Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2: Discussion

[MrSleepyHead]

Originally Posted by thesilentcat

I don't feel like they gave the King's Cross scene enough...even my boyfriend, who hasn't read the books, when asked what questions he still had about the movie, said he had no clue what dumbledore was talking about. that might just be him though...but I feel like they didn't do that scene justice.

For me, no conversation between Harry and Dumbledore has been adequate in the films since CoS. Dumbledore's explanations (of Priori Incantatem, the prophecy, Horcruxes, and King's Cross) have all been cursory, at best. They are much too cryptic to glean any understanding from, and I think that it is because of the books that we can comprehend some of what he says. I cannot imagine how non-book readers would find the King's Cross explanation. In many ways, I do think it is better than Dumbledore's past explanations, but I still find it too gruff, too rushed, and too succinct. It gives the appearance of attempting to save time and prevent an information overload, but I think the film over-compensates and makes the dialogue simply confusing.

Originally Posted by thesilentcat

oh and we supposed to assume Harry just continues to use draco's wand in the movie?

Evidently. Harry did not seem incredibly perturbed by the loss of his holly wand. Although the film attempted to illustrate some wandlore, it failed to show any connection between Harry and his wand and, especially, Harry's reliance on the twin cores. There was no explanation of Harry's wand shattering Lucius's in Part 1, and Harry did not use the Elder Wand to repair the holly wand. We never even see the wand again after Hermione shows him the fragments after Godric's Hollow.

Did anyone else find it odd how the film dwelled on Draco discussing his mother's wand? It is a minor irritation, but I found it quite unnecessary for Draco to mention that Narcissa's wand was powerful, but it did not feel right. I know they were simply trying to emphasize the importance of wands and wandlore, but we just did not learn enough from Ollivander to truly be affected by the personalities of wands. Unless it was a subtle hint that Narcissa's wand would not feel comfortable because Draco was the true master of the Elder Wand? If that is the case, it was a very cryptic hint indeed!

[DA93]

Did they even mention how Harry got the mirror shard or do they expect us to know it by now ?

I saw the movie for the second time today and i payed extra attention to this part, but it was never mentioned how Harry got the shard, only that Aberforth got the mirror from Mundungus.

It would have benn much better if Harry found the mirror shard while they where at Grimmauld Place in DH1 ..

[kaleidoscope123]

Saw it last night at midnight. I didn't know it was possible to be so happy and so sad at the same time.

I kept myself together until the credits, I totally lost it when I realized that instead of some new epic sounding action music, they had dusted off some of the old scores from the first two movies. I loved that they did that, especially in the epilogue. over the years the movies have evolved so much that it's easy to forget that it's all in the same series, and they way they brought everything full circle at platform 9 3/4, where it began, was just too much for me. I was bawling. It was so beautiful.

And as we were leaving (our showing must have gotten out a minute or two before the rest), I saw a man holding a big, for lack of a better word, a t-shaped stick above his head, with a banner on it that looked like it said harry potter, leading a HUGE group of people dressed in wizard robes out of the theater. Everyone was crying and laughing, and it looked like a parade. it was so cool.

I'm going to go see it again in about two hours

[phoenix88]

Originally Posted by MrNorris

One of my favourite scenes (and one I didn't even know was in) was Voldemort in Malfoy Manor having killed so many. All that blood on his feet, and the Malfoy's in the corner, was stunningly chilling

That was a surprise. I don't remember that being in the book. I agree, it was very chilling.

[ilovedeanthomas]

Did anyone else notice that Snape's death was a little odd? When Harry found him, he seemed almost sympathetic...like he was trying to stem the flow of blood, but at this point he's still supposed to think Snape murdered Dumbledore and is evil...idk, I just don't think they really translated it well into the movie. Like somehow, Harry already knew he was good... But in the grand scheme of things, it didn't really matter. Just something I noticed. I'll post more of my thoughts later, but just this for now

[kaleidoscope123]

Originally Posted by phoenix88

That was a surprise. I don't remember that being in the book. I agree, it was very chilling.

Agreed. Some of the things they added were so creepy and amazing that I didn't care they weren't true to the book.

Did anyone else notice little nods to the past films? Like the cornish pixies in RoR, from CoS? or in the epilogue (at least I think that's where it was), there was a flying paper bird, from the scene in OotP in Umbridge's first class?

I'll have to keep my eye out for more.

[antuonchris]

Unfortunately, no book adapted film can be absolutely perfect to each detail. But I have to say, that this film was the best as far as keeping to the story compared to any other film. They improved on a lot of things, and the details that were omitted didn't seem to sting like other movies in the series. I don't know why, but this one just seems perfect to me.

[MrSleepyHead]

Originally Posted by MrNorris

One of my favourite scenes (and one I didn't even know was in) was Voldemort in Malfoy Manor having killed so many. All that blood on his feet, and the Malfoy's in the corner, was stunningly chilling

I agree. That was a very intense scene, seeing Voldemort walking amongst the dead. I even enjoyed the Parseltongue translation because it allowed us to understand what Voldemort was thinking. I do not think Voldemort's fear of his Horcruxes could have been introduced in a better way than him talking to Nagini. Seeing Griphook's body (and the subsequent dissolution of the sword) was also very dramatic. They emphasized Griphook's greed and ruthlessness from the book, and it seemed fitting that he was among the slaughtered.

I think Voldemort's walk through the dead compensated for the confusing preceding sequence of watching him discover the theft of Hufflepuff's cup. I think non-book readers would be quite confused as to what Voldemort is doing in that montage, and not until Harry's explanation do we truly realize what happened. It was cinematic and nicely illustrated, but sufficiently unclear.

Originally Posted by xhanax315

There were a few things which bothered me a bit, the main one being the fact that Harry just simply destroyed the Elder wand and flung it away.

I think I was disappointed by this mostly because I do not think it was adequate resolution to the Elder Wand/Deathly Hallows subplot. Especially when Harry did not use it to repair his own wand first.

Originally Posted by xhanax315

I wish there had been more on A eerforth and Dumbledore's backstory with Ariana, we get this sense like she's just a girl in the painting.

I definitely agree with this. I thought there were definitely moments that the film could have delved into Harry's doubt of Dumbledore, the revelation about Dumbledore and Grindelwald (which had absolutely no reaction from anyone, by the way, as if a friendship between the two was known all along!), and all of Dumbledore's secrets and lies. The time the trio was in the Hog's Head was perfect for a sufficient explanation by Aberforth, as it would have offered an excellent pause between the chaos of the preceding and succeeding scenes. Instead, Ariana is simply thrown into the film without introduction or explanation, and while I am happy that the filmmakers did include her rather than completely omit her, I wish we could have learned of her story and Dumbledore's own humanity in King's Cross. I think they could have tied it in nicely with Dumbledore's reaction in the cave in HBP.

Originally Posted by xhanx315

Onto the Snape scenes, I cried at every single one. I cried at the very beginning when we first see him. His death scene was almost as good as the book's. Alan Rickman really did a fantastic job. I thought him crying over Lily's body was a bit overdramatic, but it was well played.

I agree almost completely. I have never been too emotional during the Prince's Tale in the book, and I have never expressed much sympathy for Snape. However, the inclusion of Snape in Godric's Hollow after Lily's death was truly moving, and it took a great deal of control for me not to completely break down!

Originally Posted by xhanax315

I didn't think really showed much emotion and I'd have liked to see him screaming for Harry when he shouldve disappeared under the cloak...

Are you referring to Hagrid not showing much emotion? If so, I completely agree, and this is my only major qualm with how Hagrid's character has been illustrated throughout the series.

Originally Posted by xhanax315

And was I the only one sobbing while Voldemort died? I even cried at that part in the book, without him there wouldn't have been a story.

I cannot speak for anyone else, but my grief was certainly not triggered upon Voldemort's death. I was tense, excited, and relieved, but I felt no sadness. I think I may have felt a twinge of sorrow, though, if we saw Voldemort's dead body, rather than Voldemort shrapnel.

Originally Posted by xhanax315

Was I the only one who left the theater sobbing?

I think I was more or less in a state of shock. I had time to regain my composure after the Prince's Tale and the Forest Again, otherwise I would have been a mess! As it was, I simply stared at the credits, listening to the score, as the janitors cleaned the theatre around me. I could not feel, I could not think. I was just stunned by the end of the film series, the end of a momentous chapter in the Harry Potter world.

Originally Posted by DA93

Did they even mention how Harry got the mirror shard or do they expect us to know it by now ?

I think that they simply expected us to connect the dots after Harry reveals that Aberforth's mirror belonged to Sirius. Although we never see Sirius give Harry the mirror in the films, we can extrapolate that that is what happened.

[RavenclawCO99]

Originally Posted by lvngbooks

I am wondering: what do you guys think of the fact that the moviemakers made Neville fall in love with Luna? ("Where's Luna?! She rocks my world and I need to tell her!")

You know, I always sort of had the feeling that Neville and Luna could have been an item. There was a lot of understanding between them. And don't forget that when Harry first returns to Hogwarts in the DH (book), Neville contacts Luna via the Dumbledore's Army enchanted coins.

[magorical]

Best movie Ever!!

[Erisa]

I enjoyed the film but I have to see it a second time to know how I really feel about it. I didn’t want to see the film in 3D on my first viewing but it was the only option at the cinema we went to and, surprisingly, I was really pleased with it. They did a great job.

I saw it with two friends who have only seen the films and they loved DH2 and were genuinely pretty enthusiastic about it after we left the cinema. They followed the story well and they liked the epilogue because they thought it was a nice conclusion to the story.

I was surprised to hear a lot of Hedwig’s Theme throughout the film. I hope Alexandre Desplat doesn’t get disqualified for a possible oscar nomination because he composed a lot of other brilliant pieces.

I really liked the scene after the RoR is destroyed and Ron encourages Harry to see inside Voldemort’s mind. That was a nice trio moment.

I loved the shot at the end of Filch beginning to clean up the school.

When Harry came out of the pensieve and sat down on the steps I really thought they were going to show Dumbledore’s portrait. That would have been a great shot.

I really didn’t like that Hermione and Ron let Harry go. It was completely unnecessary. Snape’s memories explained very well why Harry had to die and I don’t know why they felt they needed that scene. At least, Hermione and Ron should have tried to stop him. If Hermione really suspected Harry was a horcrux she would have shared it with Harry and Ron and she wouldn’t say that he should try to stop Voldemort from entering his mind. It doesn’t make sense. And if there was ever an appropriate moment for a trio hug, that was it.

Originally Posted by ilovedeanthomas

Did anyone else notice that Snape's death was a little odd? When Harry found him, he seemed almost sympathetic...like he was trying to stem the flow of blood, but at this point he's still supposed to think Snape murdered Dumbledore and is evil...idk, I just don't think they really translated it well into the movie. Like somehow, Harry already knew he was good... But in the grand scheme of things, it didn't really matter. Just something I noticed. I'll post more of my thoughts later, but just this for now

Well, Harry is a good person so I can understand that even though he still hates Snape at that moment, he can't help but feel sympathetic for a man who is dying.

[Potter_fan]

Question: Breaking into Gringotts, Was that Emma or Helena? I couldn't quite tell...sometimes it looked like Helena but then others I thought it was Emma

[iluvsnape17]

Just got back from the cinema. I thought it was beautiful. The kiss was perfect I thought, especially the giggle at the end!

[Erisa]

Originally Posted by Potter_fan

Question: Breaking into Gringotts, Was that Emma or Helena? I couldn't quite tell...sometimes it looked like Helena but then others I thought it was Emma

That was Helena with Emma's voice. But HBC was so good you could almost think it was Emma under heavy Helena make-up.

[AnotherD]

Well, Harry is a good person so I can understand that even though he still hates Snape at that moment, he can't help but feel sympathetic for a man who is dying.

Also, given the manner of Snape's death, I'm guessing that added to Harry's sympathy for Snape.

[RavenClawTechie]

I'm glad we have the discussion boards for this. Because the one thing that i was kinda outraged about was the forest creatures not fighting for Hogwarts, the giants were on our side. also you didn't watch Fred dieing and the others die like you got to read it. over all it was a good movie and better than most of them. They did good with the opening scene being dobbys grave, as soon as it started I cried. The reactions in the theater when emma and rupert kissed was awesome. same thing with "dont touch my daughter you *****". everyone went crazy.

[ilovedeanthomas]

Thanks for the answers...makes more sense about Harry/Snape now.

Anyone have any suggestions for what to look for the 2nd time around? I saw it at midnight and am seeing it again tomorrow morning...I am ashamed to say I missed the Snape/Carrows moment! So I will have to look for that...and also I couldn't understand Neville when he said whatever he did about Luna, so I'll be listening for that as well. Any other "little" moments to watch for, or scenes people are going to be paying more attention to the 2nd/3rd time around?

[RavenclawCO99]

First, let me just say that I'm always happy for a new Harry Potter film. Always.

That said: Once again, details. (In no particular order,) Hermione applies Essence of Dittany to the trio's hands after they emerge from the lake after jumping off the dragon's back. However, while they were in the Lestranges' vault, nobody mentions that the replicating treasure also burns you. It would have taken one extra sentence on somebody's part to make that action of Hermione's make sense. If they didn't want to add this one sentence, why include the bit about the dittany?
Ollivander doesn't know about the Deathly Hallows in the book, but he does in the movie?
Neville does kill Nagini, but only because he happens to be in the right place at the right time to save Ron and Hermione, instead of the magnificent defiance he shows in the book. Yeah, he has a little defiant speech in the movie, but it falls flat next to chopping Nagini's head off right in front of Voldemort like he does in the book.
Harry doesn't use the Elder wand to repair his own, and he doesn't put it back in Dumbledore's tomb...
The Resurrection Stone is a faceted gem in the movies, something that somebody might notice and pick up if found, instead of a nondescript pebble.
The scene where Snape is killed - by Voldemort directly, not Nagini - happens in the boathouse and not the Shrieking Shack. (I'm fairly certain the filmmakers did this because of the line Neville delivers that all the secret passages had been sealed up, but this is also a deviation from the books that need not have happened. How hard is it to say that dementors/Death Eaters had been stationed at the secret passages? Then, with a battle going, one could infer that the lookouts are fighting and thus the passage to the Shrieking Shack is open for travel.)

There are other things to nitpick over, but I'll stop there.

[Snape_Redemptor]

Originally Posted by antuonchris

Ugh. So many tears. I couldn't breathe during the scene in The Prince's Tale as Snape held Lilly. It was the most devastating and most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed in a film.

I agree. The storyline I was most concerned about was TPT, and they did a great job with it, giving it the necessary length of screen time. I don't remember if Snape holds Lily in the book, but it was such an appropriate addition to the movie if not. It just tore my heart apart. Bravo!

[Erisa]

Originally Posted by ilovedeanthomas

Any other "little" moments to watch for, or scenes people are going to be paying more attention to the 2nd/3rd time around?

There are so many little moments I'm sure I've missed that it's hard to pick just one but I would pay more attention to what exactly Dumbledore says in the King's Cross scene because I was a bit too emotional after the Forrest scene.

Originally Posted by RavenClawTechie

I'm glad we have the discussion boards for this. Because the one thing that i was kinda outraged about was the forest creatures not fighting for Hogwarts, the giants were on our side.

I would have loved to see the centaurs and the elves joining the battle but the giants and the spiders were on Voldemort's side in the book. Except for Grawp, of course.