Thursday, July 14, 2011

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows : Part 2

 I must admit to being a Harry Potter fan. I love the novels and the movies have been alot of fun and generally of an equal quality. But for me the movies made a mistake with the cliff hanger ending of The Half blood Prince. I enjoyed the whole movie up to that point but that ending stuffed it all up as it made the whole thing feel like little more than a movie that joined its predecesor to The Deathly Hallows.

 If the Deathly Hallows was only one movie then that would have sat better with me but with it being split into two parts that cliff hanger end clanged badly. How can you have a cliff hanger with the very end two movies away?? Suffice to say I didn't feel the need to have two movies made from the one novel, and for me it was nothing more than a money grab. The Deathly Hallows Part 1 was the first movie of the franchise that I wasn't fussed on. I didn't really enjoy it and felt it was no more than another Harry Potter movie. The franchise had gained a creakiness which I think Part 2 confirmed.

 Firstly I can't really say I enjoyed Part 2. Unfortunately with the bombardment of CGI movies we have been subjected to lately this Harry Potter movie just got lost in the crowd, and to my jaded eyes it was nothing more than Transformers/ Green Lantern/ X-Men, all over again. Hollywood has got to wake up to the word 'VARIETY'. I would have viewed part 2 differently if I hadn't seen almost the same thing the week before. The plot and script are fine but visually the CGI to my eyes was just more of the same and to be honest I was BORED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..the first time in ANY of the franchise's movies.

 If you think I'm kidding then watch the scene where Professor McGonagall re-animates the stone knight statues. Watch how they land on the court yard and tell me that that very idea wasn't lifted from how each scene started in Sucker Punch! There were several other CGI moments that looked familiar, and again Hollywood has got to start interspersing CGI movies with live movies without CGI ( ie. with actors alone!! ), so as to avoid the jadedness that I think is kiling movies like this. They are all starting to look alike!!

 And this was the shame of it as I really wanted to enjoy it and see the franchise out in style. But all I got was more of the same, and I come back to the issue of splitting the movie into two parts. It was un-necessary and the two movies felt too stretched out for my liking. The problem too as was always going to happen was the three main protagonists looked too old for their parts. I had real trouble buying into the boy wizard as he isn't a boy anymore! The character of Neville Longbottom was a joke as he has put in a real growth spurt since the last movie as to be utterly unconvincing. This was always going to happen and again two parts were a mistake because of this.

 So I suppose it is fortunate this is the last of the franchise because the actors are passed their credible ages for their roles. For me it wasn't the right way to see the franchise out by splitting the last movie, and the two parts of The Deathly Hallows have left me feeling unsatisfied both times. It is a pity as the money grab took precedent over making one last great movie. Instead it has been stretched out and with it I think some of the charm and pleasure that the preceeding movies all had is missing.

Unsatisfying, with the odour of lucre I'm afraid. The Deathly Hallows should never have been split into two parts as neither part is particularly good and a let down for the preceeding movies. For this fan it was a disappointing end to a wonderful franchise, and with it a decade long phenomenom.

Click here for a synopsis and more:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1201607/

7 comments:

  1. Nice write up, but I completely disagree. This film was nothing but a piece of artwork in my opinion. Check out my review if you want!

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  2. YAWN..I was bored and nothing is going to change that!

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  3. I've kind of been a passenger more than a card carrying fan on this series but I actually enjoyed these last 2 flims. I know the CGI gets under your skin but having not read the book I had no idea how else something of that size would be done.

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  4. I know I know I know and of course it couldn't be done without CGI..the point I'm making is I see CVGI movies every week and they all start running into each other to the point of being indistinguisable.
    I was genuinely bored I'm afarid.

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  5. I with Daniel - never had any inclination to read a book and never will but viewing the film as a film fan alone I thought they did a good job in bringing the franchise to a satisfactory ending.

    I know you aren't a fan of an over usage of CGI but I don't think that the CGI was the problem in Part2. I think the film just lacked decent set pieces as there wasn't a single jaw dropping moment in the entire film.

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  6. Terrific review, despire that I disagree. I thoguht it was a really thrilling exdperience. Great points, and I know what you mean about CGI. Great blog you have here, I'll be sure to follow! check me out some time: www.filmmasterjournal..blogspot.com

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  7. Sorry but this bored me senseless! I was unimpresed with it and found it nothing more than a money grab. The last book din't have to be split into two films at all, one would have sufficed.

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