The Final Verdict

[Steve]

--- In HPFGU-Movie at yahoogroups.com, "lkotur" <lkotur at ...> wrote:
>
> .... Now the last movie was a little problematic.  ....
> 
> ...The writers and director totally veered away from the story line at that point and the rest of the movie has no connection to the story in the book (except the epilog).  ... they deviated from what JKR worked so hard to build up to the climax to tell the whole story and they (director - writers) just flushed everything down the potty. ...
> 
> Larry
>

bboyminn:

I've touched on this before. It is down to how the Director viewed the movie. He clearly viewed it as an Action Movie rather than Suspense/Drama/Thriller. As such 'Action' was necessary. 

I've always known the climactic scene between Harry and Voldemort was going to be problematic for the movie makers. In the books it plays out fine as Suspense - What's going to happen? What's going to happen? -, but on film, I just don't see it playing out that way, especially if you start with the premise that this is an Action/Adventure movie. 

In that scene, Harry and Voldemort are circling and engaging in dialog, in an Action movie, that is a big stall in the action and the momentum of the movie. Which is why if you start with the premise that this is an Action movie, you can't allow that Stall to occur. You need something with a faster more active pace to replace it.

However, having made the choices they made, I don't especially think they pulled if off that well. Based on information from the movie alone, I'm still not sure what killed Voldemort. Did Neville kill him by killing the last Horcrux? Did Harry's rebounding curse kill Voldemort? Or, once vulnerable, did Harry just out and out kill Voldemort with a direct curse? It really isn't that clear, and I further don't think it would have been that difficult to make it clear. 

So, while I understand the choices the Producers/Director/Writers made, I don't necessarily agree with those choices or with the execution of those choices.

** - - SPOILER ALERT - - **
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I also think it as a terrible mistake for Harry to snap the Elder Wand and dispose of it BEFORE he repaired his original wand. Many of the things JKR did, she did for a reason. Not just willy-nilly winding up the story. And I honestly think the movie makers missed some of those subtle details. 

Even if the ending had gone exactly as it did, it would have take 10 seconds more of Harry and the movie's time, to simply have him repair his original wand before destroying the Elder Wand. 

Overall, I think all the films were too rushed. A movie critic who generally liked the final two movies said, that the movies were mostly - they did this, then they did that, then they did this, then they did that - but none of it was tied together. There was no sense of why they did this or did that. 

And that has always been my biggest complaint. They rush to get on to the next scene without any transition. No story development, no underlying reason why things are happening. Further, with little character development, it is hard to sympathize with any character or to be emotionally invested in their fate. 

As an example, if the 'Extras' there is the scene between Harry and Petunia near the beginning while the Dursley's are moving out. This is a somewhat tender scene and could potentially give us some emotional investment in the fate of Petunia. But the cut it to keep the pace and the action moving forward. 

Lastly, these are the movies we have; we can't remake then. There are no 'do overs' in movie making. The movie stand for all time just as they are, though their is a potential for re-edited, Diretor's Cut, or extended version of them in the future. But even with that, the story/movie was have is the story we get. We can choose to accept that what is done is done, and enjoy the movie, or we can stubbornly dislike them and thereby ruin any potential enjoyment.

With all the many complaints I have, I still enjoyed the movies, and am glad I wasn't the one charged with the responsibility of making all the many multi-million dollar decisions that go into making a movie. As some point, someone just has to decide, for right or wrong, just so they can move forward. 


Steve/bboyminn