OK, folks. Now that the official reviews are out, I think I can go public.
I saw the film this week at a BAFTA screening, with a Q&A session afterwards with Daniel, Emma, David Yates and the two co-producers.
(We were all sworn to secrecy about the films contents until the day of the premiere, of course!)
So heres my verdict: I enjoyed the film very much and I did think it had a satisfying story arc, making allowances for the split. The film does not drag half as much as I feared, and you might recall that I was initially very negative about that possibility, so I was prepared to be a completely merciless critic.
Here then is my review (SPOILERS, obviously):
First off, the Trio dominate this film. And they all acquit themselves well especially Emma. I really love her Hermione now! Obviously they're all in equal danger but Yates does subtly highlight Hermione's particular isolation and predicament as a Muggleborn.
Charity Burbage. A dark and brutal scene. HP readers will understand Snapes barely discernible emotional undercurrents. Jason shines as a battered and humiliated Lucius.
Hermione obliviates her parents memories. Beautifully done scene, very affecting.
The Dursleys depart. Watch Petunias expression.
Seven Potters. Very funny. But the overall atmosphere is very grim and tense. The film really does convey a great sense of danger and menace all the way through.
Adieu, Hedwig, you heroic owl! Hedwig gets the send-off she deserves.
Georges ear injury is actually very upsetting and realistic. No mention of Snapes Sectumsempra perhaps that might be revealed in the second film. (Not a big deal if not, IMO, since a film cant tell everything and shouldnt throw every single detail at an audience.)
There is no Krum at the wedding, by the way. If he was there, I missed him! And I dont remember dozing off.
Ministry heist. I liked the 1930s Fascist vibe of the Ministry, now taken over by pureblood fanatics. Sophie Thompson (Emma Thompsons sister) plays the witch that Hermione Polyjuices into, and you can feel Hermiones nervousness through Sophies excellent performance.
Always the tone of surprise yes, both Ron and Hermione get to say it.
Harry/Hermione dance. R/H shippers relax! Hermione is distraught and devastated after Rons departure and Harry offers to dance with her, to comfort and cheer her up. Yes, there is a bit of a spark between them! (I do think that Dan and Emma have great chemistry together.) But the scene finally leaves you in no doubt as to who Hermione really wants to be with and it isnt Harry.
Harry also gets quite snappy with Hermione during the Great Camping Trip -- which is entirely true to the Emo! Harry we all know and love. And a sign of the stress and tension that the Trio are under.
Bathilda Bagshot is really creepy.
The Silver Doe. Yes, its most definitely a doe! I swear I heard a whisper before Harry sees the doe. Could be Snape casting the charm. ( )
Horcrux Locket/Rons temptation scene. Fantastic sequence. The visuals are superb and its very intense emotionally.
Including the Horcrux Harry/Hermione who torment Ron. Theyre sensual, beautiful in a nightmarish way, naked (not explicit!) and they kiss. Its unnerving and feels wrong and unnatural. Canon, in other words! (OK, not the naked bit, but personally I thought the scene was both sensual and disturbing in the book.) (As an aside, I rather wish Peter Jackson had taken this more subtle approach with Galadriel's Ring-temptation in FotR ...)
Hermione/Bellatrix torture scene. Intense and really quite upsetting. Bella is deliciously menacing: Lets have a little talk. Girl to girl. You do see her inflicting pain on Hermione, although it is not quite clear what she is doing. Cut away to Ron and Harry in the cellar below, hearing Hermiones screams (which are absolutely heart-rending, Emma really does sound like shes being tortured!) Then you see Hermione lying on the floor, crying silently in despair, with Mudblood carved viciously into her arm. At first I thought it was a branding but there is blood.
Dobbys death. I seriously doubt that all you Dobby fans out there will be disappointed with the little fellas brutal and sad demise.
Good ending. Voldemort victorious (for the time being!).
Oh, and you guys will love Neville in his one scene in this film.
Any criticisms? Pretty minor quibbles: - The Voldemort flashbacks to Gellert etc. were rather confusing, even for me who knows the story. - The film is a tad on the long side, but I did find it gripping and engaging. - I would have personally liked more of the bad guys more Lucius, Bella and Draco.
The Q&A session. Daniel is funny. He said to Emma that he really enjoyed kissing her. Emma very glam. She strikes me as being quite a Hermione in real life. She said she was a bit of a control freak while on set.
Yates is a very gentle, personable guy. He talked about JKRs relationship with the films and how understanding she is that changes have to be made when translating her stories to a different medium. She told Yates that DH Part One is her favourite film so far by about forty leagues.
Well, I'm not Rowling, but I'm a satisfied customer, and I was prepared to be critical of the film.
YAY!!! *_____* The doe IS a doe, Bathilda is REALLY creepy, it's seems that Emma is really tortured.. OMG *____*
turns out we dont know if ti was toned down from the test screening i read another review and they said the bathilda/nagini shot wasnt quite comeplete so that could have been the plan all along
THE COON HAS RETURNED dream_loudly (now known as THE COON) protecting HPF from trolls and other assorted douchebags since 2010
I want like professional critic reviews. These magazines....eh, I don't really like them. I am now worried, however, that the major criticism will be the incomplete story arc.
What does it mean by morph? glad to know that the doe is in fact a doe! and why the hell do Hermione and Krum now not dance? it was bad enough Ron and Hermione not doing so, but this is just pathetic... if true!
Out of reading these comments, I am getting a little angry.. Although what is being said by him is completely true, Leo_Lovegood is being a hypocrite! I'm sorry Leo, but even though what you said had truth, you are kind of taking away everyone else's opinions from them. If they have a certain opinion, let them think it. Everyone is different, like you said, so there is no need for you to convince them to be on the same wavelength as you..
There. My next comment will actually regard this thread post!
[quote=MikuzHP]There is no Krum at the wedding, by the way. If he was there, I missed him! And I dont remember dozing off. [/quote]
Either she missed it (because we have seen a photo) or they cut it... Hmm.
[quote=MikuzHP]Cut away to Ron and Harry in the cellar below, hearing Hermiones screams (which are absolutely heart-rending, Emma really does sound like shes being tortured!) Then you see Hermione lying on the floor, crying silently in despair, with Mudblood carved viciously into her arm. At first I thought it was a branding but there is blood. [/quote]
I am sooo excited to hear those screams. I personally thought that was a nice review!!
To be frank, I don't like the TotalFilm review not because it's mixed, but because at the beginning the tone seems too snarky and disrespectful. I've never been a fan of their more informal style, and in this instance it comes off as childish.
IGN UK's review is more understandable. I'm pleased that they praised the acting as uniformly excellent and the action as thrilling, specifically the forest chase (which they call a stand-out in the series). Overall, it seemed solidly between a 3 and a 4 (3.5).
Robbie Collin's review: [QUOTE]BREAK into Roy Castle's tomb, steal the sacred trumpet, and blast out a few bars of Dedication's What You Need.
Because, ladies and gentlemen - after six mixed Harry Potter movies - we finally have on our hands a record breaker.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is the best of its breed, in two respects.
It's the best seven-quel of all time - topping Saw 3D, Halloween H2O, Star Trek: Generations and even American Pie: The Book Of Love. But more importantly, it's better than all of the Harry Potter films that came before it.
Meaning ruddy finally, after nine years, Warner Bros has got a grasp on how to turn these tales into movies... instead of scene-by-scene recreations of some frankly overrated books.
And the result? Hand on heart, it's a towering achievement. Or half of a towering achievement, given that Part Two's not out until next summer.
In the film's opening shot, Bill Nighy's Rufus Scrimgeour says: "These are dark times, there is no denying."
And he's quite right. Because, as usual, every second scene looks like it has been filmed with the lights off.
The movie picks up with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) preparing to go on a journey - but this time not for another term at Hogwarts.
Instead, they're working with their closest allies to hunt down the Horcruxes - a set of magical items that the Dark Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes with Danniella Westbrook's collapsed septum) has hidden fragments of his soul in.
Wand-er girl... Hermione There's a beautiful, brief sequence in which the three leads say their goodbyes to their childhood homes - followed by two equally brilliant, longer scenes that slickly bring you up to speed with the series' hefty cast of baddies and goodies.
And what's obvious from the off is that all of this looks and sounds like a proper movie should.
There's no faffing around, no pointless background detail, and swathes of JK Rowling's original dialogue has been cut. (No offence Rowling fans, but thank feck for that.)
And what little remains has been pared down into a tack-sharp screenplay that gives the cast more to do than just bumble from A to B and collect whatever clue or magical item is going to get them out of the next scrape.
Not since Azkaban have Harry, Ron and Hermione actually felt like real people who grow and change over the course of the film.
Maybe that's thanks to Daniel, Rupe and Emma noticeably stepping up their games.
But I suspect it's also down to braver direction from David Yates, who's now on his third Potter movie and seems to have found his groove (better late than never).
There's a scene around the halfway point that wasn't in the book in which Harry tries to cheer up Hermione by dancing with her in a tent.
And it's the movie's greatest moment - showing the Potter kid to be a complex, conflicted human being... albeit one who might want to spend some of his millions on a dancing coach.
Voldemort-al combat... dark lord Ralph Cos holy moly, the guy makes Ann Widdecombe look like one of Pan's People.
What else is worth a plug? The arm-hair-tingling soundtrack from Alexandre Desplat, for a start, and the stupefyingly good production design, sound, editing, costumes and location scouting.
Some of the landscape shots while Harry, Ron and Hermione hunt for the Horcruxes are dazzling beyond belief.
The new supporting cast members (Red Riding's Peter Mullan is a standout as Death Eater Yaxley) impress too.
Plus this time round, the special-effects sequences never feel like padding or pointless eye candy tossed in to keep impatient punters happy (I'm looking at you, "Death Eater attack on The Burrow" in Half-Blood Prince).
It means the key plot points never play second fiddle to the spectacle. The Deathly Hallows even get their own animated back-story.
The decision to can the 3D version was spot on, too. It's obvious that even five minutes of Yates's zippy filming style in three dimensions would bring on a migraine the size of Hagrid's Y-fronts.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is not perfect - but the only problems are unavoidable ones, carried over from the book.
So, as such, it's a better Harry Potter movie and a much better piece of film-making than we had any right to expect.
Now bring on Part Two...
And inevitable, soul-crushing disappointment, when it turns out to be not quite as good as this.
Oh me fucking god... How can this guy put a 5/5 and said it's the best one yet when stupid ign uk put a 6/10 and said it's the worst... I DON'T UNDERSTAND
have read a russian rewiew 7/10 he didn't like the music (except "Obliviate","Malfoy Manor")... have told that middle of the film is borring, there is a few scenes with Scrimger, even less Snape scenes... but there are a number of crying, interesting and lovely moments... Harry&Herm dance is sweet
Comments
OK, folks. Now that the official reviews are out, I think I can go public.
I saw the film this week at a BAFTA screening, with a Q&A session afterwards with Daniel, Emma, David Yates and the two co-producers.
(We were all sworn to secrecy about the films contents until the day of the premiere, of course!)
So heres my verdict: I enjoyed the film very much and I did think it had a satisfying story arc, making allowances for the split. The film does not drag half as much as I feared, and you might recall that I was initially very negative about that possibility, so I was prepared to be a completely merciless critic.
Here then is my review (SPOILERS, obviously):
First off, the Trio dominate this film. And they all acquit themselves well especially Emma. I really love her Hermione now! Obviously they're all in equal danger but Yates does subtly highlight Hermione's particular isolation and predicament as a Muggleborn.
Charity Burbage. A dark and brutal scene. HP readers will understand Snapes barely discernible emotional undercurrents. Jason shines as a battered and humiliated Lucius.
Hermione obliviates her parents memories. Beautifully done scene, very affecting.
The Dursleys depart. Watch Petunias expression.
Seven Potters. Very funny. But the overall atmosphere is very grim and tense. The film really does convey a great sense of danger and menace all the way through.
Adieu, Hedwig, you heroic owl! Hedwig gets the send-off she deserves.
Georges ear injury is actually very upsetting and realistic. No mention of Snapes Sectumsempra perhaps that might be revealed in the second film. (Not a big deal if not, IMO, since a film cant tell everything and shouldnt throw every single detail at an audience.)
There is no Krum at the wedding, by the way. If he was there, I missed him! And I dont remember dozing off.
Ministry heist. I liked the 1930s Fascist vibe of the Ministry, now taken over by pureblood fanatics. Sophie Thompson (Emma Thompsons sister) plays the witch that Hermione Polyjuices into, and you can feel Hermiones nervousness through Sophies excellent performance.
Always the tone of surprise yes, both Ron and Hermione get to say it.
Harry/Hermione dance. R/H shippers relax! Hermione is distraught and devastated after Rons departure and Harry offers to dance with her, to comfort and cheer her up. Yes, there is a bit of a spark between them! (I do think that Dan and Emma have great chemistry together.) But the scene finally leaves you in no doubt as to who Hermione really wants to be with and it isnt Harry.
Harry also gets quite snappy with Hermione during the Great Camping Trip -- which is entirely true to the Emo! Harry we all know and love. And a sign of the stress and tension that the Trio are under.
Bathilda Bagshot is really creepy.
The Silver Doe. Yes, its most definitely a doe! I swear I heard a whisper before Harry sees the doe. Could be Snape casting the charm. ( )
Horcrux Locket/Rons temptation scene. Fantastic sequence. The visuals are superb and its very intense emotionally.
Including the Horcrux Harry/Hermione who torment Ron. Theyre sensual, beautiful in a nightmarish way, naked (not explicit!) and they kiss. Its unnerving and feels wrong and unnatural. Canon, in other words! (OK, not the naked bit, but personally I thought the scene was both sensual and disturbing in the book.) (As an aside, I rather wish Peter Jackson had taken this more subtle approach with Galadriel's Ring-temptation in FotR ...)
Hermione/Bellatrix torture scene. Intense and really quite upsetting. Bella is deliciously menacing: Lets have a little talk. Girl to girl. You do see her inflicting pain on Hermione, although it is not quite clear what she is doing. Cut away to Ron and Harry in the cellar below, hearing Hermiones screams (which are absolutely heart-rending, Emma really does sound like shes being tortured!) Then you see Hermione lying on the floor, crying silently in despair, with Mudblood carved viciously into her arm. At first I thought it was a branding but there is blood.
Dobbys death. I seriously doubt that all you Dobby fans out there will be disappointed with the little fellas brutal and sad demise.
Good ending. Voldemort victorious (for the time being!).
Oh, and you guys will love Neville in his one scene in this film.
Any criticisms? Pretty minor quibbles:
- The Voldemort flashbacks to Gellert etc. were rather confusing, even for me who knows the story.
- The film is a tad on the long side, but I did find it gripping and engaging.
- I would have personally liked more of the bad guys more Lucius, Bella and Draco.
The Q&A session. Daniel is funny. He said to Emma that he really enjoyed kissing her. Emma very glam. She strikes me as being quite a Hermione in real life. She said she was a bit of a control freak while on set.
Yates is a very gentle, personable guy. He talked about JKRs relationship with the films and how understanding she is that changes have to be made when translating her stories to a different medium. She told Yates that DH Part One is her favourite film so far by about forty leagues.
Well, I'm not Rowling, but I'm a satisfied customer, and I was prepared to be critical of the film.
YAY!!! *_____* The doe IS a doe, Bathilda is REALLY creepy, it's seems that Emma is really tortured.. OMG *____*
The only thing: dosen't see Krum? 0_o?
THE COON HAS RETURNED
dream_loudly (now known as THE COON)
protecting HPF from trolls and other assorted douchebags since 2010
THE COON HAS RETURNED
dream_loudly (now known as THE COON)
protecting HPF from trolls and other assorted douchebags since 2010
if not, then they probably don't care that much about Potter to begin with.
I want like professional critic reviews. These magazines....eh, I don't really like them. I am now worried, however, that the major criticism will be the incomplete story arc.
Lord Stafford.
Although what is being said by him is completely true, Leo_Lovegood is being a hypocrite! I'm sorry Leo, but even though what you said had truth, you are kind of taking away everyone else's opinions from them. If they have a certain opinion, let them think it. Everyone is different, like you said, so there is no need for you to convince them to be on the same wavelength as you..
There.
My next comment will actually regard this thread post!
Either she missed it (because we have seen a photo) or they cut it... Hmm.
[quote=MikuzHP]Cut away to Ron and Harry in the cellar below, hearing Hermiones screams (which are absolutely heart-rending, Emma really does sound like shes being tortured!) Then you see Hermione lying on the floor, crying silently in despair, with Mudblood carved viciously into her arm. At first I thought it was a branding but there is blood. [/quote]
I am sooo excited to hear those screams.
I personally thought that was a nice review!!
IGN UK's review is more understandable. I'm pleased that they praised the acting as uniformly excellent and the action as thrilling, specifically the forest chase (which they call a stand-out in the series). Overall, it seemed solidly between a 3 and a 4 (3.5).
It's a rave!
https://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/iamreg/?url=http://www.newsoftheworld .co.uk/notw/nol_showbiz/nolcelebrity_movies/nolmovies_reviews/1137839/ Not-sticking-too-closely-to-the-book-makes-this-the-best-film-in-the-s eries-so-far.html
You have to be subscribed to read, but look at the URL!
[QUOTE]BREAK into Roy Castle's tomb, steal the sacred trumpet, and blast out a few bars of Dedication's What You Need.
Because, ladies and gentlemen - after six mixed Harry Potter movies - we finally have on our hands a record breaker.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is the best of its breed, in two respects.
It's the best seven-quel of all time - topping Saw 3D, Halloween H2O, Star Trek: Generations and even American Pie: The Book Of Love. But more importantly, it's better than all of the Harry Potter films that came before it.
Meaning ruddy finally, after nine years, Warner Bros has got a grasp on how to turn these tales into movies... instead of scene-by-scene recreations of some frankly overrated books.
And the result? Hand on heart, it's a towering achievement. Or half of a towering achievement, given that Part Two's not out until next summer.
In the film's opening shot, Bill Nighy's Rufus Scrimgeour says: "These are dark times, there is no denying."
And he's quite right. Because, as usual, every second scene looks like it has been filmed with the lights off.
The movie picks up with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) preparing to go on a journey - but this time not for another term at Hogwarts.
Instead, they're working with their closest allies to hunt down the Horcruxes - a set of magical items that the Dark Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes with Danniella Westbrook's collapsed septum) has hidden fragments of his soul in.
Wand-er girl... Hermione
There's a beautiful, brief sequence in which the three leads say their goodbyes to their childhood homes - followed by two equally brilliant, longer scenes that slickly bring you up to speed with the series' hefty cast of baddies and goodies.
And what's obvious from the off is that all of this looks and sounds like a proper movie should.
There's no faffing around, no pointless background detail, and swathes of JK Rowling's original dialogue has been cut. (No offence Rowling fans, but thank feck for that.)
And what little remains has been pared down into a tack-sharp screenplay that gives the cast more to do than just bumble from A to B and collect whatever clue or magical item is going to get them out of the next scrape.
Not since Azkaban have Harry, Ron and Hermione actually felt like real people who grow and change over the course of the film.
Maybe that's thanks to Daniel, Rupe and Emma noticeably stepping up their games.
But I suspect it's also down to braver direction from David Yates, who's now on his third Potter movie and seems to have found his groove (better late than never).
There's a scene around the halfway point that wasn't in the book in which Harry tries to cheer up Hermione by dancing with her in a tent.
And it's the movie's greatest moment - showing the Potter kid to be a complex, conflicted human being... albeit one who might want to spend some of his millions on a dancing coach.
Voldemort-al combat... dark lord Ralph
Cos holy moly, the guy makes Ann Widdecombe look like one of Pan's People.
What else is worth a plug? The arm-hair-tingling soundtrack from Alexandre Desplat, for a start, and the stupefyingly good production design, sound, editing, costumes and location scouting.
Some of the landscape shots while Harry, Ron and Hermione hunt for the Horcruxes are dazzling beyond belief.
The new supporting cast members (Red Riding's Peter Mullan is a standout as Death Eater Yaxley) impress too.
Plus this time round, the special-effects sequences never feel like padding or pointless eye candy tossed in to keep impatient punters happy (I'm looking at you, "Death Eater attack on The Burrow" in Half-Blood Prince).
It means the key plot points never play second fiddle to the spectacle. The Deathly Hallows even get their own animated back-story.
The decision to can the 3D version was spot on, too. It's obvious that even five minutes of Yates's zippy filming style in three dimensions would bring on a migraine the size of Hagrid's Y-fronts.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is not perfect - but the only problems are unavoidable ones, carried over from the book.
So, as such, it's a better Harry Potter movie and a much better piece of film-making than we had any right to expect.
Now bring on Part Two...
And inevitable, soul-crushing disappointment, when it turns out to be not quite as good as this.
[/QUOTE]
5/5
*_*
You got that from the live stream didn't you? lol!
Lord Stafford.
Lord Stafford.
Lord Stafford.
he didn't like the music (except "Obliviate","Malfoy Manor")... have told that middle of the film is borring, there is a few scenes with Scrimger, even less Snape scenes...
but there are a number of crying, interesting and lovely moments... Harry&Herm dance is sweet