I’ll make this brief.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” hits this weekend. It will be massive. The devoted will turn out and love it. The sense of grand closure will settle for many. But I’ll just have to cop here at the beginning to the fact that I cannot connect the dots on this series and likely never will.
I suppose I’ll just focus on what I did enjoy about the latest film, which I saw last night, rather than wallow in the overall displeasure. Who wants to be a spoilsport? A party-pooper? A wet blanket? A kill-joy? A fuddy-duddy?
Mercifully, the film clocks in at just over two hours, rather than blowing right on past the two-and-a-half-hour mark like most of the other films in the franchise. And since it’s largely built around action sequences and an overall vibe of suspense, it moved along nicely. I liked that.
Ralph Fiennes gives the performance that should be talked about in this film (not Alan Rickman, who is fine as always, but is getting a bit of an exaggerated wind in his sails based on his character’s arc). Ever since his first appearance in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” Fiennes seems to be the actor who both relishes the part and gets the delirious absurdity of it all. And he’s fantastic. I liked that.
David Yates finds a few interesting directorial strokes that I think have been absent from his work on the series since “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” whether it’s the first ominous image of Hogwarts flanked by Death Eaters or the careful use of sound (or lack thereof) amid the chaos of battle. I liked that.
Maggie Smith gets to be a badass. I liked that.
The production value is once again top-notch, specifically Alexander Desplat’s delicate score and Stuart Craig’s detailed production design, as well as some of the best effects used in the series to date. I liked that.
So that’s one, two, three, four, five things I liked. Hey, that’s pretty good, right? Wait. Just allow me to put forth at least one quibble.
SPOILERS
With something like $7 billion and counting, would it have killed them to invest in a little performance-capture for the 19-years-later coda, which as it is asks the audience to buy these characters as significantly older with little more than a belly for Rupert Grint, some sideburns for Daniel Radcliffe, some dodgy makeup for Tom Felton and, well, nothing at all for Emma Watson?
END SPOILERS
And so it all ends. Finally. What will the legacy of these films be beyond box office? It’s left to be seen. But they are not for me. I don’t know that I’ll ever re-visit them, unless I happen to have a child who latches on.
Congratulations to everyone who made a boatload of money on the series. It makes the world go ’round.
[Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures]
Comments
84 responses to “My only friend, the end”
I’ve been totally in the bag for all of these movies. Some are better than others BUT I don’t think there’s any denying that there was at least some care put into this series. It was better made, cast, etc … than it ever needed to be to make money. So, there is always that. They’re not for everybody, clearly, but they were for me.
And I fully appreciate that.
Is it Oscar worthy like some reviews are saying?
These were never meant to be taken too seriously, and yet people keep trying to. Honestly, the subtle and intimate approach wasn’t working so much with “Part 1”, but I’m glad they finally took advantage of their blockbuster status. It looks like a fun action film with worthy production values and some ample emotion to boot. That’s really all you can ask for out of a midsummer movie.
Well, without seeing the film I suspect the much shorter running time is a great asset as DH1 had one of the most slowly paced and often pointless second acts I had seen in a major release in some time, and the decision to split the book into two films lead to the inclusion of many unnecessary scenes.
So hopefully I will like this film more than you did, though I’m not really confident as I haven’t been a big fan of the Yates films. I think the series peaked with the third and fourth films and was improving with each entry up till the point, but found the fifth and seventh to be easily the weakest movies. Either way, it will certainly be huge at the b.o., a billion worldwide and even smashing Dark Knight’s opening weekend record wouldn’t surprise me.
So…slightly off topic, Kris…was THE teaser attached?
“Maggie Smith gets to be a badass.” That’s all I need to know in order to feel certain I’ll love the movie.
Also, I’m glad you get that Ralph Fiennes is just loving the campiness of it. Some people don’t seem to pick up on that. I would say the same holds true for Helena Bonham Carter, though maybe it doesn’t come across as much in the final film (which I obviously haven’t seen yet).
Their roles remind me of Frank Langella’s great performance in “Masters of the Universe”… except they have the good fortune of being in a fantasy project that’s less horrendously bad (and is even quite good).
I respect a lot that even if you never were into the series, you took time to write things you liked about the ending rather “than wallow in the overall displeasure”. I personally can’t wait and I’m ecstatic about the positive response its getting by the critics. I look forward to a “Tell us what you thought of…” post about the movie, always a good read!
Yes, Kris. In your opinion, where might Harry 7:2 strike noms or potential wins concerning Oscars?
With regard to your quibble in the “spoiler” section — They originally shot that entire scene in “old person” makeup. Paparazzi pictures surfaced and it was really bad. They looked like they were all 65 years old. It’s only 19 years later, and they’re only 17 years old in the movie… so in the epilogue, they’re only supposed to be 36 years old. And that’s the problem. I think it would’ve been a lot easier to make them look 65. After fan outcry over the pictures, they re-shot the entire epilogue. I haven’t seen the film yet, but according to your quibble that they don’t look like they’ve aged much, that’s actually a relief for me. I think it’s hard to take a 21 year old actor and make them look 36, because a lot of 36 year olds still look really good……. ya know?
96% on RT, 1 billion or so likely at the worldwide box office.
Isn’t Potter simply too big to ignore. And with no Pixar or summer Nolan film in the mix, it’s perfect timing for the boy wizard.
I really don’t see it happening.
Read the books, seriously. They’re fantastic for one, and they’ll help you appreciate the movies more.
I guess it’s too bad the films can’t stand on their own. I’ll give them a shot one day, I guess.
Obviously I will see it with the rest of the world this weekend, but it’s hard for me to like where Steve Kloves and David Yates took the series when they picked it up at Book 5. I think they added the right amount of darkness and suspense that the story needed after Voldemort’s reincarnation, and the technical elements are of course superb, but there were so many key elements left out that I think was crucial to the sequence of events from book to book, film to film. Knowing this as a reader, and not seeing it on film, then trying to watch them scramble to make up for it was frustrating. I can only imagine someone unfamiliar to the story thinking, “Huh? Harry hasn’t seen Dobby in 5 years, yet he’s available at the snap of a finger?” “Bill Weasley’s wife – isn’t that the chick from the Triwizard Tournament?” “When the hell is he supposed to figure out what these horcruxes are?”
The franchise this is most often compared to – LOTR, had moments that I would have liked to see on screen, just because I thought they were cool, but Jackson, Walsh and Boyens never let the thread of events that bound the stories together get lost. I like the HP films – they’re great fun, but I’m hoping we get another version in the next 10-20 years or so. Maybe HBO or another cable network will step up to the plate and do a series.
By the way, my ranking of the installments:
1. The Order of the Phoenix
2. The Prisoner of Azkaban
3. The Goblet of Fire
4. The Deathly Hallows: Part 2
5. The Sorcerer’s Stone
6. The Deathly Hallows: Part 1
7. The Half-Blood Prince
8. The Chamber of Secrets
I’d say the read the books, too – though they have the effect, for me, of making the movies seem hopelessly rushed and oversimplified by comparison. Whereas the strength of the writing, character arcs, and wit of the stories really come across much clearer throughout the novels.
1. The Prisoner of Azkaban
2. The Goblet of Fire
3. The Deathly Hallows: Part 1
4. The Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone
5. The Half-Blood Prince
6. The Chamber of Secrets
7. The Order of the Phoenix
… and in 24 hours I’ll know where to put DHP2 :)
I’m curious Kris, what was your issue with the Half Blood Prince? I found Jim Broadbent’s performance to be the highlight of the series by far.
1. Prisoner of Azkaban
2. Goblet of Fire
3. Deathly Hallows Part I
4. Order of the Phoenix
5. Chamber of Secrets
6. Sorcerer’s Stone
7. Half-Blood Prince (best book, worst movie)
Sorcerer’s Stone is probably the one I enjoy the least, but I was so pissed at the botch ending of HBP and the complete decimation of the horcrux explanation, that I’m choosing to punish the movie. So there!
Books:
1. Half-Blood Prince
2. Goblet of Fire
3. Deathly Hallows
4. Prisoner of Azkaban
5. Order of the Phoenix
6. Sorcerer’s Stone
7. Chamber of Secrets
John: It just sat there on the screen (despite series-best photography). I felt no movement behind it at all. Languished. Basically everything that’s wrong with the last 80 minutes or so of DH part 1.
I completely agree with you on “Half-Blood Prince.” Completely. Which was all the more disappointing because the book is sensational.
Books:
1. Deathly Hallows
2. Half-Blood Prince
3. Goblet of Fire
4. Prisoner of Azkaban
5. Sorcerer’s Stone
6. Chamber of Secrets
7. Order of the Phoenix
Movies, “Azkaban” is the best followed by “Phoenix.”
Kris: I think we may have touched on this on twitter earlier, but I’m not entirely certain. But do you think part of your disconnect with the franchise is an age/generational thing? Having only 8 years old at the time of the first novel’s publication (I’m 22 now) I grew up with these books and films. I know you’re about 8-10 years my senior, which essentially means you would have been graduating high school/starting college when the first book was published. Given that, at the time, the prevailing notion was that the series was for children, I can only imagine that must not have sounded appealing in late high school. Maybe I’m just grasping at straws here, but I do wonder if it is in fact a generational gap, given that a lot of people I know your age share you feelings on the franchise. Curious to hear your thoughts.
That’s obviously not the case seeing as the series was also largely read by adults 30+ as well.
HP is not for me either, but the supporting cast this franchise managed to get is really something to respect.
Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh, Jim Broadbent, Gary Oldman, Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson, Bill Nighy and so on…
That’s like UK’s finest generation of actors in one franchise. Too bad the leads kinda stink.
Billyboy: AND Miranda Richardson, whose performance is maybe my favorite of the series.
That’s a stretch Kevin. I was 21 when the first book was released and I remember many people my age and much older reading the series and becoming serious Potterheads when the films were released.
I do think there’s a defensiveness by those who grew up with the books and films. They look at Potter from a very emotional point of view, all these precious memories tied to it after having grown older together. Many seem melancholy about the series ending because a part of them is ending as well. Stuff like that clouds critical judgement.
I really enjoyed the books and have liked but not loved the movies. In my mind, the films have been elevated exponentially by the actors and actresses Thewlis, Oldman, Bonham Carter, Fiennes, Rickman, everyone has been fantastic when the filmmaking hasn’t. My biggest issue is the ommission of some of the books most cinematic scenes.
I still think not including Dumbledore’s funeral, which could have been absolutely stunning, was a huge misstep.
I only really liked one of the films. I’m not sure but I think it was Order of the Phoenix indeed. The only one thus far that just paced well along, without too many distracting detours. I loved most of the guest roles, hated the kids. Granted, it’s near impossible to cast major talent at 10 years old, but they got shafted and none of them were really any good by themselves. Glad its over.
I wonder who will end up with the most promising post-Potter career…I’m guessing Emma Watson?
Loyal: It’s not as much a stretch as you think. I know I have zero interest in The Hunger Games whatsoever, largely because I have zero interest in young adult fiction at this point in my life. I’m not saying it’s a catch-all, I was just asking Kris if that was his own personal experience with the franchise. Yes, there are many people who read the books as adults, etc and enjoyed them. I also do not feel and of this “defensiveness” you claim that my entire age group shares. I’m well on the record of thinking that the films have been deeply problematic from the start. The first two are atrocious, the 3rd is fantastic, the 4th is middling, the 5th is really good, the 6th I consider to be the series’ best, and the 7th I think is good but while it succeeds as a word for word adaptation of the text, it utterly fails as a film, save for a few moments. I have not yet seen the final film.
But again, I’m not saying everyone in an age group older than mine doesn’t like the franchise. Quite the contrary, I know it has touched billions of people of all ages around the world over a 14 year period. I was merely asking kris was his own personal experience was.
Hope the action rivals that brief moment of Dumbledore vs. Voldemort in Order of the Phoenix with spectacular choregraphy, visual effects, and refreshingly no score.
Wow, 96% positive and an 8.5 average rating from critics so far. Only two negative reviews out of 57. Mighty impressive.
1. Order of the Phoenix
2. Half-Blood Prince
3. Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Deathly Hallows (part 1)
5. Goblet of Fire
6. Chamber of Secrets
7. Sorcerer’s Stone
Order of the Phoenix is at number one IMO because Imelda Staunton’s performance as Umbridge is pitch-perfect.
As for the books:
1. Half-Blood Prince
2. Goblet of Fire
3. Deathly Hallows
4. Prisoner of Azkaban
5. Order of the Phoenix
6. Sorcerer’s Stone
7. Chamber of Secrets
While I don’t think Goblet of Fire is necessarily the “best” of them, it’s probably my fave of the 7 (haven’t seen T:2 yet), and that’s because there was a definitive narrative center – the Triwizard Tournament.
I just loved that tournament and think it was exactly how I’d imagine it to be, VISUALLY. I also thought the additional characters (within that story), acting, and climax were well-handled.
I also thought Goblet of Fire was the best film at balancing whimsy, fun, teen romance, and evergrowing malice.
1. Order of the Phoenix
2. Half-Blood Prince
3. Goblet of Fire
4. Prisoner of Azkaban
5. Sorcerer’s Stone
6. Deathly Hallows Pt 1
7. Chamber of Secrets
Kevin: I read the first book and liked it enough. I was a big fan of the first movie when I first saw it. I chalk it up, if anything, to fatigue. But young adult fiction isn’t in and of itself knocked for not being “adult,” and as a few have mentioned, this series had a major adult-oriented audience. I might even wager it’s comparable to the youth audience.
Kris: Franchise fatigue is understandable, especially if it’s a franchise you’re not really into. I’m that way with a lot of franchises as well. I have zero interest in yet another Spiderman film, or really, any other Marvel Studios film for that matter. As I mentioned in my reply to Loyal, I’m well aware of the wide demographic the franchise appeals to. I was more just interested in your personal take, since, while I don’t think you’ve ever been vehemently against the franchise (more than I can say for some commenters in these talkbacks re: Batman, etc) you did seem rather ambivalent towards it and I was interested in finding out what about it you find so unappealing. I myself did grow up with these stories, but I get that it isn’t for everyone. No franchise, film, or book is. The key is approaching general ambivalence towards a property with respect for those who are fans, which, I feel, is something you do remarkably well, and I appreciate that, both as a fan of Harry Potter and as a reader of your site.
I am wondering a little bit about the box-office aspects. While this is the last, 3D has kept many parents that I know, personally, from shelling out extra dead presidents to see the latest blockbusters.
Bottom Line: I don’t see this being as big of a hit as the fanbase does.
From Variety’s twitter –
“Harry Potter” already has sold $25 mil in advanced tix sales, the majority of which are midnight screenings.
Potter will take the midnight and opening day records but lose steam and “only” land at #3 on the all-time opening weekend chart.
^ For clarification, the first sentence is from twitter. My prediction is the second sentence.
Adored the books, and I feel the films were done well enough as a tie in, I mean lets be honest they could have been butchered! Would really like to see this cross one billion just as a nice book end to the series. On Stranger Tides and Alice in Wonderland both crossed one billion for cripes sake.
Also, love that Maggie Smith got to be a badass. Her Minerva McGonagall is pitch perfect.
I highly doubt money was the issue when they decided how to pull off the epilogue, they haven’t been shy to spend boatloads of cash on this thing so I don’t think its right to call them stingy (not that you did exactly).
It should also be said that they originally shot the scene on location at Kings Cross Station with more make-up and a plan to use more CGI but decided to reshoot it last Christmas at the studio as it didn’t live up to their expectations.
With the technology at their fingertips, it’s silly they didn’t try it. It’s precisely the kind of thing that tech can do for subtle strokes in a moment like that.
***I just loved that tournament and think it was exactly how I’d imagine it to be, VISUALLY.***
Too bad it wasn’t done like in the book. By comparison, the tournament in the film is much less interesting.