Dobby never meant to kill. Dobby only meant to maim. Or seriously injure.

Hey, remember me? I was abducted by aliens back in September, and am just now getting back to earth.

No, not really. In all reality, I’ve been watching nothing but shitty TV lately, and haven’t had much inspiration for a blog entry. However, today is November 20th, which means…

 

 HARRY POTTER DAY HARRY POTTER DAY HARRY POTTER DAY!

This will most likely end up being a two-part blog entry. I saw the movie today with TBF and her hubs (who postponed a childless date “night” Friday to see it because I couldn’t go with them), and on Wednesday I will be seeing it again with a friend who is coming in from out of town. I’m thrilled beyond words at getting to see a HP movie in theaters twice, as I still have not seen HBP more than the one time in theaters.

My thoughts are odd and confused, much like the movie. Please understand my warning, which is SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS.

I’ve been anticipating this movie for months. Longer. Pictures have been leaked for so long, including ones of the epilogue scene. I avoided written spoilers, but soaked up the screenshots like a sponge. The promotional poster was released, and I fell all over myself. The first trailer premiered, and I all but creamed my panties.

So thirty minutes before the movie started, I was propped up in the movie theater, with candy and nachos and a thermos of cheese in my bag and a big bag of popcorn and a big coke between the three of us. We were ready to do this.

I hate myself a great deal for my original reaction to this movie, which is that it was a let down. It’s really not. What is a let down is reading the final book, which is incredibly thrilling, intense, and touching, and then seeing half of it on film. It feels not only unresolved, but also schizophrenic in the delivery. There wasn’t a real center to the movie, nor was there a beginning and end. It was build-up with no release.

Having gotten that out of the way, the movie itself really is very good. If I had not read the books, I would probably feel much more positively about it. I can count four tear jerker alerts, and that’s not even counting the various small details, or expectations, that had me sniffling. The action scenes were absolutely fantastic, the landscapes were breathtaking. The cast was as phenomenal as ever. I don’t think there has ever been a miscasting on any of the HP movies. Other than not choosing me to play Dolores Umbridge, a role I desperately would have loved to be British enough to play.

From movie one, I’ve fallen in love with the three lead actors. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson are some of the most talented young actors I’ve seen in decades. I’ve got high hopes for the three of them. I imagine they don’t actually need to continue working, as these movies have brought in yacht loads of cash for each of them, but it seems criminal for them not to continue on in other roles. Daniel has a comedic talent that is absolutely mind blowing. Emma’s modeling is fantastic, and though I find her stand offish and rather snobby, her emotional scenes in the movies touched me more than any other cast member, including Radcliffe.

Harry really comes into his own with this one. For the past couple of movies, he acted like a whiney puberty-experiencing git. He’s grown leaps and bounds, and his friends have with him. The maturity of this movie, the gut-wrenching pain they struggle with in every scene, it’s incredible. Looking at Sorcerer's Stone, the growth is just unbelievable. The palpable attraction between Ron and Hermione that’s been going on since Chamber of Secrets is reaching the breaking point here, setting us up nicely for the final movie.

Speaking of relationships, let’s discuss Harry and Ginny. Now, I personally was persuaded to become a Ginny/Draco shipper many moons back by a particularly sassy piece of fanfiction. However, I do not hold HP fandom to the high regard that I do BTVS, so when it comes to being a ‘shipper, I really don’t care. When the Harry/Hermione shippers were shrieking, and the huge kerfuffle over Blaise Zabini being black, I was out of all of that. It actually felt very nice to be on the outside looking in at all of that. But when HBP the book came out, I was, to put it lightly, shocked that Harry and Ginny became an item. For one thing, Bonnie Wright had looked like a 12-year old in every movie she appeared in. It felt dirty. Then the movie came out, and my jaw dropped. I mean, the shoe tying scene? Who taught her that sassy move? And then here, she asks Harry to zip up her dress. TBF and I exchange a serious look over this bit. Isn’t she supposed to be 15? What has Molly been teaching her?

Going back to Harry/Hermione for a moment, I found the dance scene between the two of them here extremely sweet. I was confused as hell when he first walked up to her. As they started dancing, I relaxed, and smiled. It’s one of those moments not consistent with the book that the movie makers throw in to give the characters a break. It’s lovely, and fun.

The first scene in the book to make me cry was the death of Hedwig. I didn’t think they were going to do it here. When Harry let her go, I was disappointed, while at the same time, relieved I wouldn’t feel that pain. And then she came swooping in, and the tears kicked in immediately.

The first movie scene that actually made me cry, however, was Hermione in her bedroom. I don’t know what kicked it off, really. But then she walked up behind her parents and did the Obliviate charm, and my heart just cracked.

I can’t remember everything that set me off. But it didn’t take much. The knowledge that this is the second to last movie was painful. Plus knowing what was coming warned my tear ducts to kick into overdrive.

I was seriously irritated that I was cheated out of a crying scene, though. They’re in the Lovegood house. Xenophilius has walked out. They’re muttering to each other. I’m sitting in my seat, waiting for them to look up. And I’m waiting. Waiting. Waiting. They reach the stairs, and I wanted to shriek, “JUST LOOK UP FOR FUCK’S SAKE WAS IT REALLY THAT MUCH OF AN IMPOSITION TO PAINT THE CEILING GOD I HATE YOU HOLLYWOOD.”

One of my favorite smaller points in the book was the painting of her friends on her ceiling. And they cheated me out of it. Like it would’ve hair lipped them.

It cannot be a surprise that Dobby’s death was the part where I cried uncontrollably. It broke my heart in the book, and from the moment Dobby burst through the door, clinging to Mundungus, I started getting pangs. TBF’s hubs and I have discussed at length how the movie makers have completely ignored Dobby for five movies now, which is completely irritating because I understand why, yet still hate it. They did a better job with this than they did with Sirius, where they ignored him for the better part of Goblet of Fire, then attempted to shove in as much bonding as possible with Order of the Phoenix, making it unnatural if you hadn’t read the books.

Dobby gets the funniest line in the movie, he gets the real hero scenes, and he gets the greatest death scene in any of the books, save the big ones in the next film. Dobby was so sweet and innocent and brave and hearing him say how happy he was to be in a beautiful place with his friends was just…well, I’m tearing up again, so that should tell you something. My popcorn got extremely soggy during this scene.

I’m not going to lie, I absolutely love the Death Eaters. I like to say I’m a Gryffindor, but seriously, I would completely be sorted to Slytherin. Lucious Malfoy was a favorite until he became a sniveling little ponce, but Bellatrix has my heart. It doesn’t hurt that Helena Bonham Carter will play me in a movie someday, as no one else conveys Batshit Crazy like she does.

She only gets…what, two scenes in this movie? I have to sate myself with that, because I know we get some greatness with her in the next movie. I hope they don’t trim her down to nothing more than the main scene. Her torture of Hermione made me squirm, and when she screamed after seeing the sword, I shriveled in my seat. The lady knows how to get a reaction from her audience.

I liked Draco better in the first four movies. He’s become a shell of the evil little spoiled brat I adored in those movies. I realize he’s got Big Bad Conflict, but he’s just…boring.

They did a really great job matching this movie up with the first part of the book. Words cannot express how happy I am that they chopped the forest section down to what it became. That part of book seven made me weep tears of blood, with all the walking. And walking. And walking. Here, it felt tedious, but ended quickly enough for my taste. The break-in at the Ministry was beautifully done, and I was especially titillated to see Umbridge again. I don’t know why I adore seeing her character so much. She’s so evil it makes my skin vibrate, but there’s something about the combination of that voice, the pink, and those kittens. Just a really fabulous movie villain. The “Magic is Might” statuary was also incredible.

I was worried about Godric’s Hollow. I really worried they were going to screw that part up, but it was fantastic from start to finish. From Harry breaking down at the graves to Nagini’s appearance, I was thrilled with it all. I was also happy when TBF turned to me and said, “Did she just speak Parsel tongue?” The non-reader’s picking up a thing or two.

As I said before, I’ll have more thoughts on rewatch. I know I’m missing things.

Last thing, let’s discuss the movie trailers.

Green Lantern - I am not a comic book girl. I’ve wanted to be in recent years, but comics are like Dr. Who. You can’t just jump in anywhere. There’s background to deal with. So I have absolutely no point of reference. But Ryan Reynolds is a fairly decent actor, so I think he’ll do a good job here. In a movie that I will most likely never watch. The trailer was amusing, though.

Red Riding Hood - I had not heard about this film, which shocks me, since Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried are two favorites of mine. As intriguing as the premise is, they lost me immediately with five words: “From the director of Twilight”. Yeah.

Kung Fu Panda 2 - OMG! Yes, that was my reaction, in its entirety. The theatrical trailer is a real treat. I look forward to this one.

Yogi Bear - Ugh. That was my reaction to this one in its entirety. Really, Dan Akroyd? You’ve been in so many good movies it’s ridiculous, yet you pick this piece of garbage? And Timberlake, don’t make me take back the small bits of affection you garnered from me with Alpha Dog.

Tron: Legacy - I just…don’t get it. I really don’t. I love that Olivia Wilde has a bob in this, and it’s all…neon. But…what?

 

I’m just conflicted with this. I hope that rewatch will clear things up for me.