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Harry Potter 7.2
So I watched a pre-premiere of Harry Potter 7.2 tonight (it gets officially released here tomorrow). I almost didn't watch it, actually, because traffic was a nightmare and I ended up in a traffic jam that went all the way back to the motorway. I know it can get tricky there at that exit, but at 7:30 PM? Come on! I was already late, and I was almost sure I wouldn't make it. (I hate being late for a movie. I do.) I was about to turn back and head home, watch it another time. But in the end I didn't. Which was probably a good thing, because they held my ticket reservation (which was awesome, and unexpected) and I made it just five minutes before the movie started (couldn't have been more perfect timing).
And what can I say? My head is still filled with all these images. It lingers. Which is probably a good thing. But I will say that it wasn't (as Ron would put it) brilliant. I can't even really say why. I mean, it was action-packed, it was entertaining, gripping, thrilling, moving. But it wasn't, well... great. I'm not even sure what I expected. I'm not disappointed, because I knew it wouldn't be a masterpiece. It lived up to expectations, it definitely did. And I think that's good enough for me. (My favorites will always remain movie 3 and 6.)
I watched it in 2D, which is what I had hoped for in the first place. These days it's sometimes tricky to watch a movie in 2D without dubbing, because they have a knack for putting the movies that are available in 3D onto the screen in 3D in my original version theaters. And then it's 3D only (or 2D with German dubbing - ack!). Luckily, not here, so thank you, Cinestar! I think I would have liked it less in 3D, but it's hard to say without hands-on comparison.
I guess I should put a spoiler warning here. If you've read the books, you might be safe, but I do mention things specific to the movie. So read on at your own discretion.
Anyway... So the big question: Did it do the book justice? Hard for me to say, because my brain has a tendency to forget book/movie details very easily. It's actually kinda ridiculous. I've read the book once, and I've listened to the unabridged audio book at least three times. And yet, I always only seem to recall the big things. Like that there were horcruxes and then there was a huge battle and some folks died, and Harry died, but then Harry didn't die, and, well, the epilogue.
The accursed epilogue. I hated it in the book, and I hated it more in the movie. When I read on the screen "19 years later", I kept silently repeating: "Please have cast other actors, please have cast other actors." Of course they hadn't. It was a 22-year-old Daniel Radcliffe, trying to look like a 36-year-old Harry Potter, which just didn't work. Like, at all. The whole cinema guffawed. It was pretty ridiculous. So, yeah, let's forget the epilogue. Quickly. (It doesn't exist, it doesn't exist, it doesn't exist...)
I stayed until the end of the credits (which I usually do). And I felt cheated. No last scene to round things out. I had kinda expected something for the very last chapter of the 8-part movie epic, but nada. Oh well...
Of course I quickly need to declare my love for Alan Rickman. I wouldn't really call myself a fan, but I love watching the guy. And I think they couldn't have cast a more perfect Snape. He's such a wonderful character to love to hate, and Alan Rickman played him perfectly. And I mean perfectly. I could watch a whole movie of Rickman as Snape being Snape, and it'd still be perfect. However, the scenes with younger Rickman-Snape and Dumbledore (the pensieve stuff towards the end) kinda freaked me out. (Was he made to look this freaky intentionally?)
Who kept me guessing was Aberforth. I knew I had seen the actor before, but with the beard and the make-up, I just couldn't place him. When the credits rolled, it hit me. Of course! Ciáran Hinds! That was my big duh moment.
And my biggest gripe with the Potter movies (especially the later ones), is that they focus too little on the emotional side of things. The scene with George, Lupin and Tonks after the battle had little effect on me. (I did cry twice during the movie, but not there.) I know it's probably because I'm such a sucker for h/c-ish angst and live for that theme–and there was just too little of it. I wish they could have cut some of the big grandstanding action scenes and added something character driven instead. Wonder if that's just me... (And just for the record, I liked Harry Potter 7.1 quite a bit, which was probably because in that one, they actually had the time and opportunity to focus more on the emotional side of things.)
So, what's next? They showed a trailer for the next Planet of the Apes. Uhm.... pass on that one. The other trailer they showed was The Green Lantern. Double pass on that one. I mean, Reynolds is darn fine, but that alone won't make me pay money to see it. My next cinematic movie will probably be Super 8. Starts early August, I think. And, uhm, Kyle Chandler! On the big screen. For over 90 minutes! Who can say no? *is geeky and digs out Early Edition video tapes* Say, why did that show never end up on DVD?? (And, yeah, I know you can buy season 1, but where's the fun in that, when there's three more seasons following that...)
And what can I say? My head is still filled with all these images. It lingers. Which is probably a good thing. But I will say that it wasn't (as Ron would put it) brilliant. I can't even really say why. I mean, it was action-packed, it was entertaining, gripping, thrilling, moving. But it wasn't, well... great. I'm not even sure what I expected. I'm not disappointed, because I knew it wouldn't be a masterpiece. It lived up to expectations, it definitely did. And I think that's good enough for me. (My favorites will always remain movie 3 and 6.)
I watched it in 2D, which is what I had hoped for in the first place. These days it's sometimes tricky to watch a movie in 2D without dubbing, because they have a knack for putting the movies that are available in 3D onto the screen in 3D in my original version theaters. And then it's 3D only (or 2D with German dubbing - ack!). Luckily, not here, so thank you, Cinestar! I think I would have liked it less in 3D, but it's hard to say without hands-on comparison.
I guess I should put a spoiler warning here. If you've read the books, you might be safe, but I do mention things specific to the movie. So read on at your own discretion.
Anyway... So the big question: Did it do the book justice? Hard for me to say, because my brain has a tendency to forget book/movie details very easily. It's actually kinda ridiculous. I've read the book once, and I've listened to the unabridged audio book at least three times. And yet, I always only seem to recall the big things. Like that there were horcruxes and then there was a huge battle and some folks died, and Harry died, but then Harry didn't die, and, well, the epilogue.
The accursed epilogue. I hated it in the book, and I hated it more in the movie. When I read on the screen "19 years later", I kept silently repeating: "Please have cast other actors, please have cast other actors." Of course they hadn't. It was a 22-year-old Daniel Radcliffe, trying to look like a 36-year-old Harry Potter, which just didn't work. Like, at all. The whole cinema guffawed. It was pretty ridiculous. So, yeah, let's forget the epilogue. Quickly. (It doesn't exist, it doesn't exist, it doesn't exist...)
I stayed until the end of the credits (which I usually do). And I felt cheated. No last scene to round things out. I had kinda expected something for the very last chapter of the 8-part movie epic, but nada. Oh well...
Of course I quickly need to declare my love for Alan Rickman. I wouldn't really call myself a fan, but I love watching the guy. And I think they couldn't have cast a more perfect Snape. He's such a wonderful character to love to hate, and Alan Rickman played him perfectly. And I mean perfectly. I could watch a whole movie of Rickman as Snape being Snape, and it'd still be perfect. However, the scenes with younger Rickman-Snape and Dumbledore (the pensieve stuff towards the end) kinda freaked me out. (Was he made to look this freaky intentionally?)
Who kept me guessing was Aberforth. I knew I had seen the actor before, but with the beard and the make-up, I just couldn't place him. When the credits rolled, it hit me. Of course! Ciáran Hinds! That was my big duh moment.
And my biggest gripe with the Potter movies (especially the later ones), is that they focus too little on the emotional side of things. The scene with George, Lupin and Tonks after the battle had little effect on me. (I did cry twice during the movie, but not there.) I know it's probably because I'm such a sucker for h/c-ish angst and live for that theme–and there was just too little of it. I wish they could have cut some of the big grandstanding action scenes and added something character driven instead. Wonder if that's just me... (And just for the record, I liked Harry Potter 7.1 quite a bit, which was probably because in that one, they actually had the time and opportunity to focus more on the emotional side of things.)
So, what's next? They showed a trailer for the next Planet of the Apes. Uhm.... pass on that one. The other trailer they showed was The Green Lantern. Double pass on that one. I mean, Reynolds is darn fine, but that alone won't make me pay money to see it. My next cinematic movie will probably be Super 8. Starts early August, I think. And, uhm, Kyle Chandler! On the big screen. For over 90 minutes! Who can say no? *is geeky and digs out Early Edition video tapes* Say, why did that show never end up on DVD?? (And, yeah, I know you can buy season 1, but where's the fun in that, when there's three more seasons following that...)