my love of Gary Oldman. Alan Rickman does a great job. I really enjoy him as Snape.
The whole movie is everyone else fighting, while Harry and his buds run around destroying trinkets. The battles were pretty epic, and I assume that I was supposed to feel the weight of the consequences a little more. It never really felt like the "end game" that it was supposed to be. That doesn't mean that it wasn't fun. As always, Warner Bros. does a good job with the effects. I believe this is the Director's (David Yates) third or fourth time directing a HP movie, so he knows what he is doing. For the kids, most of them have primarily been doing this, and they have been for ten years, so they know what they are doing.
Only a few points. One, don't eat your candy during the quiet parts. I can hear you. Two, as a non HP book reader, some things were confusing. (SPOILERS! But can it really be spoilers about a movie based on a book that was one of the most widely read books in the world? Who knows.) Harry Potter dies? I think? But then he isn't dead? So if Harry is a part of Voldemort, and in order to kill Voldemort you need all of those horcrux (spelling?) destroyed, how can Harry Potter live and Voldemort die? Don't really explain that in the movie. Is it important? No. Was it confusing? Yes. The Slytherin house is a joke. All the bad kids go to the Slytherin house? Then they team up with Voldemort? Because the hat can read their minds or whatever? Way to just give up on those kids immediately. Does nature vs. nurture exist in Hogwarts? Guess not. And finally, in the epilogue, they didn't really try to make anyone look older. Mom jeans, a mustache, and patches on your suit jacket do not make you nineteen years older. We can make Ralph Finnes not have a nose for five movies, (and he as a HUGE one), we can put Jeff Bridges with a 20-30 year younger self (see Tron: Legacy), '80's Arnold without him ever setting foot on set (Terminator Salvation) and Gollum, but we cannot get a believable nineteen year older Potter. If you ran out of money, it is call make effects. Remember those? We used it for years to make actors look older or younger then what they really are. Think Winona Ryder in Edward Scissor hands at the beginning (she is going to be forty this year!?!?!)
Overall, enjoyable for even the non Harry Potter fan. 4 out of 5.
No comments:
Post a Comment