Re: Harry Potter Discussion Topic
Saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 yesterday.
Book fan point of view: Is almost completely faithful to the book, in a way that is surprising. Though it's true, there are quite a few scenes that have been cut out, and as you may expect, the length of time they spend hiding/camping doesn't seem quite as long as it did in the book (thank god though). However most of the really important scenes are in the film, but this does not mean they are all well made. Well I wouldn't say any of them are done poorly, there are those that could have been done a bit better. The Voldemort scenes being among those. While they fitted the film quite well, they could have been longer, and besides their shortness, the sound editing made it almost impossible to understand what they were saying...you would really have to be listening closely otherwise you'd miss pieces. This is vastly different than in the book, where Harry got very clear images of Voldy. The actions scenes, while being pretty darn cool, were also quite short and could have built a bit more tension.
As for the pretty well-made scenes, the Malfoy Manor was pretty well done. Perhaps not perfect, but one of the best scenes of the film for sure. Dobby returning was epic, the tension between friends was shown rather well, Harry making Hermine feel better was epic, oh and the scene with that KINDA evil piece of Voldemort's soul (hehe) was even better than the book. In fact, the scene with Hedwig was even better than the book.
General Filmmaking point of view: It's a good movie, but flawed nevertheless. I think that even if you've seen all the movies (yet haven't read the books), it would get a little confusing. There's a lot of references it calls upon from previous movies, and they aren't just the big deal things, some of them are things the viewer may or may not remember. The storytelling, needless to say, is a little messy, not explaining everything it should explain, even if things from the book (like the Taboo) is in the film, they never explain them. The film's pacing does have issues, but this is mostly because it follows the book so darn closely. Oh and the editing is just a tad messy.
The effects are fantastic, and so are the scenery shots...like the sixth one, the cinematography is also brilliant. Oh, and like you may have heard, the story of the Deathly Hallows is done in one of the most interesting animations I have ever seen. Though I do have to say, it wasn't as fantastic as everyone made it out to be, but that could be because my expectations were too high for it.
Overall, the latest film of the series can get a bit confusing, even if you have read the books, and doesn't quite have the impact some might be hoping for. Being far from the BEST film in the series, it is certainly one of the best. The plot never gets boring, it keeps you interested, but it would be fair to say that's if you understand it. If you're not a Potter fan and haven't seen the other films yet, and are thinking about seeing this one, don't. You'll be completely lost, the complexity of the plot might even confuse the fans...though that's unlikely.
Well worth a viewing, and I'd give it a solid 7.5/10.

Into the darkness once more. I walk into the unknown. To a far better life than I've ever known.





