Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows P1
Dec 16th, 2010 by Ashley
I don’t think I can ever watch Harry Potter purely as a movie. My mind is continually comparing and assessing so that I cannot simply sit back and enjoy the ride. I can’t even tell if I like it or not most of the times. Because for me, it’s just the visual realization of a story I like very much and I was going to watch it no matter what.
It made some necessary adjustments mostly due to the time constraint and because it’s better to show than tell (unlike in a book, you can fall effortlessly into streams of thoughts.) They did a pretty good job in “showing”, such as Ron’s growing jealousy and Hermione’s sending off her parents. However, some delicate and complex emotions are omitted. Like in the beginning where cousin Dudley showed his concerns for Harry when the Dursleys got on their way, the “real” thing that gave Harry away during the chase. Those are neglectable yet powerful moments. Instead, a modern day tunnel car chase was inserted probably to make the movie more exciting? But for people who love the book, it was coming out of nowhere, and for people who never read it, I don’t think they should watch the movie in the first place. From what I’ve heard, if you haven’t read the book, the movie wouldn’t make sense at all. The script is nicely written (way better than the first one), yet it still cannot stand on its own. And what’s with the dancing? If Harry was trying to cheer her up, he should have dance funnier, not acted as if he’s trying for something. That’s bad directing for me.
But in all, it’s beautiful, love the sceneries and sets, the tempo is right and the cliffhanger is not too melodramatic.
ps. Fake IMAX still sucks.