Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt.1

[SpiritWarrior]

This one was just badly directed and written, I felt. The story is a continuation on the good work that we saw in the other movies, so no credit goes to Hallows for that. Even then, the story doesn't seem immersive now. Not handled well IMO.

Some movies, such as Order of the Phoenix, Half Blood Prince or Goblet of Fire, are so good that we forgive these fallicies and flaws. But, make no mistake, they do still persist throughout the franchise. Basically, when the focus centers around other characters that are not Harry, I eagerly allow them to "steal the show". Like the female teacher Dolores, sent by the ministry. In Order of the Phoenix, her part was so well-written and so aptly played, that I almost wanted her to "win". And that movie had many undertones...it was almost a sattirical jab at politics today. You'll see what I mean before I give anything else away.

Glad you're watching them, I am sure they are dirt cheap to rent in bulk even.

[Cerek]

Chamber of Secrets

I've seen parts of this one before, but this was only the second time I've watched it all the way through. So far, it still follows the type of plot and storyline I would expect with a developing prodigy. Hermoine is still the most studious and knowledgeable of the three and (not surprisingly) is still well ahead of Ron and Harry when it comes to spells. She now can use Mass Hold Person (on the pixies) and has the confidence to attempt the complicated polyjuice potion. She is also very well-read and, thus, has an extensive knowledge on practically any topic that is magic-related. This includes everything from her knowledge of mandrakes to history of Hogwarts. So still isn't too surprising even Harry still looks to her when they need a plan or big spell. But Harry is developing in his own skills as well.

He is able to not only hold his own, but knock Draco flat of his ass even when he knows the spell is coming. We also see part of the "Chosen One" powers he possesses when he uses parseltongue on the snake Draco conjures up. That ability is enough to stun Snape and the other professors in attendance. Later, Harry is the one that figures out how Hermoine and the others could "see" the basilisk without being killed. He also figures out Lucius Malfoy planted Tom Riddle's diary in Ginny's cauldron at Diagon Alley. So while he still prefers to have Hermoine's help, he is showing a growing capability to decipher the clues, look past injected distractions and see the real picture. He also displays growing confidence (when he stands up to Malfoy's threat in Dumbledore's office without flinching), cleverness (when he not only reveals Malfoy's involvement to him, but tricks him into freeing Dobby at the same time) and bravery (talking back to Malfoy with Dumbledore at his side is one thing, risking his wrath after tricking him to free Dobby is a different matter entirely). I really liked the scene at the end because it was very believable (IMO). Harry is not intimidated by Malfoy's future threat and is willing to use the powerful wizard's arrogance against him (with Dobby), but when Malfoy whips out his wand and begins advancing, Harry realizes he may have just bitten off a little more than he can chew. Again, that would be fairly typical of a brash youth suddenly being faced with the immediate consequences of his brash actions.

As for Ron, he is still bumbling, but it isn't entirely his fault. His spells backfire, but mainly because his wand is damaged. He does use the car to get them to school and goes with Harry into the Dark Forest despite his obvious fear of spiders. And it is the enchanted car that comes to their rescue, which Ron can take indirect credit for providing.

As for the battle with the basilisk, I agree with SW that Harry continues to be saved by outside help (this time from the phoenix). It's easier to overlook in this movie than the last, because the sword he pulls from the hat would only be provided to a true Gryffindor (according to Dumbledore), so it advances his heritage and legacy and it's acceptable to believe that having the phoenix come to his aid is part of the benefit of being the "Chosen One".

The "power of love" explanation used in Sorcerer's Stone (by comparison) was just LAAAAAME. I suppose the evil professor was so consumed with hate (partly a result from hosting Voldemort) that he could not bear the "touch of love", but for his flesh to rot and turn to ash from the reaction was just too much of a stretch for me.

Final Analysis? So far, the series is progressing about the way I would expect and it sounds as if I haven't even seen the best of the series yet. It will be interesting to see where the train starts to go off the tracks, so to speak. Maybe it doesn't really become apparent until Deathly Hallows. I saw Half-Blood Prince in theaters last year and don't remember having these questions of inconsistency then. We'll see. But it will be a couple of weeks since I know the boys (especially my oldest) will want to watch the movies with me. Fortunately, our local video store rents ALL their movies for $1/day.

[Bungleau]

Since seeing Deathly Hallows part 1, I've started re-reading the book. I came across a rather interesting section of text last night that I'll reproduce here. It takes place after the escape to the Barrows:

"Wait till it gets out yeh did it again, Harry," said Hagrid. "Escaped him, fought him off when he was right on top of yeh." "It wasn't me," said Harry flatly. "It was my wand. My wand acted of its own accord." *various explanations* "No," said Harry. "The bike was falling. I couldn't have told you where Voldemort was, but my wand spun in my hand and found him and shot a spell at him, and it wasn't even a spell I recognized. I've never made gold flames appear before." *more explanations* "It wasn't like that," said Harry through gritted teeth. His scar was burning: He felt angry and frustrated. He hated the idea that they were all imagining him to have power to match Voldemort's No one said anything. He knew they did not believe him. Now that he came to think of it, he had never heard of a wand performing magic on its own before.

Also in the book, there's a large section about Hermione preparing which books she was going to take with them on their journey. So it wasn't as unexpected and brilliant of her as the movie might lead you to think.

Going to enjoy reading this again, I can tell...

And Cerek, you might check your local library too. Policies vary, but at ours, movies are free...

[Hindsight]

..going with wifey this PM. Looking forward to it!

[Hindsight]

Yes, definitely excellent! Plus, there were 15 people in the theatre (which was huge) it was like we had it to ourselves.

[SpiritWarrior]

Glad you liked it. There were only like 15 ppl in mine too when I went. Guess I missed the masses.

[Cerek]

Almost caught up now. One of our cable stations actually had Harry Potter marathons last weekend, showing all movies so far (up through Order of Pheonix) back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday both. I've now seen all the movies, except Half-Blood Prince in the last few weeks, so the storylines are more cohesive now. I tried to rent Half-Blood Prince today, but it was already gone. Anyway, here are my reactions on the rest of the series.

Prisoner of Azkaban

Very well written and directed, IMO. The Dementors were very scary and definitely cast a dark pall over the school (literally). Hermoine continues to be dedicated (almost to the point of obsession) to learning as much as possible about magic, potions, herbs, folklore and anything else remotely related to the arcane arts. She even uses a time-bending device to attend two classes at the same time. Of course, one has to wonder WHEN she has time to do any of her homework since she still constantly runs around the grounds with Harry and Ron when they should all be retired to their respective quarters. And - once again - Hermoine is the one that comes up with the master plan to set things aright after they've gone horribly wrong.

Harry continues to show the improvement and promise I would expect from the Chosen One. He still has tremendous doubts about his ability and a fear of his destiny with Voldemort, but he also seems (from the very beginning of the series) to inherently less intimidated by V's power and legacy, as he continues to be the only one who will say his name with disturbing frequency and impunity. Even Dumbledore hesitates to say the name of He-Who-Shall-Never-Be-Named. Some, maybe at some subconscious level, Harry has accepted his destiny and doesn't buy into all the mystique that surrounds his nemesis. He also shows some serious power at the end, fighting off dozens of Dementors with his Petronis. The display is so powerful, Harry believes it was his father when he "witnessed" it during the original timeline. So we finally see some of the mega-power expected of the Chosen One.

And Ron continues to be little more than a bumbling fool with very rare flashes of ingenuity that help the group out, but still not enough to outweigh the massive amount of time he spends as dead weight.

[SpiritWarrior]

Yes, Prisoner of Azkaban is when HP started getting good for me. Did you, for a brief second, see the stag made of light when he cast the massive patronus? He shares the same symbol with his dad, and the stag appearing is like a manifestation of his father within his own spell. This is one of the few times Harry demonstrates an ability befitting the chosen one.

Sadly, almost every time, it takes an entire movie for him to steal Hermione's thunder and actually do something. I feel like I am always waiting an eternity just to see the boy-wizard actually work some magic. In the meantime, we watch everyone else BUT him do neat stuff. Sometimes I wonder why they call it Harry Potter. Why not just "Hogwarts" or "Hermione & Friends"?

[Cerek]

Goblet of Fire

NOW the series is starting to get really good; a competition between wizards, Draco being humiliated (although Hermoine's punch in the nose was funnier) and....DRAGONS! What's not to like?

Wellllll, the whole issue of Ron being extremely jealous of Harry for one thing. I mean, it isn't like he doesn't KNOW Harry is the Chosen One, so it shouldn't really be any surprise that his name popped out of the Goblet. And the only skill Harry has any confidence in is his flying, so it IS rather ridiculous that Ron would (a) think Harry decided he WANTED the spotlight and glory of the competition (since Harry has done everything to DOWNplay his destiny in the other movies) and (b) not support him as a friend, whether he beleived him or not. I agree with Harry that Ron was "a right foul git" who is showing pettiness and jealousy instead of loyal friendship.

Harry does well against the dragon (of course) and I REALLY liked the animation/graphics of the Hornclaw - especially when he is climbing across the steep rooftops of the school towards Harry.

Potter, on the other hand, shows how deeply Ron's jealousy hurts him. He doesn't care about the pins everyone is wearing and apologizes to Cedric for his name coming out. The only reaction Harry really cares about is the one from his supposed "best friend" who suddenly won't talk to him. I thought that was pretty spot-on for their age at that time.

Harry again shows true leadership qualities, rescuing the french contestants sister even though it meant losing the competition. He also shot up the flare to have her rescued from the maze. Then, at the end of the maze, Cedric offers to let Harry have the cup and Harry insists they take it together. Unfortunately, that leads to Cedric being killed, but at least he found success in the afterlife in Twilight.

And Harry finally meets Voldemort in human form and has to face a full-on attack from him. It is only natural that Harry would duck for cover and cower in fear at first, but then we see the fear leave Harry's eyes and he comes out to face Voldemort one-on-one. He even manages to hold his own against him for a few minutes. Yeah, Harry gets "saved" by outside help, this time in the form of several ghosts, but at least he has shown Voldemort that he WILL stand up to him and not back down.

For once, Hermoine plays a relatively minor role in the story. I know the movies all tend to run together when watching them so close to one another, but I really don't remember any great plans or fantastic spells from her this time. This story focused almost exclusively on Harry for a change and we start seeing even more development into the Chosen One that will be able to face Voldemort and conquer him.

Overall, it was one of my favorites so far.

[Firestormalpha]

GoF, is definately one of the best IMO. But, one might put forth that Harry wouldn't have even gotten as far as he did in the competition without help from friends.

Granted, though, a true leader/hero (at least as far as I'm concerned) never truly succeeds alone.