Did you see Harry Potter? What did you think? SPOILERS inside!!

[TDC Nala]

That bit threw me a little, because in the book the Death-Eaters were not looking for Harry on the train -- it was Luna they were after at that moment.

It would have been so much more dramatic if they showed them taking Luna off the train - we don't find out she's been taken until her father mentions it, but if we're supposed to be seeing the movies from Harry's point of view, it kind of makes sense as we see along with Harry and the others that her father isn't just weird when they visit him, he's under some other duress.

 

[crusoe2]

For me that's what made the 7th book so great, they were fighting to keep that world. If JK Rowling hadn't done such a good job at bringing her wizarding world to life I wouldn't have felt such a wish for them to save it.

Same here. This and what a previous poster said about how everything tied together so neatly are what made these such good books, IMO.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I haven't read through all of the posts yet but:

1) I wish a little more TLC was put into the radio broadcasts, I think they could have actually said who was behind it vs. hinting at what it was..

2) Wasn't Ollivander supposed to have 1 foot in the grave when they are rescued?

3) And I wish they would have explained how Harry no longer called Voldemort by name - that he switched to "You-Know-Who" and how when Xenophilius mentioned the name, the Death Eaters were called on the spot.

 

[luvsJack]

This. This is why I HATED this movie, moreso that I hated the 5, 6, and 7th books. I miss those kids that were learning magic, I miss Hogwarts and all the cool special effects, and celebrating Christmas, and the cool tricks and the candies that turned into fun merchandise for the franchise. This movie was just one violent action scene after another- great acting and directing if that's your kind of thing, but definitely destroyed everything that made me fall in love with the series.

Well, they are what 17 or 18 now and the world is going to pieces around them.

I love the first movie because of all the first looks at the world of magic but would be very bored with most it by movie 7! To me the magic growing more subtle gives us the ability to really get to know the characters and what is happening to them.



Hey, on some HP special (red carpet, the making of. . , something like that) a reporter asked the director about the possiblity of JK Rowling writing another book. She said it was "rumored". He didn't say no. He just said "if anyone can, Jo can"

 

[luvsJack]

I haven't read through all of the posts yet but:

1) I wish a little more TLC was put into the radio broadcasts, I think they could have actually said who was behind it vs. hinting at what it was..

2) Wasn't Ollivander supposed to have 1 foot in the grave when they are rescued?

3) And I wish they would have explained how Harry no longer called Voldemort by name - that he switched to "You-Know-Who" and how when Xenophilius mentioned the name, the Death Eaters were called on the spot.

This was the one thing I did think of while watching the movie. I actually had forgotten until he said the name, but it would have better explained the scene. I didn't even really notice that Harry was calling him "you-know-who".

 

[ashleybea]

That bit threw me a little, because in the book the Death-Eaters were not looking for Harry on the train -- it was Luna they were after at that moment.

The death eaters took Luna off the train on the way home from Christmas break.
But Neville did say later, while in the Room of Requirement that Death Eaters did come on the train at Hogsmede and looked around, presumably looking for Harry.

 

[TDC Nala]

And I wish they would have explained how Harry no longer called Voldemort by name

I would have too - Harry stopped using Voldemort's name in the book because Ron insisted that he stop. The way they did it in the film, the usually defiant Harry just starts calling him you know who. Of course it's again assumed that the audience has read the book, which is a good bet. But all they needed to do was throw one or two lines in for Ron and it would have taken care of that.

 

[JenM]

I know what you mean. I was nostalgic for all those things as I was reading the 7th book. I think that was the point tho - that some are called to make sacrifices for the greater good (to borrow a phrase from the story) and that Harry and the others had to leave those childhood things behind to fight Voldemort.

And that they were fighting to preserve those things. That was the point of the epilogue, that after all they had been through (and there was such a tremendous sense of loss in those last few pages), they had made the world a place where they could send their kids off to Hogwarts and choose their own destinys.

 

[asta]

Saw the movie this weekend and thought it was great. I liked how the movie ends, that will keep everyone coming back for the next movie. We saw the movie at a Carmike Cinema with a new "Big D" screen. The tickets were an additional $2 but they were worth every penny. In addition to much bigger screen and new, bigger seats the sound with this new theater was amazing. I actually seemed to feel some of the louder scenes. The previews focused on quite a few upcoming action movies and I could feel the wind rushing out.

 

[plutotek]

This. This is why I HATED this movie, moreso that I hated the 5, 6, and 7th books. I miss those kids that were learning magic, I miss Hogwarts and all the cool special effects, and celebrating Christmas, and the cool tricks and the candies that turned into fun merchandise for the franchise. This movie was just one violent action scene after another- great acting and directing if that's your kind of thing, but definitely destroyed everything that made me fall in love with the series.

Not sure what you were expecting. You've read the books, and it's basically a movie about a civil war. Did you expect them to have pillow fights when they met up w/Voldie's forces?

 

[fluffycow333]

I liked the movie very much. I know it digressed from the book in places and left some things out/added things, but I just take it as two different versions, the movie and the book. I do think the books are always better but I can still enjoy the movies.


SPOILERS
I cried when Hedwig got killed. I know I'm going to be a mess when Severus Snape dies, and most likely cry through his backstory. It's so sad :'(

 

[MoonFaerie]

Draco seemed to actually want to HELP Harry in the movie, whereas in the book i didn't get that at all. because in the book he was just so "blah" about it "yeah it could be them, idk" but in the movie he said "i can't be sure!" and then gave Harry that look like "i know it's you, i'm not saying anything."

It's so interesting how people interpret things differently. I totally got that Draco wanted to help Harry in the book, but it was less obvious to me in the movie. I'll have to pay more attention when we go see it a 2nd time tomorrow. It's been probably close to a year since I last read Deathly Hallows, so knowing how it all ends might be influencing my memory of those scenes.

 

[MoonFaerie]

Almost forgot...know what really bummed me out?

They TOTALLY should've tacked on the trailer for Part 2 at the end of the credits!! And don't tell me they couldn't because it's not "done". Half the scenes in the trailers for part 1 were from things that happen in part2.

AMEN!!!! I was really really really hoping for a trailer for Part 2.

 

[JenM]

There were a ton of Part II clips in the first teaser trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EC2tmFVNNE&feature=player_embedded

I'm glad they didn't end the movie with the trailer. I think it would have taken away from the emotional punch of the ending. We'll get plenty of clips and trailers in the next few months anyway.

 

[MonkeyDishwasher]

The portrait of Phineas Nigelus Black that was hanging in No. 12 Grimmald Place. There is another portrait in the headmaster's office in Hogwarts, and they were able to use the portrait to get information on Hogwarts and spy on Snape.

Yeah, but they never introduced the Two Way Mirror that Sirius gave Harry, and suddenly we're in Movie 7.1 and Harry's suddenly walking around with a jagged chunk of glass in his sock.

Who knows what they'll suddenly remember that they need to have at the last moment?

 

[PlainJane]

The only comment that I want to make is about the Harry/Hermione dance scene. I actually thought it was really cute and heartfelt. I think that a lot of people just didn't get it. He wasn't trying to put the moves on her or anything. It has been very evident in the movies, especially Half-Blood Prince, how much they are best friends and he just wanted to cheer her up because she was so depressed about Ron. After their little dance/laugh when she got sad again and walked away, and Harry looked upset, a lot of people in the theater laughed, almost like they thought she rejected him but it wasn't that at all. He genuinely just wanted to make his friend happy.

I liked that scene, and I'm a total Ron/Hermione shipper. I appreciated it for what it was, Harry was just trying to be a friend. It was really wonderful to see how vulnerable they were with each other. You could really see how much they loved each other in that scene.

I wept at the Hermion scene in the beginning when she erased her parents memory.

I'm glad they showed that scene. I've always disliked that many people like to paint her in a negative light for that decision. They completely overlook that she's a scared 17 year old and she's doing what ever she can to protect her family, and the emotional toll is often also glossed over as well. I liked that they showed her hesitate in the coffee shop.

PS...reading the credits, they mentione the Carrows (Alectus and Amycus who take over Hogwarts)...were they the ones who stopped the train?

I really liked the line that they gave Neville. It showed that he's not the same scared kid that we met years ago.

I really enjoyed the bit where they snuck into the Ministry...the actors playing the polyjuiced characters did a heckuva job with that. The guy who played Harry/Runcorn looked terribly uncomfortable in his own clothes.

That scene was awesome. I completely forgot that it wasn't them.

I'm assuming they will leave in the scene where Hermione impersonates Bellatrix to get into Gringotts, would be interested to see what Bonham-Carter does with that.

They made a big point of showing that the hair landed on Hermione, so it would be a bit bizarre to leave it out now.

I was upset at how they portrayed the manor scene with Hermione and Ron. When I reading the book I could feel the emotional and physical pain jumping off the page. It was such a powerful scene. Ron was wrecked in the book, and I think it did a lot to redeem him. I also missed him wanting to protect Hermione earlier on by saying he would pretend she was a relative.

I did like the moment between Harry and Ron when Harry jokes about the illuminator story.

Overall I like the movie, but it really was half a movie to me. I'm saving ultimate judgment until the final movie comes out.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I would have too - Harry stopped using Voldemort's name in the book because Ron insisted that he stop. The way they did it in the film, the usually defiant Harry just starts calling him you know who. Of course it's again assumed that the audience has read the book, which is a good bet. But all they needed to do was throw one or two lines in for Ron and it would have taken care of that.

I thought they stopped saying "Voldemort" because Voldemort knew that Harry wasn't afraid to call him by name and put a trace on his name, hoping to find him sooner... wasn't that how whatsit at the beginning of the book/film knew to find Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the coffee shop??

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I thought they stopped saying "Voldemort" because Voldemort knew that Harry wasn't afraid to call him by name and put a trace on his name, hoping to find him sooner... wasn't that how whatsit at the beginning of the book/film knew to find Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the coffee shop??

Ron found out that Voldemort's name was taboo after he deserted Harry and Hermione. They realize that was how they were found at the diner.

But none of that is mentioned in the movie.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Ron found out that Voldemort's name was taboo after he deserted Ron and Hermione. They realize that was how they were found at the diner.

But none of that is mentioned in the movie.

Gotcha! I should have reread before the movie, I just didn't have time!Thanks for clearing that up!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Gotcha! I should have reread before the movie, I just didn't have time!Thanks for clearing that up!

There is sooo much that I didn't remember from the books until reading again on here! I read it twice in a row when it first came out a few years ago. Debating over whether or not I should reread before the final movie! I kind of liked that I wasn't nitpicking over the little things they changed, but at the same time, I felt like there was so much I didn't remember.