What are the Deathly Hallows besides a clever way to distract Harry and
company? (Imagine a deep drawling voice of a grandfather beginning a fairy tale.) The legend goes … no, sorry, not really. The Deathly Hallows consist of three objects that will allow the owner to cheat death: the Resurrection Stone, the Cloak of Invisibility, and the Elder Wand. Daniel Radcliffe and company appear in the final installment of the “Harry Potter” saga. How closely does this movie follow the beloved final book in the epic series from J.K. Rowling? In my opinion, as a fan, pretty darn close! With a few discrepancies, mostly minor, director David Yates and screenwriter Steve Kloves did a fantastic job of sticking to the book. Beginning with Voldemort’s theft of Dumbledore’s Elder Wand (The final element of the Deathly Hallows, remember that, it’s important later!) and the gentle reminder of Dobby’s death at the end of part one, and giving us the epic battle at Hogwarts* when all hell breaks loose. This film did not disappoint; however, there were some minor flaws that the discerning “Harry Potter” connoisseur would spot. The first minor flaw we saw was at the Shell Cottage. Shell Cottage is the home of the eldest Weasley, Bill and his new wife Fleur. (They were married in part one!) It is also a safe destination for the Order of the Phoenix. No discussion of Griphook, the sword and what to do. This is a good thing. It would have disrupted the flow of action in the movie. So, yay for this flaw! Gingotts* didn’t go right if you’re a purist. The ride through the vault area felt condensed. If you’re a purist and you watch this movie, you’ll notice that Ron casts the “Imperious” curse* rather than Harry. This bugged me a lot more than it should have. It was line reassignment that was unnecessary. In the book, Harry has the idea to ride the dragon to safety. However, in a clever line reassignment, Hermione has the idea. It made Hermione a stronger female lead. But, the Gringotts scene turned out better than the audience could have hoped for! All of Harry’s visions in the movie cover what couldn’t be used from the book. This worked well to help keep the pace of the film. It also helped explain the depth of the connection between Harry and Voldemort* for those that have not read the book. The final moments of everyone’s least favorite professor happen in the wrong location. Yet, it was rather moving. We finally see Snape* issue a few kind words to Harry, “You have your mother’s eyes.” He also demands that Harry take his tears. Uhm, okay. It should have been gray strands of memory rather than tears. If you’ve not read the books, here’s where we learn a few things about Lily Evans Potter* as well as Severus Snape. Snape should have died in the Shrieking Shack*. But hey, who wanted to see the Whomping Willow* on screen again anyway? “The Battle of Hogwarts” will be talked about for years to come! Well, it would be in Harry Potter’s world. Okay, who am I kidding? Potterphiles* will be talking about how much detail was cut, and whether or not they liked it or loved it. However, the rest of us will be talking about how HP8 beat the pants off The Twilight Saga: Eclipse for midnight showings. It raked in $43.5 million in just a few hours. That takes in all the midnight showings across the country. That’s right. Just in the US alone. The figures are staggering when we take into consideration the rest of the world! Way to go Harry! As for me, I will be going over that epic battle in my head until it’s out on DVD. The battle didn’t play out on the big screen as it did in the book. We didn’t witness Percy shielding the body of Fred as the fighting raged on. Instead, we see this afterwards in the Great Hall, which functions as the infirmary. We see an abbreviated battle. Again, it works. The battle in the book occasionally lagged. But, J.K. Rowling crams in so many details that it doesn’t translate well. If we had gotten it exactly like the book, it would have dragged the movie’s pace. Another win for Mister Kloves! The final pieces I will make my comments on are the separation of Voldemort from Harry, or Harry’s “death” and the death of Voldemort. Come on, if you’re surprised that Voldemort dies then you’ll be surprised that there won’t be any more movies! There were several sniffles spotting the midnight showing as Harry realizes he has to die. Now, we were expecting it right? Well, those of us that bothered to pick up the book anyway. Great execution on the part of Mister Yates and Mister Kloves. One hitch though… invisibility cloak*. Where was the invisibility cloak and why did the director and screenwriter make Hagrid hold Harry? He should’ve been on the ground. I was curious to see how the invisible Harry attacked Voldemort. But, thanks, they cut that out. The final battle between Harry and Voldemort was better than I expected. The strength behind Harry’s spell shows the power he had without that tiny part of Voldemort inside. He beat him by sheer determination. Oh, and Neville helped, I suppose, when he killed Nagini, Voldemort’s last horcrux* and ginormous snake. The shock on Voldemort’s face was exactly like what I, and I think countless others, imagined it would be. “What? A boy defeated me? And not even a Pureblood!” At least I imagine that was what went through his mind. This is where I will leave you. There is a bit more but I want you to enjoy the movie as I did. For the love of all things Potter, one Muggle* to another, live long and prosper. Oh, wait! That’s Star Trek! *Here is your “Harry Potter” glossary (From harrypotter.scholastic.com) Gringotts – The wizard bank in London, with vaults far below the streets, run by goblins. Hogsmeade – The only completely magical village in Britain. Hogsmeade is not far from Hogwarts and has an array of wonderful shops including Honeyduke’s sweet shop, the Three Broomsticks pub and Zonko's joke shop. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – The best school of its kind in the world. Hogwarts is in a secret location somewhere in the North of Britan The four greatest witches and wizards of the age founded Hogwarts more than a thousand years ago: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. They built a remote castle, far away so that witches and wizards could train in safety. Pupils attend from age eleven for seven years of rigorous training in the art of witchcraft and wizardry. There are a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts and everything keeps moving around, so things are not always in the same place. Horcrux – An object in which a person has concealed part of their soul. Imperius Curse – Spell to control another person completely, using the incantation “Imperio.” One of the three Unforgivable Curses, it can be resisted only with great mental effort. Invisibility Cloak – Magic cloak granting the wearer invisibility. Muggle – Person totally without magical powers. Muggles live in ignorance of the world of wizards and witches. (I encourage anyone to look this word up online, UrbanDictionary.com and Dicitionary.com) Potter, Lily – Harry's mother, born to Muggles but married a wizard. Lily is the sister of Petunia Dursley who is decidedly un-wizardly. Shrieking Shack – Supposed to be the most haunted building in Britain. Situated in the town of Hogsmeade. Snape, Severus – Potions master at Hogwarts. He is tall and thin with sallow skin, greasy black hair and a hooked nose. He hates Harry Potter. Head of Slytherin house. Voldemort, Lord – Evil Wizard greatly feared by wizarding folk. His dark reputation is such that his name is hardly ever spoken out loud. Most wizards will only refer to him as He-Who-Must Not-Be-Named or You-Know-Who. Disappeared from view after the death of James and Lily Potter, following a battle that left Harry an orphan and bearing a lightning scar on his forehead. (Also known as Tom Riddle) Whomping Willow – Large tree in the grounds of Hogwarts that hits anything that comes too close. NOT FROM SCHOLASTIC – Potterphiles – The media name for fans of Harry Potter, whether it is the book series or the movies. I’d rather like to think that it’s a term of affection given the fans. Sadly, I couldn’t find the outlet that first used this term!
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AuthorCollege graduate, Army vet, single mom, Husky mom, Movie lover, writer Archives
August 2022
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