The Good and Bad Times

Okay, so we just got back from watching "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One" and I'm honestly not too sure how I feel about it.  I LOVE THE BOOK.  DH is my favorite of all the books; to me, it is perfect.  The journey, the conflicted emotions, weaving all the stories together in sublime culmination.  The movie does capture the essence of the story, but it leaves out so many of the exquisite details, I can't help but be a little disappointed.  I guess I expected it to be more personal, because of how I feel about the story, of how much I love it, and how intimately connected I feel to the characters.  I can't imagine trying to turn such a beloved story into an epic film franchise, attempting to remain faithful to the story and trying to move it along in a Hollywood-type atmosphere.  I'm sure it was difficult, and I'm just not a huge fan of David Yates (the director of movies 5, 6, 7.1 and 7.2).  I don't love the shaky camera, which was made all the worse because we watched it from the second row of an IMAX theater.  Blah, blah, blah.  Here's a list of pros and cons, that is, things I liked and things I wasn't so fond of.

Pro:  Cast.  I love the cast, and I feel like I know them.  I have been on this journey with them for the past 8 years.

Con:  Director.  He's okay, but I don't love his style.  The 4th movie (Goblet of Fire) is my favorite, and I think it is mostly because of the director.  The shaggy hair and hot Cedric Diggory didn't hurt either. ;o)

Pro:  Overall faithfulness to the story.  It gets the main points right, and you do feel the helplessness and the difficulty and gravity of the situations they find themselves in.

Con:  Skipping some of the details.  There are some things that are just easier to leave out, I'm sure.  But to me, it detracts from the perfection of the story. 

Pro:  Harry and Hermione's relationship.  I love the dancing scene.  It made me a little uncomfortable, because it's nowhere to be found in the novel, but it shows them finding a few precious moments of joy in such a difficult time.

Con:  Harry and Hermione's relationship.  The infamous (and totally unnecessary) nude scene was just weird.  Yes, it was imaginary, designed to torture Ron, but still . . . I just didn't like it.  After Ron destroys the horcrux in the book, Harry explains that he loves Hermione as a sister, quelling any speculation of their being 'together.'  I can see why the director would leave that out, in order to keep the audience speculating.  It's unfortunate that the only time we see or hear of Ginny is in the first fifteen minutes of the movie.  In the book, Harry spends a fair amount of time thinking about her, because she's the one he loves that way.

Pro: the tale of the Three Brothers animation.  It didn't seem to fit at first, but I like the way it explained the Hallows.

Cons:  Harry's invisibility cloak is nowhere to be seen in this movie, and it's a pretty important key to the story.

Here are some things I would have done: made Xenophilius Lovegood more eccentric.  He was a little too sedate for my taste, and we never got to see the headdress or the erumpent horn or Luna's room, etc.  I would have made Rufus Scrimgeour more lion-like--longer hair, a bit of a beard, more powerful and imposing.  He was a little wimpy, and the scene with Dumbledore's will was far too civil.  I would have spent a little more time in the planning stages of the journey, with Bill and Fleur's wedding, Harry's coming-of-age birthday, his relationship with Ginny, etc.  It's hard to say which parts I would be able to cut out/add in were I the director, because I feel like every part of the beginning is necessary to understand the end.  I would have made Voldemort more intimidating, showing his anger and cruelty in the visions Harry sees, and although I liked most of the scene at Godric's Hollow, I was disappointed that we didn't see how very close Harry was to being caught by the Dark Lord himself.

There are other things I would rather they included, but God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.  I'll grow to love it, I'm sure.