Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
"As Harry, Ron and Hermione race against time and evil to destroy the Horcruxes, they uncover the existence of the three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows."
- IMDB
No easy way to say this - but Deathly Hallows Part 1 is my least favorite Potter film. It's just a dramatic camping trip. No Hogwarts. Sure there a couple of good moments here and there, my favorite scene being the dance between Harry & Hermione - 2 friends on this perilous isolating journey bonding together in a rare moment of positivity. The Seven Harrys are iconic. And Harry's moment at his parents' grave always makes me cry. But overall, it's boring to me and is just a set up for Part 2.
I usually try to give a shoutout to the amazing cast & crew, but I have trouble thinking of new additions. Of course, the Davids - Heyman & Yates - are back. J.K. Rowling is credited as a Producer in these final installments. Steve Kloves, Mark Day, Fiona Weir, Stuart Craig, & Jany Temime are all names we have seen constantly in the last several films. Bill Nighy finally got a little Potter action as Scrimgeour. Michele Fairly had a single shot and a single line as Hermione's mom (is this considered a cameo?). Domhnall Gleeson is here as Bill Weasley. Charlie is pretty much non-existent at this point. Alexandre Desplat is undeniably the man of the hour as if there is anything I love about this film, it's the soundtrack. Like... wow. From the very first song played in the first 5 minutes, he is not playing!
It definitely hits different seeing Grindelwald. I do want to point out that Rowling tried really hard to give as much story on Grindelwald as she possible could in the books. In the movie, he has like one blurry scene. He's got his own freaking chapter in the book. He's referenced and talked about a lot. It may not be a Fantastic Beasts level of intrusion, but this was about 10 pages away from being a Grindelwald story. IT ALSO HITS DIFFERENT IN A POST STRANGER THINGS 4 WORLD! Jamie Campbell Bower plays a Young Grindelwald. Johnny Depp eventually portrays the character. And both actors were in Sweeney Todd with Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, & Timothy Spall...... Not to mention they've both been in projects with Winona Ryder...
Anyways, staying on topic - the Deathly Hallows. The cool animation with Hermione's narration was cool and all, but what makes the tale of the Deathly Hallows is that it's real. It's not just a wizarding fairy tale. There were actual brothers who owned these items, and the trio quickly realizes this. It's also interesting to note that we know for a fact that both Voldemort and Harry are descendants of the brothers given their family heirlooms. Rowling has a way of making crazy connections like this and it blows my mind.
Despite my overall thoughts on the film, the final act at Malfoy Manor is pretty spicy. Question - people that hate Snape, do you still defend Draco? Draco was a bully. He was cruel and racist, I don't care if it was his parents' fault. But he never wanted to actually hurt anyone. I'd never classify him as a good person, but he wasn't bad either. I'd say the same for Snape. Dobby on the other hand.... pure light. He was too good for this world. This death.... I think a lot of my generation can source part of their trauma to Dobby's death.
And with that, Voldemort has the Elder Wand, and the final battle really begins.
My Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
"Harry, Ron, and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord as the final battle rages on at Hogwarts."
- IMDB
It's always satisfying to see the Escape from Gringotts. I remember I read a magazine where Emma Watson described her experience jumping on the dragon on set. I went to my mom who owned and read all the books and asked her what that meant, like why the heck is she jumping on a dragon? I had no idea where the story was going. Everything about the Deathly Hallows was new to me. I just happened to be in my big Middle School-High School reading phase. So I read all the books. All of them. It took me a year, but by the time I got to the theaters to see Deathly Hallows Part 2 - I was right in the middle of the Battle of Hogwarts chapters. Reading the books changed me forever. From then on I was a Harry Potter fan. And now that's what everyone knows me for. All because I wanted to know why Emma Watson had to jump on a dragon.
It definitely hits different seeing Aberforth. He really is quite an interesting character. The Dumbledore nobody knows about. The owner of the grand Hog's Head. The dude with the goats. I must applaud Fantastic Beasts because Aberforths grouchiness is completely understandable now. He was just angry that Albus died, still held resentment for what happened to Ariana the Obscurus, upset that the war seemed lost, and annoyed at how dedicated Harry was to his given quest. Newt & Harry are not so different - two little outcasts on some epic quest with minimal background information and a difficult job to do against the great forces of history. Ciarán Hinds may have one scene, but he did a great job portraying the emotion of the unknown & unwritten history of the brothers.
On this day, 25 years ago, the Battle of Hogwarts saw the end of the Wizarding War and the Death of Lord Voldemort
Even typing about the Battle of Hogwarts makes me emotional. On the other hand, it was also pretty epic. The MVPs were undeniably McGonagall & Neville. Minerva's stand off with Snape was a bit sad because he didn't want to hurt her. But she, not knowing anything, was ready to throw hands & probably would've killed him lol. "Piertotem Locomotor." I mean.... Don't tell me that moment doesn't give you chills. I love how Harry tells Neville to "hold the fort." It's a small moment, but I always catch that line because look at how far he has come. Neville is actually the best. 😭 I love the moment when Harry reveals himself to Snape. What's left of the Order walks in. That part is epic as well. It's like when Thor showed up to Wakanda & Bruce was like "you're all screwed now!" Same energy.
Now, Harry vs Voldemort was drastically different in the film and book - one of the most major adaption changes in the entire series. I'm pretty neutral to which one I prefer. The book version is more emotional and is a crazy stand off for everyone to witness, but it's just a bit too much talking for a film. Though the film version is kinda dumb until that final duel moment. They connect in a duel, Neville kills Nagini, and then it's over. Music is amazing, the Elder Wand flies into Harry's hands - All was well.
The way JK Rowling wrote Voldemort, he was very dark, menacing, evil. Essentially the wizarding world Hitler. "Terrible, yes, but great." He successfully, twice, gathered a large cult following and killed hundreds, directly or indirectly. He took over the government, he killed anyone that stood in his way, he killed followers if they did something he didn’t like. He was ruthless. But just like with any battle against good and evil. Light wins. Love wins. Always… Ralph Fiennes portrayed him to be this crazy evil dude and he did great... but....
Voldy has become quite the meme hasn’t he. I remember in Middle School and a bit of High School, I hated him. He’s the bad guy, of course I hated him. But now I’m in love. There are too many videos on the internet of people doing sexy dancing in Voldemort costumes. Any cosplay or impersonation of Voldemort is legendary. Ralph, you’re phenomenal buddy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t laugh when you’re hugging Draco or rubbing your bald head as you breath heavily through the slits on your face. And boyyyyy is he fit. Like when he is dueling Dumbledore and raises his arms, pay attention, ya boi got the biceps. Cursed Child doesn’t exist to me, but heck, of course Bellatrix wanted some of that action.. And the way he holds his wand.... like his actual wand guys, c’mon.
Movie Voldemort is entertaining. He ruins every moment he’s in, like you’re supposed be crying but instead you be like nyeh heh heh. Voldemort has a direct line to my heart and my funny bone. He might be slowly becoming one of my favorite characters... so... thanks Ralph lololol You are changing the world, one nyeh heh heh at a time. lolololol
There is nothing that gets me more than Snape's death. I'm a Snape supporter. He was a bad guy that did a lot of good. I see myself in him for that. He was a man riddled with guilt of his own actions and hatred for the world as a whole. He was a teen hanging with the wrong crowd. In real life 18-21 year olds are in college getting drunk at parties or something. Snape joined a freaky evil cult and was indirectly the cause of the death of the love of his life. Yeah, he was a bully. But there was no one he hated more than himself. Underneath it all, he had a heart, and was capable of love too. "Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living and above all, those who live without love."
With my love for Snape comes the biggest emotional breakdown of the year everytime I witness his death. The movie is great, but Snape drops the "you have your mothers eyes" line and I'm like 😭😭😭 for literally 24 minutes. I've counted. And it's not just because Snape died. Before I get a chance to recover from his death, Harry just had to walk through the Great Hall to see the bodies of Fred, Tonks, and... Remus... 😭Life isn't fair. Remus is my other favorite character.... I can't bring myself to talk about it.... Then we see McGonagall who watches Harry as he leaves. 😭Then we watch Snape's memories that includes his past, scenes from other movies, and the infamous line - "After all this time? ...Always."😭Then I remember Alan Rickman is dead. 😭And Harry says goodbye to Ron & Hermione before heading to the forest. "I'll go with you." 😭
It doesn't end there. The Master of Death. "I open at the close." Harry is technically the owner of all the Deathly Hallows. With the Resurrection Stone in his hand, he sees Lily, James, Sirius, & Remus for the last time. 😭"You'll stay with me?" "Until the end." 😭 "Stay close to me." "Always." 😭Finally I get a chance to breath. We see Dumbledore one last time and have several minutes of Voldemort being hilariously cringey. Harry sacrificed himself. It was his love for the Wizarding World that helped him win the fight and become a Hero with his own Chocolate Frog Card. Hagrid brought Harry into this magical world... and poetically carried him away. Oh yeah, Robbie Coltrane is dead. 😭 Neville proved he was a Gryffindor with his speech, and was willing to die in that very moment. He pulled out Sword of Gryffindor while Harry jumped out like "call and ambulance but not for me."
I don't cry again until the last shot of the trio standing in front of Hogwarts. And then - 19 years later................ I don't wanna talk about it because I don't wanna think about Cursed Child 🤮 But it really is a beautiful ending. The credits role. The classic theme from Sorcerer's Stone plays. Even now, I just want to sit down and start over. No matter what I do in life. No matter what shows or movies I watch. Harry Potter is the series I always go back to. And even though the movies aren't perfect, the experience of my annual marathon is a feeling nothing else gives. It's magic.
This is the very first movie I have ever ever seen at a movie theater twice. Nothing compared to the five times I saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them when it released....... Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, I was almost done reading the book series. I believe everything after Snape's death was new to me. Remember in ENDGAME when everyone in the theater was freaking out as the Avengers appeared through the portals? That was literally my theater when Molly Weasley put an end to Bellatrix Lestrange with style. She is a BAMF. It's honestly the greatest moment in the entire series.
I ended up finishing the Deathly Hallows book on September 1st. You can still see the tear on the final page of my book. I could literally write an essay about how I'm a Harry Potter fan. I'm not kidding. I have witnessed several people introduce me to someone like "This is Hollis, she's massive Harry Potter fan." I sort every person and fictional character I know into Hogwarts Houses. I have a wonderful talent of somehow sliding in Potter references into literally every situation, even if no one notices. 73% of my Room décor is Potter themed and about half the socks I own are Potter as well.
I'm a Potter fan before anything else. I know there are controversies surrounding the franchise; these controversies bothered me plenty. But every time I have that marathon, the feeling that Hogwarts gives me is unmatched, irreplaceable, and the most comforting. Through all the ups and downs, whether I thought I was gay or straight, child, teen, adult, happy, depressed, anything in between - the Wizarding World has been the most consistency in my life. It's home. The places, the characters, the quotes, the music, the memes, the magic.... When I shed tears watching this movie, that's what I'm thinking about. The credits roll, the music plays.... And all I want to do is start Harry's journey all over again.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★
Over 2 years ago, I started this blog with Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone. These blog posts are the definitive reviews of my Harry Potter movie experiences. These blogs are amongst my favorite, of course. I hope you check out every single one of them.
"Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic, capable of both influencing injury, and remedying it."
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