We have two reviews on the HP movie today (blimey I hear you cry!) – the 1st review will be by yours truly & then followed on by our guest reviewer Peter Lewis.
Welcome Mr Lewis!
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Danny Review
Okay! I think I’m a little bit over the whole Harry Potter thing now I’ve decided. And I’m pretty certain they shouldn’t make anymore. Just in the nick of time really.
I’ve read the reviews & nattered with some friends (who’d already seen this epic final outing) & the overall response has been really good. But I must admit I came out thinking “I just don’t care anymore" & "The sweet, sweet smell of beer is waving me this way!"
Anyway, we took the option to go to see HP in 3D, Saturday night, despite hearing that it really doesn’t seem to matter - and I’ll be honest it really doesn’t. A few dragons and wands leap out at you every now and again, nothing to blow your Potter load over.
The story centres on Harry, Ron & Hermoine hunting down the final horcruxes (the parts of Voldemort’s soul) & so we eventually arrive at the battle of Hogwarts & the showdown between Harry & Voldemort.
To its credit and after the previous 2 films (which fell pretty bloody flat in my opinion) the film moves at a lightening pace, with some stellar action set pieces and solid performances from our lead cast. I really do think Mr Radcliffe (Harry) is a pretty good actor and can tread the boards of my tiny flat any time!
Even if you haven’t read the book The Deathly Hallows (which I haven’t), there is nothing all that surprising in the story here. Harry Potter fans will obviously devour this hole, but if you’ve never seen the previous flicks or read the books (before this one) you won’t have the foggiest clue what’s going on - so I wouldn’t recommend it.
But after a decade of Harry Potters I must admit I did feel a rather small lump form as this films final curtain began to close. So here's cheers for the memories Harry!
Now bugger off.
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Pete's Review
Hello and welcome to a special guest edition of the Danny Holland special. I’m Peter and a friend/colleague of Danny, and he’s given me ‘guest blogger’ status for the day so I can enter a film review on to his site.
Before starting, I was thinking what style/approach I should take – a worldly film connoisseur, a creative critique, an ‘I would have done this better by’ snob or maybe just an ignorant who mainly goes to the cinema for the pick n mix. Me being a big Harry Potter fan with an even bigger sweet tooth, I thought a mixture of the latter two probably the most apt.
Before I start on Harry And The Deathly Hallows Part 2, the 8th and final Harry Potter film, but doubtfully the end of a multi-billion dollar license, I just need to get this out the way so it doesn’t become a running theme – Hermione/ Emma Watson is amazing. Fit. Stunning. There’s a scene early on where they don’t zip her top up all the way and... well, you get the picture. Oh, and it’s in 3D... ok, no more.
Unless you’re a hobbit or a desert farmer whose being flying around the galaxy recently, I don’t think I need to spend time discussing the plot and the basic concept. In terms of promise then it delivers perfectly on the book with all the cinematic magic that is accustomed too by today’s audience. It also continues to deliver on the wooden acting that has been prevalent in the previous films but when hiring 11yo kids for a 10 year programme it’s always going to be a risk. But then we’ve gladly forgiven them the poor narrative display or lack of depth as we took the journey with them over the last few years. They were our wizard heroes battling more than just hormones and some tricky Latin.
But can we really forgive the producers and Directors for some bizarre conceptual plots. For all that this film visually delivers it also fails with any sense. Without spoiling too much, Harry defeats the baddest wizard ever, a few kids (literally) fight off 20,000 marauding wizards and some trolls that would scare Gandalf and at the end there’s not even a cheer or a “well done”. Maybe they all realised that the film was drawing to an end too and that there would be no more instalments. Maybe they were too preoccupied with money and credit card problems after the recession. Maybe they were just tired but the deflated ending sort or deflated the whole 8 films for me. There was no gravity of what they had done, no sense of the 18hour series marathon that this culminated. The defenders took up their positions with the gaiety of a trip to the fairground. Sure it was spectacular and I wanted to like it but, well, too much just irked me. Some I can forgive, some I can’t. Oh well, I’ll always have the books.
I liked the bit where they rode the dragon out of gringotts. Thanks.
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