(no subject)

[in_the_blue]

So yesterday I went to see Deathly Hallows, Part 2. Spoilers, of course.

I only read the book once, when it first came out. A long long time ago I would've read and reread and devoured every word, kept lists of spells and people and happenings, timelines, incidents. But as I said that was a long time ago, and if there's one fandom I'm glad I'm not an active part of any more, it's Harry Potter. Why? Because it's a batshit insane fandom, and so many of the adults in it can't keep from blurring the lines between text and subtext, between what's written on the page and what they wish had been written on the page. I am personally a stickler for canon, for what's there, and fanfic is a great outlet to explore what isn't there, but I can't seriously argue what should have been. I can, however, appreciate what was written and as far as the movies go, what ended up on the screen as a subset and representation of what was really there in the books.

So I went to the movie yesterday without any sense of foreboding or of an era having come to an end. For me, that happened years ago. Seeing the films is like revisiting a piece of my past, one that used to be important but now is more relegated to the realms of nostalgia. And that's good, because it means that instead of picking the films apart and being enraged over what wasn't there, I can enjoy them for what they are and for the way they tell the parts of the stories that are included.

I also went without a whole lot of expectation. I went earlier than I'd planned because everywhere I looked (I'm looking at you, Tumblr), spoilers abounded. I know the story; I know what happened. I can't be spoiled for that. But people can and are spoiled for the magic of the film's visual presentation. So I turned off the computer early, bought my tickets (3D screening), and we went. The theater was comparatively empty for opening weekend, but I know all the midnight shows and all of Friday's showings were sold out, and there was a little festival going on in town so I figured we had a chance at not having to stand in lines, and I was right.

Remember my caveat at the beginning, that I only read the book once? That was the week it came out, and I honestly don't remember a lot of the details. I remember Molly being all fierce mama bear and epic battles and Neville doing heroic things. I remember Fred and Tonks and Remus getting killed, and I remember Percy coming back and fighting. I remember Snape being killed. I remember Charlie being totally left out. I remember the epilogue, and I remember Harry meeting up with Dumbledore, and Dumbledore's great line about of course it is happening in your mind, but that doesn't mean it isn't real. But in terms of all the horcruxes and what they were and where and how they were found, or any of that stuff. So from the perspective of someone who read the book once, remembered what were (to me) key plot points, I can't say I was disappointed with the film.

What I liked:
- It really was the Harry show, not the Hermione show. Finally.
- The magic was as fun as ever, if downplayed a lot.
- Narcissa was cool. As in calm and collected, admirably so.
- Jason Isaacs looked great as distraught and powerless Lucius.
- Some of the 3D effects were pretty awesome, although I couldn't help thinking you've got some Voldemort on you there. Yeah, I turned into Hurley for a minute.
- Aberforth was kind of great, if underutilized.
- Neville. Just Neville.
- Kelly MacDonald as the Grey Lady. I waited for Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson to show up and order a bunch of people killed, but it never happened.
- Little curly-haired troublemaker Sirius.
- McGonagall kicked ass. A lot.

What I didn't like:
- Some people really got the shaft. Like James. Relegated to the status of who is that guy standing there? Not a thing about Lily actually loving him.
- Snape as Official Tragic Romantic Hero. Don't give me that. I don't deny he loved Lily, that's canon. But that scene. Really. I got it before it was halfway through.
- Speaking of getting the shaft: Fred. Remus. Tonks. We hardly saw you. Oh, you died? That was quick. And that ass-backward acknowledgment that Tonx & Remus had a son.
- The lack of explaining about Helga Hufflepuff's goblet. It was just some cup Bellatrix had. Eh.
- Very little Weasley family action (Ron aside).

Other than that (this will be random as the thoughts want out), I think the pacing was fine. At no point did I wonder how long I'd been sitting there and how much longer we had to go until it was over. I liked that Bill and Fleur were in there. I liked the dragon at Gringotts. I realized afterward that they hadn't even talked about Grindelwald. They hadn't even talked about Percy coming back to the fold. The epilogue, I thought, served its purpose and I refuse to overanalyze it for what wasn't there except to say some of the makeup was kind of silly. I haven't been a part of this fandom for a long time, but it didn't seem like the film pandered to the fandom in any particular way. Steve Kloves did a pretty good job on the script and that can't be an enviable position to be in, deciding what stays and what goes. The movies are always going to break someone's heart. Either there's not enough of a favorite character or too much of someone else's, or a favorite scene gets cut out or misplayed. Um... I think Helena Bonham Carter is often over-the-top crazy with her Bellatrix portrayal, but I loved her as Hermione-as-Bellatrix. The visuals were great, as usual. I still approve of Domhnall Gleeson as Bill. *shrug* He didn't have a whole lot to do, but he looked the part.

You know, it really is true. Going to see one of these films without expectations really is the way to go. No expectations=no cause for disappointment. It takes a different mindset to see films based on books I love without expecting them to adhere to what I see in my mind when I read the stories. The only movies that have really matched the way I saw things were the LOTR films. There's been a lot with the Harry Potter films that met my inner visualization of that world, especially at first. But after I saw Prisoner of Azkaban (which I thought really did a disservice to the book), I stopped expecting anything out of the Potter films. I haven't really been disappointed since I took that approach.

So what'd you guys think? Viv, Bridget, I've read your things you pointed me to. I'm not sure I have a whole lot more to add!