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selenakIn whichthere is a lot of the British countryside, much atmosphere, some neat additional (to the book) character moments and a continuing tendency on the part of the scriptwriter which won't surprise anyone who saw the previous films.
First of all, I must repeat I always regard book!Voldemort as one of the weak points of the saga, because he's such a standard Evil Overlord; only some scenes with young Tom Riddle in book 2 and the scene where he casually offs Cedric by saying "kill the spare" in book 4 (which illustrated Voldemort's entire disregard for life more than rants about Harry did) were genuinenly chilling to me. Otoh, Ralph Fiennes is chilling pretty much every time he shows up, and I have to complement David Yates, too, for the way he handled the opening scene with Snape arriving at the Death Eater conference. The way the tortured Charity is hanging in the air made the sadism and again, the utter disregard (everyone but the newly arrived Snape had long stopped noticing her) painfully real. Complete with real life historical associations. (Also I wonder how they got a PG 13 age rating with that scene alone. Alan Rickman, whose only scene in this film it is, too, is perfect in conveying Snape's reaction. Compliments to young Tom Felton as well who does a great job with Draco - who doesn't have any lines - sitting utterly miserable and afraid at that table; ditto Jason Isaacs and Helen McCrory. If you pay attention to the Malfoys' body language, the events near the end of Part II won't come as a surprse.
Since I'm going to critisize Steven Kloves a bit for the (continuing) way he handles Ron, I again have also to credit him for the inspired idea of showing us (instead of just letting Hermione mention it as in the book) Hermione obliviate her parents. Her picture fading from the family photos was a great visualisation, too, and Emma Watson, who in previous films I thought was okay but no more than that as an actress, rocks the hell out of that scene; you can feel Hermione's pain and determination both. And again, the follow-up conversation between Harry and Hermione in the Forest of Dean much later in the film is great. The Harry-Hermione friendship in general just shines. (The dance scene really works, too; you can see it as Harry simply wanting (and succeeding) to cheer Hermione up, and you can see it as a could-have-been if you're shipwise inclined.) Now, it's no secret that Kloves as opposed to Rowling 'ships them, and that would be fine by me were it not for the fact that poor Ron in this film - as in all except for Order of the Phoenix, where Kloves didn't write the script - gets the short end of the stick. The turning point for Hermione re: Ron is when he speaks up for House Elves and really gets why there is something rotten in the Wizard World (unconnected to Voldemort) about their previous status, but since all the films reduced the House Elves subplot (and its importance to Hermione) to a few comic scenes in "Chamber of Secrets", this scene doesn't exist here. Which leaves the script with the trouble of showing why Hermione loves Ron (beyond just liking him as a friend), and well, it doesn't. Plus the script plays Ron as comic relief in the scene where the trio is undercover at the ministry, whereas the book shows that he's very concerned about the fate of the wife of the man whose identity he has assumed and tries his best to save her in a straight, not comedy way. The only Ron scene that felt like book!Ron was his first conversation with Harry where he tells Harry that the fight against Voldemort isn't about him (Harry) but all of them.
Regarding the elves, Dobby got his big death scene as in the book and it was very touching (also Dobby's earlier stand against Bellatrix did bring up the House Elves issue, thankfully), but Kreacher's tale about Regulus and himself, one of the most affecting parts of the novel to me (also the point where Harry changes his mind about Kreacher and realises that Dumbledore and Hermione were right re: Sirius and his treatment of Kreacher) alas is gone and reduced to minimum exposition as to where the amulet is. However, in fairness given this is already a two part movie they still had to cut something, and good old Regulus, like Remus' dad shock and attempt to run away with the kids, were selected. Also there was plenty of set-up for the big Dumbledore backstory (Rita's biography, Elphabias bring up Aberforth, Auntie Muriel at the wedding, the photos of a young (and hot!) Grindlewald and the casual mention of Dumbledore's father killing four Muggles) so I'm confident we'll get that in the second part and understand why they didn't put the flashbacks in this one - the pay-off for the Dumbledore revelations will be more immediate. The visualisation of the tale of the three brothers was a fantastic touch (and reminded me of a film classic, Fritz Lang's Die Nibelungen, which in the middle of being a silent movie suddenly includes an animated cartoon sequence when Krimhild narrates her dream).
Other moments that stick to mind: the Harry/Draco shippers should have a field day with the scene of Draco not identifying Harry because the way the boys play it of course Draco recognizes him at once, and there is much silent intent staring. Speaking of enemy pairings, Bellatrix came across as disturbingly sexual with Hermione, especially since her method of torturing her included lying right on top of her. The sequence with the silver doe was beautiful, and makes me confident of how script and director will handle the revelation as to whose patronus it is. Lastly: given that the trio spends the majority of part I on the run through the countryside, David Yates went for broke with all the desolate-yet-beautiful landscapes he lets them end up with. Good for him.
Oh, and: bet Dan Radcliffe had fun with the multiple Harrys sequence at the start!
First of all, I must repeat I always regard book!Voldemort as one of the weak points of the saga, because he's such a standard Evil Overlord; only some scenes with young Tom Riddle in book 2 and the scene where he casually offs Cedric by saying "kill the spare" in book 4 (which illustrated Voldemort's entire disregard for life more than rants about Harry did) were genuinenly chilling to me. Otoh, Ralph Fiennes is chilling pretty much every time he shows up, and I have to complement David Yates, too, for the way he handled the opening scene with Snape arriving at the Death Eater conference. The way the tortured Charity is hanging in the air made the sadism and again, the utter disregard (everyone but the newly arrived Snape had long stopped noticing her) painfully real. Complete with real life historical associations. (Also I wonder how they got a PG 13 age rating with that scene alone. Alan Rickman, whose only scene in this film it is, too, is perfect in conveying Snape's reaction. Compliments to young Tom Felton as well who does a great job with Draco - who doesn't have any lines - sitting utterly miserable and afraid at that table; ditto Jason Isaacs and Helen McCrory. If you pay attention to the Malfoys' body language, the events near the end of Part II won't come as a surprse.
Since I'm going to critisize Steven Kloves a bit for the (continuing) way he handles Ron, I again have also to credit him for the inspired idea of showing us (instead of just letting Hermione mention it as in the book) Hermione obliviate her parents. Her picture fading from the family photos was a great visualisation, too, and Emma Watson, who in previous films I thought was okay but no more than that as an actress, rocks the hell out of that scene; you can feel Hermione's pain and determination both. And again, the follow-up conversation between Harry and Hermione in the Forest of Dean much later in the film is great. The Harry-Hermione friendship in general just shines. (The dance scene really works, too; you can see it as Harry simply wanting (and succeeding) to cheer Hermione up, and you can see it as a could-have-been if you're shipwise inclined.) Now, it's no secret that Kloves as opposed to Rowling 'ships them, and that would be fine by me were it not for the fact that poor Ron in this film - as in all except for Order of the Phoenix, where Kloves didn't write the script - gets the short end of the stick. The turning point for Hermione re: Ron is when he speaks up for House Elves and really gets why there is something rotten in the Wizard World (unconnected to Voldemort) about their previous status, but since all the films reduced the House Elves subplot (and its importance to Hermione) to a few comic scenes in "Chamber of Secrets", this scene doesn't exist here. Which leaves the script with the trouble of showing why Hermione loves Ron (beyond just liking him as a friend), and well, it doesn't. Plus the script plays Ron as comic relief in the scene where the trio is undercover at the ministry, whereas the book shows that he's very concerned about the fate of the wife of the man whose identity he has assumed and tries his best to save her in a straight, not comedy way. The only Ron scene that felt like book!Ron was his first conversation with Harry where he tells Harry that the fight against Voldemort isn't about him (Harry) but all of them.
Regarding the elves, Dobby got his big death scene as in the book and it was very touching (also Dobby's earlier stand against Bellatrix did bring up the House Elves issue, thankfully), but Kreacher's tale about Regulus and himself, one of the most affecting parts of the novel to me (also the point where Harry changes his mind about Kreacher and realises that Dumbledore and Hermione were right re: Sirius and his treatment of Kreacher) alas is gone and reduced to minimum exposition as to where the amulet is. However, in fairness given this is already a two part movie they still had to cut something, and good old Regulus, like Remus' dad shock and attempt to run away with the kids, were selected. Also there was plenty of set-up for the big Dumbledore backstory (Rita's biography, Elphabias bring up Aberforth, Auntie Muriel at the wedding, the photos of a young (and hot!) Grindlewald and the casual mention of Dumbledore's father killing four Muggles) so I'm confident we'll get that in the second part and understand why they didn't put the flashbacks in this one - the pay-off for the Dumbledore revelations will be more immediate. The visualisation of the tale of the three brothers was a fantastic touch (and reminded me of a film classic, Fritz Lang's Die Nibelungen, which in the middle of being a silent movie suddenly includes an animated cartoon sequence when Krimhild narrates her dream).
Other moments that stick to mind: the Harry/Draco shippers should have a field day with the scene of Draco not identifying Harry because the way the boys play it of course Draco recognizes him at once, and there is much silent intent staring. Speaking of enemy pairings, Bellatrix came across as disturbingly sexual with Hermione, especially since her method of torturing her included lying right on top of her. The sequence with the silver doe was beautiful, and makes me confident of how script and director will handle the revelation as to whose patronus it is. Lastly: given that the trio spends the majority of part I on the run through the countryside, David Yates went for broke with all the desolate-yet-beautiful landscapes he lets them end up with. Good for him.
Oh, and: bet Dan Radcliffe had fun with the multiple Harrys sequence at the start!
no subject
Date: 2010-11-23 12:17 am (UTC)Having seen the torture of Charity at the beginning, I started off with a sinking feeling that it was going to be one those films where explicit violence was ok, but sex of course wouldn't feature (which is my most recent bug-bear). But I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised (in as much as you can be by scenes of torture, I suppose), because the whole thing was so damn unpleasant. Even the scene of Harry and Hermione being conjured up by the locket was sort of sexual (I guess deliberately so, but I never really read it as sexual in the book), and there was sexuality ahoy being thrown about, both willing and unwilling, throughout the rest of the film. So when we actually reached the point of Bellatrix torturing Hermione, and Hermione's limbs drumming on the floor as she screamed, I think the sexual aspects of that worked for me, because they had used them for the rest of the death eaters as well. (And I was really scared by that point, I admit, the bit where she looks at her arm with 'Mudblood' carved on it, and a strand of long black hair falls across it, urgh.)
I also really liked the doe, and I liked Ron's rescue of Harry, too. I like the films best when they play with the OT3 vibe (particularly in Prisoner of Azkaban, but given who the director was, that's no great shock), and this one had sufficient moments for all three of them to keep me pleased. Although I agree with you, we did lose a lot of Ron's best scenes - hoping they'll be in the DVD.
The bit that didn't work for me, really, was Dobby's death, mainly because the CGI just wasn't that great, and watching Daniel Radcliff trying to work with what must have been a green sack in his arms was a little mortifying. Dobby was only really used as comic relief, and to be honest the entire design of him - face, clothes, voice etc - was designed as such, so sad scenes were gonna be hard anyway, and this one just didn't work for me.
Also, Ron's speech about lights on his heart had me laughing out loud. (And I loved Harry ribbing him about it later!)
It's so strange to think that Alan Rickman only had 1 scene in the film, it felt like he was ever-present! But, then, he was indirectly referred to throughout, which was well done. Looking forward to seeing what they're gonna do with him in part 2.
The real highlight for me was the Malfoy family, and their changed relationship to Voldemort. I'd always throught rather poorly of Tom Felton, to be honest, and was really very pleasantly surprised to see how well he managed 'trapped and scared'. I agree on the 'staring into each other's eyes' bit with Harry, that was well done - and also a good way around the fact that the enchantment didn't actually hide Harry's face that well!
Also loving Jason Isaacs' stubble, and his hand shaking as he handed his wand over, and Bellatrix clearly being the go-to person for stabbing related activities. Not often that you get a female baddie who is just that scary and unhinged.
In short - an army of three seems to be the order of the day, I see! The Trio, the Malfoys... looking forward to getting back into it all with some nice gen fic, I think!
no subject
Date: 2010-11-23 07:25 am (UTC)I think I know what you mean. It wasn't comic book torture, it was very real, and made you flinch and feel for the victims all the time. And that was good because the enormity of it shouldn't be downplayed. (I was always slightly dissatisfied of how they handled Umbridge making Harry write "I must not tell lies" in his own skin in Order of the PhoenixIt's so strange to think that Alan Rickman only had 1 scene in the film, it felt like he was ever-present!
Yes, I appreciated how this was done both in background dialogue (the radio talking about Snape as headmaster of Hogwarts) and with Harry watching the Marauder's map and seeing Snape's name on it. I hope that what's his name whom they cast as young Snape can step in Rickman's shoes in the big flashback sequence in part II, though!
I'd always throught rather poorly of Tom Felton, to be honest, and was really very pleasantly surprised to see how well he managed 'trapped and scared'.
Oh, I spent the first five movies thinking he can't do more than set his face in sneer mode, either, though to be fair, the films didn't call for much more, but he did do a good job of the scene with Dumbledore in HBP, so what he does here wasn't entirely a surprise. Still, the Malfoys actors definitely deserve some award for conveying such a lot with nearly no lines, just by body language!
Re: Bellatrix, while book!Bellatrix is the oldest of the three sisters, movie!Bellatrix as the youngest works as well with her being an unleashed dervish of evil, so to speak.