OotP Review

[Kimberly]

SPOILER !

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 In a nutshell I really liked it and thought it remained very true to the book.    Yes, there were small details that were changed (Neville found the Room of Requirement instead of Dobby showing Harry, Luna explained about the Thestrals instead of Hagrid showing them in a lesson, etc.), small stuff like that.

I am just going to go through and talk about what I thought about different parts of the movie.   

-One of the most refreshing, enlightening parts of this very dark movie was Luna Lovegood.    She has never been one of my favorite characters, I didn't dislike her but never really liked her a lot.    In the movie however she really added an element of light and enlightenment that for me I didn't get in the books from her.    Evanna Lynch is smack dead on Luna Lovegood.... from her voice, to her expressions, and just everything about her.   She is most definitely Luna.

-Bellatrix..... WOW !   In the little bit that you get to see of her, she came across as a completely unhinged, dark, and as Ron would put it "Bang out of order" witch.   I definitely wouldn't want her coming after me.  

-The emotion and anger is so out in the open....it lasts through out most of the movie.   They really played Harry's anger up in this.   He's angry and confused and just feeling alone... it was hard to watch at times. I felt bad for him when at one point he screams at Dumbledore, "What's happening to me ?!?!?!?".   His emotion is so raw.... 

-"The kiss"... I thought it would be cheesy and just...well, cheesy.   It wasn't, it was very sweet and well done.   I LOVED Ron's reaction afterwards, it was just so classic.   Hermione was good too going on about all the emotion that Cho's feeling, etc... the whole scene was cute. 

-Dumbledore's Army rocked !!!!!!    Those scenes were one of the best elements of the movie.    Just seeing Harry come into his own and develop the confidence was great.   Seeing his reaction when the group was learning was fantastic  !   Just a real vote of confidence for him during a time when everyone is calling him a "Plotter" and going against him. 

-I hated Umbridge....just as much as I did in the book.   Imelda Stauton did a great job as her, she was straight on the mark !   I just hate her, she's sooooo mean !   The cats in her office and their constant meowing drove me crazy... The detention scene wasn't drawn out too long which I was glad of.    The injustice of it all was just as frustrating on the big screen as it was in the book !

-Didn't see enough of the twins, not at all.   The scene where they left Hogwarts on their brooms.... rushed and felt like it was just stuck in there.   It was good but felt out of place.

-There were subtle references to Ginny still having a "thing" for Harry.... I don't know if they put that in there because of book 6 but it almost seemed deliberately done.  LOVED it !   Her expression sometimes, just little things...or maybe I just interpeted it that way because I am a big Harry/Ginny shipper !

-Speaking of Ginny.... that girl has her spellwork down and will be a force to be reckoned with later !!!!     She was most impressive with her reducto curse !   

-Wish we'd have seen more of Grimmauld Place or heard more from Kreacher.   There was nothing of Sirius' mother's screamng portrait which I think was sorely missing..

-The battle scene at the M.O.M. was pretty wicked even though it went straight to the Hall of Prophecy and then back to the lobby......just seemed cut short.   The fight between Dumbledore and Voldemort was amazing but a little different from the book.    There was a point at the end of that when Voldemort possesses Harry and Harry is losing.... Harry has flash backs of moments in his life that have filled him with happiness and joy and that is eventually what drives Voldemort out.   The flashbacks were emotional.   They showed scenes of him and His parents, HRH through the last couple of years, and Harry and Sirius.    My eyes were admittedly a little teary.   In the end of course Voldemort fled and Harry opened his eyes to see all his friends standing there.   I liked that part even though it was different than the book.    Harry made some statement about having something that Voldemort didn't have.... love and friendship and also something worth fighting for.   It was a nice tie up I thought.  

-Sirius dying.... honestly, it was short and quick and if you didn't know he died, you might have thought he was vapored away like the death eaters vapored in and out earlier in that scene.   That was disappointing for me.   I mean, not that I want Sirius to die but in the book that whole scene is so emotional.   The movie didn't hold up there.   Also, when Dumbledore explained the prophecy it wasn't very clear.   He did say, when Harry asked if one of them had to kill the other,  yes.   In the book he goes into a speech about "Has to or will because of neither of you will be able to rest until the other is gone kind of speech..."    In the movie he said "yes".   Hmm....

I will definitely see it again.    We got there about an hour and a half ahead of time and there were about a dozen people queued up already.    When they opened the door to let us in the theater was PACKED within 5 minutes.   We were of course in the last row.... *whoooo whooooooooo* !     The crowd clapped many times.... one when the music first came on and then at various other times.   It was a die hard HP group and I loved it !   I can't really compare it to any of the other movies because I think I need time for it to sink in.     

Kimberly

"Don't bother me, I'm reading..."
7/21/07

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