The Potter Perceptions: The Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)

And here we are. Can you believe it? The end of The Potter Perceptions. I was getting so cosy with the idea that this was going to be a permanent thing (though goodness knows I just wanted these movies to get it over with already), but alas, Eric and I are finally at the end. This actually happened. As much as I had to get my things together to watch this, and I wasn’t a serious fan of the movies or anything, I had so much fun running this project, hearing what Eric had to say with no knowledge of Potter or his world, getting to pick apart the flaws and praise that which was good, designing fresh and shiny new banners all the time, getting to pimp things out… I reckon we had fun. But here we are, at the end. Thanks to everyone that joined in on this, had fun with us, read it and shared their opinions, it was truly appreciated! Eric, I thank you ever so kindly for getting so involved with this, it was a total blast to work with you, and I truly enjoyed the effort you put into this whole thing!

First I would like to come out and say that I’m kind of sad that this is over because I’ve had a lot of fun working with Zoë on this… Zoë this has been good fun and thanks for all of your time and for putting up with me and all of that!! Hopefully we can do something like this again. And NO – I WILL NOT WATCH THOSE DAMNED TWILIGHT MOVIES!!!!! On the other hand, I’m not sad that this is over because I’m done with all of these movies and breaking up with them over email. I mean, for real?? I just spent nineteen hours watching these things and THIS is how it ended??? GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVE MEEEEEEEEEEEE HARRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY POOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTERRRRR. GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HARRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY POTTERRRRRRRRRRRR…. WHAT?? Multiplying cups??? Riding around on dragons???? I’m assuming people know about this but *spoilers* Harry’s dead!!! Oh shit there’s another hour to go!! What will we do??? Oh wait – he’s not dead after all!! Thank god the most evil presence in the world ever forever and ever and ever amen couldn’t figure that out. And – nice ending – “What if I am selected to Slytherin, Poppy?? What ever will I do???” “You will be a wonderful wizard, my son. Cheerio!” SMOOCH. Whatever.

So – they go off for one movie to find this all powerful sword – risking their lives – and then they get it and just give it up to the goblin to get into a safe? Did I miss something? Also – I never read these books so did I miss where someone actually used the Resurrection Stone? I thought he dropped it on the ground before he got killed? How did he just pop back up to life and go running around all over the place?? Wouldn’t he be sore or something from BEING DEAD??? After all of this time, bumbling and stupid Neville saves the day? Speaking of Neville – when the dark army is trying to get past the force field (or whatever) it’s just HIM out on that bridge keeping an eye on things?? I don’t think that’s very sound strategy from the Hogwarts Administration and Defense League.

I also thought it was pretty contrived how the Elder Wand never worked for Voledemort. Why? “I disarmed Draco so it actually belonged to me” (or something) says Pooter in the way of poor explanation. And then he destroys it? Wouldn’t you just give it to someone at Hogwarts to put in a safe or something? What if some hobo living under that bridge finds it and tapes it together?? I don’t know about this. I do think this move was well made with some fancy special effects and shit but…. I’m done with it. Bye bye, Harry Pooter, Byeeeeeee byeeee. Thanks again Zoë!! Happy 2014 to you!!

The good:

• Opening scene. I thought it was a good way to set the tone and pace, what with Snape watching the students in his newly taken over school.
• Harry’s chat with Griphook. This was really good, and really got down to the issues at hand.
• Helena Bonham Carter. I can praise this woman continuously. She is just perfect for these types of roles. She can take that strange and dark and just give it life like nothing else!
• Gringotts security enchantments. I liked the way that the tunnels fled, the alarms went off, and their Polyjuice Potion was useless after the waterfall, just well done.
• Multiplication in vaults. That was really good and accurate, though I wished the stuff had burned, too, like it should have.
• Flight of the dragon. It’s escape and wreckage was just awesome to behold, and looked really good.
• Voldemort’s discovery of the Horcrux hunt. How he reacted to finding out what Harry has been up to and the subsequent freak out he had and the brutal massacre that ensued. I know this sounds disgusting, but for me where all those bodies were strewn, the blood and the carnage was the first time they really and truly captured how dangerous and vicious Voldemort really is.
• The Room of Requirement. The way it was decked out with the Hogwarts rebellion was just so cool, and it looked every inch the part I expected it to.
• Alan Rickman having more screen time. Finally. This only took seven movies too long. He just commands your attention, and he is one of my favourite casting choices in all history.
• McGonagall and Snape duelling. This was simply just too great to watch. McGonagall’s anger was right there, bubbling at the surface, and Snape’s resentment and guilt, too.
• Voldemort’s ultimatum. The way he spoke to the school and its occupants was so well done.
• McGonagall, Seamus Finnigan and Neville Longbottom discussing blowing up the bridge. This really had me giggling for a while.
• The arming of Hogwarts was just phenomenal. The way everyone prepared, got the castle ready, cast their spells and all was just exactly what it should have been.
• War preparations. How all the Hogwarts occupants were standing at the ready to take on the Dark Lord and his evil followers, prepared to even give their lives for the cause.
• Searching the Room of Requirement for the Lost Diadem of Raveclaw. I think that this scene was solidly put together, and done really well, though I was not happy that the diadem was not destroyed by the Fiendfyre that was cast.
• Voldemort’s robes. They just look amazing.
• Hogwarts being a battlefield. That feeling was truly captured, and it was great.
• The score and cinematography. It looked simply stunning and the music just set the mood and it was incredible!
• Snape’s death. This scene was harrowing and heartbreaking. I loved Snape man!
• The Weasleys mourning Fred’s death was devastating. It really was sad and painful. Then to see Tonks and Lupin alongside one another, hands reaching even in death also hurt a lot.
• Snape’s memories. While not completely accurate or all of them in there, it was a damn shame to see how the man came to be, and it was so sad!
• Snape’s anguish over Lily’s death. That was just almost too heartfelt.
• The “always” scene. It just gave me goosebumps.
• Getting the snitch open. Took long enough, but it was really nice how they displayed how it opened, how Harry had come to his deadly conclusion, and how his family was there with him to see it through.
• Voldemort suspecting that Harry wouldn’t come, then his joy at his appearance. This was good, it shows how Harry and Voldemort understand each other too well.
• Harry’s in between death scene at King’s Cross. I finally felt that there was a little more explanation going on, which was nice for a change.
• Voldemort also being down when Harry came back. It shows that Voldemort had hurt himself, that he had killed the Horcrux of himself that resided within Harry.
• Neville’s showdown with Voldemort. I enjoyed this scene.
• Ciarán Hinds as Aberforth Dumbledore. He was great, and how he joined the fray of battle was pretty damn awesome!
• Molly and Bellatrix duelling. This was fun. Fast, but fun.
• Nagini dying. I liked the way the smoke that billowed from it had skulls and stuff in it, I thought the effects were pretty decent.

The bad:

• Shell Cottage. The fact that Bill and Fleur called it a safe house and said that is what it was used for instead of it being their home, which it was.
• Harry’s knowledge of the cup of Hufflepuff being a Horcrux. What irritates me about this is that in The Half-Blood Prince some memories of Voldemort were explored right, but not the incredibly important ones. For example, it is not showed that Voldemort encountered the cup and the locket at Hepzibah Smith, a witch who had these incredibly rare treasures, or that Voldemort highly respected the Hogwarts elders, and would have been obsessed in making their possessions his Horcruxes.
• Voldermort’s history sketchy. It was never really explained that he is of Salazar Slytherin’s bloodline, and that he believed the ring and the locket, both Horcruxes, belonged to the Gaunts, which was his magical side of the family, and that he killed them as well as Tom Riddle Sr for having left his mother.
• Voldemort attempting to get a teaching position at Hogwarts. This was not shown, and it was important to understand some of the Horcrux placing, or his fascination with corrupting minds, the Dark Arts, taking over and that Dumbledore had no respect for him seeing as he knew that Voldemort was too much for the Dark arts and what not.
• Voldemort going to retrieve the Elder Wand. This came up in the last movie, which was all good and well, but the thing is that Harry was supposed to have known as it was happening and have made the calm decision to continue on with his mission at Shell Cottage.
• The two way mirrors. The fact that Harry is only now figuring out how they work grates on my nerves.
• Dumbledore’s history was completely written out. The fact that we do not hear of the bloody history of the Dumbledore’s or how Dumbledore himself had dabbled in the Dark Arts and how his sister was killed and why he and Aberforth have such a strained relationship was really such a let-down.
• How bad Hogwarts got. I really wished they had put more in about how insanely bad things got there, how there was blood status and what not.
• Ravenclaw common room. I really wish that the whole freakout in Hogwarts would have started here, with Harry looking for the diadem in the Ravenclaw common room, knowing then what it is that he was looking for.
• Wish the story of the Grey Lady and the Bloody Baron had been in there, it would have been great.
• No Weasley family reunion. The fact that Percy did not pop out and patch things up with everyone was highly annoying, because it was important. I didn’t even know Percy was in the building until it was too late, and was like what the hell, he actually appeared!
• Apparating in Hogwarts. FUCK MY LIFE. I simply cannot get on board with this, it irritates me no end!
• Fred’s death. I am sorry; this was one of the most painful scenes in the book and was simply not even included in this. It was just glanced over.
• Nagini being a Horcrux discovered now only. That was old news man!
• Neville’s grandmother not being present. I really missed that.
• Dumbledore telling Snape sometimes the Sorting Hat chooses people’s houses too early. I wish that that scene had been included, it would have really given even more credence to Snape’s goodness, and it was such a beautiful and touching scene, too!
• Voldemort’s eyes. It is something I have wished for a while… I wish that they had been red.
• Harry and Voldemort’s final duel. This annoyed me. It was supposed to be Harry slipping away quietly, meeting in the Great Hall, having a massively public showdown, the most solid explanation to justify why/how so many things had happened over the past few years was just glanced over. They had a more private fight and an incredibly long one.
• Voldemort’s death was almost too private. He was supposed to fall before an audience.
• Harry breaking the Deathstick. What the hell?! He was supposed to fix his wand that Hermione broke, then he was to remain in possession of the Elder Wand until he died and the allegiance to a wizard with it.

Wow, what a way to close down the series! I must say of all the movies, this one is my favourite. It looked great, had a fantastic score, was paced reasonably well, the acting was just superb and Alan Rickman got more screen time, making me very happy. I must say this was going strong though it lost the plot towards the end a bit, the story got altered a bit too much for my liking. This adaption was mostly loyal, though I can see how it would confuse the hell out of people who hadn’t read the books – I could make the leaps and jumps and bounds in logic with the characters because I had a backing. Oh well, here we are and this run is finally over. I am actually going to miss this little project… thanks Eric for undertaking to see this through with me!