Thoughts on DH2

[kelly_chambliss]

I finally saw DH2 (and can stop avoiding spoilers now; such a relief). Despite my inevitable quibbles and complaints, I mostly find it a fitting end to the film franchise. Some parts I loved (the McG/Snape duel); some parts I was neutral about (crystal boathouse? Um, okay, whatever); some parts simply baffled me (what was up with the Malfoys?); some parts I disliked (most of the Voldy/Harry interaction; the absence of any Albus/Gellert). But on the whole, I enjoyed it, and I plan to see it again while it's on the big screen (though ideally without the totally unnecessary 3D).

I liked:

1. Minerva, Minerva, Minerva. Okay, I had problems with "send the Slytherins to the dungeons." But otherwise, I loved

• the duel with Snape! Just perfect, even though we didn't get the flying daggers and snakes of canon. As I saw it, they both took care not to hurt each other (because in my personal canon, McG had figured out that Snape was on her side, and they both kept up an act for appearances' sake.)
  
• the escaped lock of hair! Adored this. Such a poignant, telling touch, more evocative and revealing than any screams or tears.
  
• all of Minerva's expressions as the battle started and raged -- so fierce and hollow-eyed and haggard and strong.
  
• "Good to see you, Potter" -- Only Maggie Smith could invest five words with so much warmth and depth.
  
• "I've always wanted to do that spell." -- Now on the one hand, that line is definitely OOC for book-Minerva. But Dame Maggie has always played Minerva as slightly dotty and fey, and I felt this line was in keeping with that interpretation. It added some shading to a character who was sadly neglected in HBP and DH1.

2. Bellatrix being Hermione being Bellatrix.

3. Aberforth!

4. Young Severus

5. Luna's moment of determination on the staircase. It was so good to see her not get brushed aside and patronized as usual.

6. The fact that the Molly/Bella duel was not over-the-top. And they also nicely downplayed the "mother protecting her cubs" idea. I'm not much of a fan of canon Molly, but I liked how Julie Walters played her here, a woman of steely determination and a lot of magical power.

7. Poor Filch sweeping up -- haha! I know this scene could be interpreted as simply ridiculing him, but I chose to see it as a testimonial to his dedication to the castle and his pride in his job.

8. The parallel "Always" lines: there's Snape's canon line about his love for Lily ("after all this time?" says Albus. "Always," says SS.) Then the film gives us the same line from Lily's shade in the forest: "Will you stay will me?" asks Harry. "Always," says Lily. Very effective, I thought.

9. The fact that Nagini's attack on Snape is not actually shown; aside from a few shadowy movements, we hear the attach more than we see it. I suspect this choice was made to protect the delicate sensibilities of children, but it ended up being much more moving and powerful by being indirect.

10. And they kept Snape's "Look at me" as he died! Yes! I was so afraid this line was going to go the way of "don't call me a coward." Rickman underplayed it beautifully.

I was also pleased by several things that we did not get:

--no Snape-shaped hole!
--no thundering herd of desks with McG yelling "charge!"
--no happy Grawp being fed tidbits after the battle. (I find the whole Grawp thing annoying in canon.)

I didn't like:

1. The way that Hermione is diminished in the narrative. She does think of the dragon escape, but during the battle proper (unlike book canon), she's mostly timid and tentative. The worst moment is when she kills the Hufflepuff Cup horcrux -- she's teary and terrified, moaning "I don't think I can," until big, strong Ron comforts and encourages her. There's none of this in the book; in canon, all the Trio have their moments of fear -- who wouldn't? -- but Hermione never turns all hand-wringing and helpless the way she does here.

2. No Albus/Gellert at all!

3. The scene of the departing Malfoys, Lucius skulking along in Narcissa's wake looking like Marty Feldman as Igor from Young Frankenstein.

4. To my mind, the entire Voldemort/Harry confrontation was a disappointment and an anticlimax. Specifically, I disliked

• the way the final confrontation takes place in isolation. Now, you can argue that in canon, this scene is pretty cheesy: a huge crowd standing around like an audience at a prizefight, watching the boys duel. But cheesy or not, I liked it: it was exactly what we needed, a final confrontation that (mostly) lived up to its multi-volume buildup. It's like those climactic scenes in sports movies, where a packed, awe-struck stadium watches the underdogs finally make the winning goal/touchdown/home run/whatever. Yes, it's trite; yes, it's more fantasy than reality, but it's a satisfying convention that we all expect. And there was no reason that the film couldn't have done this. If they didn't want two massive crowd scenes, they could have skipped some of that inexplicable business of genial Voldy hugging Draco (wtf, seriously?) As it stands, no one witnesses V's death, no one hears the vindication of Snape, etc. Sure, Harry can explain it later, but it won't be the same.
  
• the various laughable touches. What was with the weird magical bondage, for example? And the image of V and H pitching over the cliff like Holmes and Moriarty taking a header off Reichenbach Falls -- cartoonish, I thought.

Things I was sorry not to see--

--Minerva/Pomona interaction. I hoped to see them exchange their "look of grim understanding." We got virtually nothing of Pomona, really, just a couple of passing shots. I can understand why, from a filmmaking standpoint. But still.

--the Ravenclaw common room. I know, I know -- it was completely unnecessary. But I wanted to see it, so there.

--a glimpse of Minerva post-battle. We got to a shot of nearly everyone else.

Continuity Question -- in Snape's pensieve memories, we see Lily tell baby Harry -- "Mummy loves you, Daddy loves you." Gag me, but okay, parental love is a huge theme in the books, so I guess I can tolerate it. But that's not my point. My point is this: how would Snape have memories of that scene? Are we supposed to assume that he was present during Lily's entire murder? I know he rushes in after she dies (in the film, at least). But when would he have seen her talk to Harry? If he was there the whole time, then Lily probably saw him and must have assumed that he was party to the attack. No wonder Severus is tortured with remorse. (Severus being at Godric's Hollow is another of those film canon things that I'm neutral about.)

I know I had other thoughts, but I must have put them in a pensieve or something, because I can't think of anything else at the moment.

ETA -- How could I forget how much I hated Snape's "you have your mother's eyes?" Thank you, anonymous commentator (Moira?) for reminding me. Far too sentimental and OOC.

Comments

[woldy]

how would Snape have memories of that scene That really bugged me too! I got the sense that the film-makers took it as an opportunity to add any flashback scenes they felt like, and somehow overlooked the fact that a) those scenes all needed to be from Snape's POV, and b) they were being given to Harry for a purpose. IMHO the idea of him being present when she's killed is absurd - or at least it utterly contradicts what he says about being willing to do 'anything' to protect her, in which a lot of canon doesn't make much sense.

Speaking of the pensieve, it as really weird how they threw out it's canon description as a stone basic and turned it into a silver tray, which was far less impressive, I thought.

[kelly_chambliss]

I got the sense that the film-makers took it as an opportunity to add any flashback scenes they felt like

Yes, exactly. And as Maggie points out elsewhere on the threat, Harry's age is completely wrong, too. I always had the distinct feeling that quite a few people involved in the films didn't actually read the books (um, Maggie Smith, for instance?)

[grey_gazania]

I loved Minerva with the knights, and Bellatrix being Hermione being Bellatrix. I also really liked the woman they cast for Helena; I thought she did a wonderful job. But I was disappointed in the way they split Neville's scene with Voldemort and Nagini, and also in how they staged the latter. Not nearly as impressive as it could have been.

Regarding Harry and Voldemort's little dive off the cliff, you might enjoy this and this. ;)

[kelly_chambliss]

Haha! Thanks for the links. Yeah, huggy Voldy just doesn't work for me.

[magnetic_pole]

I agree with you about Hermione. That superfluous moment--"I don't think I can do it, Ron!"--really rankled with me.

And I had the same thoughts about POV issues with Lily's death. (I was also annoyed that Harry was so young--6 mo. rather than a year and 6 mo.--which isn't such a big deal itself but underlines just how little they cared about character age in the films.)

All and all, though, I think I had the fewest opinions about this film because I hardly remember the book and had more or less resigned myself to a film that lacked any further characterization or thematic development. *wry smile* M.

[kelly_chambliss]

I hadn't thought about the age, but of course you're right. Same problem in the first film, too, now that I think of it.

Are you free for coffee any time this coming week? I'll be headed back to school on the 13th (earlier than I had planned -- just learned this week that I'll have meetings on the day I'd expected to be traveling).

[woldy]

You're right about Harry's age in that scene. Perhaps they thought a baby looked cuter than a toddler, and would evoke more audience sympathy? It certainly clashes with the description of him on a broomstick in Sirius' letter to Lily, but maybe that didn't make it into the film - I don't remember DH1 enough.