rockinhamburger

I just watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

It was absolutely amazing.

I don't even know where to start.

As Cheeks would say, "Actually, yes, I do; I will start at the beginning because that is a very good place to start."

First of all, as soon as the WB logo appeared on the screen, all rusted and decrepit, my heart started pounding. The people in my theatre cheered.

The immediate introduction of the Trio, each on his or her own, was positively gorgeous. Seeing them all in the process of steeling themselves for this huge journey was a really lovely touch to start everything off. It set the dark, everything's-awful tone.

The scene in Malfoy Manor, with Voldemort and the Death Eaters, was legitimately creepy. Seeing Charity Burbage suspended upside down in one of the very first scenes of the movie? It's immediately obvious that this movie's not for kids. We all know this. This movie is for us.

I loved the moment where Voldemort snapped the handle off Lucius' wands, I loved Bellatrix's "mere words could not demonstrate her longing for closeness [to Voldemort]", and Snape's gut-wrenching impassiveness while Burbage, his colleague and friend, faced certain death. It was all horrifying and flawlessly done.

And we see Harry in the Dursleys' home one last time; we see him look inside the cupboard under the stairs, and again I have to be thankful that this movie is finally able to grant us moments like this, that don't speed the plot along but still give us some insight into Harry and make us pause and remember Harry's first eleven years of life. In many ways, a simpler life than the one he has now.

And then Moody and Co. arrive, and so starts the excellent comic relief in this movie. Fred and George bring it all home. I am especially fond of this scene because not only did they basically lift this scene from the book, nearly word-for-word, but they also added some genuinely funny lines. A deviation from the other movies, by far.

And so we enter the very first of those customary long chase scenes that are featured in many a Harry Potter movie. You know, the chase scenes that seem to go on, presumably for our viewing pleasure? I guess? I don't know, the scene where they're driving through the tunnel and Harry almost falls out but scrambles along a bus to right himself? It almost felt like a throwback to Chamber of Secrets when he got thrown out of the car on the way to Hogwarts. Kinda long and unnecessary, but this is the nature of the beast that is a blockbuster, billion-dollar film. Sometimes they think they have to make things more exciting.

Anyway, Hedwig dies trying to protect Harry, another deviation from the book but one I did not mind. Poor Hedwig :(

And poor Mrs. Weasley. She just looked so sad. Her whole family's out there. I can't wait for her to get her moment in the next movie.

Fred and George. This moment is particularly poignant, I think, because we know this situation's going to be reversed in one movie's time. "Georgie..." I just... I might've teared up. WHAT? I hate the idea of twins broken up!! *sniffle*

Harry deciding he's going to leave during the night? Another deviation from the book, but one I really appreciated. I think it's an excellent way of showing the viewers where Harry's at without being treated to narrative POV like we are in the books. And it's a great moment for Ron and Harry, too. Plus, Ron (or, more accurately, Rupert Grint) looked fucking sexy in all his beefy, ginger glory. <------ Wow, that sentence just happened.

The morning Harry/Ginny kiss. Well, Ginny asks Harry to zip her dress up, and when Harry and the audience turn to her, her bare back is exposed to us, and DAMN. I actually said, out loud, "Whoa!" It carried enough that many of the rows in front and behind heard and laughed. Completely visceral reaction to that moment. SO charged, I loved it. And fucking George sneaking in like that? Hilarious. And Harry faux-casually leaving the room afterward. LOL!

The Wedding. Well, the Wedding Reception, more like. Pretty good, I thought. The exposition scene was well done; I enjoyed that moment when Aunt Muriel asked Harry the question Harry's so obviously asking himself: "Are you sure you knew him at all?" I don't care that it's a bit duh; I really like that touch.

Along comes the creepy-ass warning: Scrimgeour's dead. The Ministry has fallen. They are coming." Yikes. Harry, Ron and Hermione are buffeted around until they find each other and Apparate outta there.

And narrowly miss a double decker bus. Phew, good thing, too. The Wizarding World's fate is kinda resting in your hands, guys. Be more careful.

So they enter a coffee shop, quickly followed by a coupla DEs, which was so close to how it was in the book that I don't really have much to say. Good stuff!

They head to Grimmauld Place. Once there, they see that terrifying Dumbledore-dust-demon-designed-to-make-you-shit-your-pants, which, judging by the Trio's faces, is exactly what they did.

They find R.A.B. and Kreacher, and they send him off on a mission: find Dung and bring him back. A few scenes later, he brings Dung back -- but he's not the only one! Dobby, arguably one of the biggest heroes of the series, has come too. And boy, is it ever nice to have him back in the fold. He tries to give the explanation of why he's there, all while shielding Kreacher from view; it's a genuinely funny, sweet moment. And I love when Ron shakes Donny's hand. Awesome.

So they knew they have to tackle the Ministry to get the Horcrux from Umbridge. They forge a really bad plan, but what else are they gonna go? They knock out three people and take their clothes, transforming into them with Polyjuice Potion. I just want to say: the actors they hired to do this scene were phenomenal. Runcorn, the guy Harry's Polyjuicing (oh yeah, d'you see the verb-action right there?) as, did a fantastic job of looking like he's not used to having so much body to move around in. His expressions were fantastic -- just, his whole demeanor was awesome. Cattermole, Ron's alter-ego in this scene, is also great. Some really nice commitment to the role.

Okay, so, the scene when Harry/Runcorn goes to Umbridge's office and sees the workers outside creating Muggle-and-Muggleborn-propaganda-hate? I actually got chills. The workers were using their wands in unison, levitating the finished flyers on to a second pile with this steady pounding that was immediately reminiscent of Nazis marching in my mind. I had chills all down my back.

Runcorn sneaks into Umbridge's office while a really weird and funny diversion goes off, and he doesn't find the Horcrux but he DOES find some really upsetting reading material. Some more propaganda (When Muggles Attack!) and a pile of Wanted files; quickly, we're treated to a perusal of Arthur Weasley's status - Wanted for, you know, suspicious behaviour -- likes muggles, no good; Sirius Black's picture with a huge X on it, a Wanted ad for Hermione -- oh man, this actually made me tear up; and Dumbledore's picture, again with a huge red X on it. And then we get a look at Harry/Runcorn's face, and oof. What a moment!

He comes back out of Umbridge's office, and the workers are all surprised. "Runcorn?" But he just skulks away in vaguely funny way, and heads down to the basement. He meets Ron on the lift, who's forgotten what Harry looks like - another moment from the book that I'm glad they included.

The trial is terrifying. Fucking Umbridge! After some creepy interrogation from Umbridge, Runcorn steps up with his wand out. "What are you doing, Runcorn?" Umbridge asks. "You're lying, Dolores. And you mustn't tell lies!" AWW YEAH! Totally makes up for the fact that both showdowns between Scrimgeour and Harry were missing from Half-Blood Prince.

They get away, of course. But not before Ron gets a really weird kiss from Mrs. Cattermole, who think Ron's her husband. He turns back into himself, and it's a little awkward, and way too long in my opinion. Hello, they're running from Nazi-carbon-copies; is this really the time for a weird moment like this? This moment was held for way too long, but I don't really care. I'm sure they had their reasons for doing that.

And they Apparate away, except Yaxley follows, and as we all know, Ron gets Splinched. I really gotta hand it to Emma Watson; her acting in this scene was incredible. She really conveyed her utter panic.

They set up camp. That beaded bag is lusted after by me. They try a few methods of destroying the Horcrux, but none of them work. Some Snatchers comb the area, but they can't locate the Trio with all their protective spells up. One of them catches the scent of Hermione's perfume, but he can't see anything so they move on. Harry and Hermione talk, and when they get back to the tent Ron notices they've been off together, by themselves. Uh oh. We all know where this ends. Not well!

They're in th tent, Hermione giving Harry a haircut, when Hermione exclaims, "Oh my god!" Harry's panic over this moment -- she has got scissors to his hair, after all -- is really funny. She explains that the sword was imbued with Basilisk venom, so that should destroy the Horcrux like the fang destroyed Riddle's diary. "Brilliant, Hermione!" Harry says. But Ron's not impressed. Using his deluminator to make the lights go out (lol!), he appears there. "Still here," he says, and oh man! The showdown between Harry and Ron was perfection. But Ron, as we know, is so off the mark. That's not what's going on at all! But he's got the Horcux on; that's the problem. Ron!!! Don't go!!!

But he does. Which immediately sets the tone of the next twenty to thirty minutes of the film. Even though Harry and Hermione are together, they're more alone than they've ever been. It's not the same without Ron. There's this really tender moment where Harry and Hermione dance. It's sweet and totally necessary for them. Everthing's shit, and they need to have a laugh, even if it's just for a short minute before the truth crashes back down on them. They're still alone.

I just want to say how platonic that scene was. They love each other, but not like that. I've heard some people were meh about this being included in the movie, but I really like it. I also liked Harry and Hermione's convo outside the tent in the Forest of Dean. Tear-jerker!

Anyway, Harry and Hermione discuss their options. Harry wants to go to Godric's Hollow. Hermione's hesitant; that's exactly where Voldemort will expect them to go, and it's totally dangerous.... but Hermione's been thinking they ought to go there too. (lol!) The Sword of Gryffindor might be there!

So they head off. This scene? Holy shit. Heartrending, when Harry's standing before his parents' grave and facing his grief head-on, and FUCKING FREAKY when they notice Bathilda Bagshot watching them from a church in the distance.

The scene in Bathilda's house? Genuinely terrifying, in my humble opinion. The reaction from the people in the theatre would support my opinion, though. Someone down my row actually said, "she's so creepy!", which aroused some laughter from myself and many others around me. I don't care that you know Harry and Hermione are going to survive this; it's still scary. Nagini's snake-mouth is the stuff nightmares are made of.

They get away, as we all know, but Harry's wand is snapped in the process. Oh shit.

Later that night, Harry's keeping watch in front of the tent when he notices a patronus -- it's a doe! (Lily.... T_T) He follows it to an icy river, under which lies the Sword of Gryffindor. Harry knows he must dive in to get it. Harry strips, much to the enjoyment of the ladies in attendance, myself included! And he dives in, but WAIT! You forgot to take the Horcrux off, Harry, you idiot! It's okay, though, because Ron saves Harry and gets the sword, too.

The Horcrux must be destroyed. And so starts yet another bone-chilling moment. I could say lots about this scene; it's packed with layers of awesome, but suffice it to say we get an intimate look at Ron's deepest fears (the spiders! *shudder*). Horcrux!Harry and Horcrux!Hermione come out, and they are creepy as hell. They say the things Ron feels and fears deep down, and then they're naked and making out, and did anyone else feel how profoundly wrong that was? Ewww.

Ron smashes that Horcrux like the BAMF that he is! Ron's pretty much the hero of this movie (well, and Dobby, but we'll get to that!). What a perfect scene. LOVED IT.

So they head back to camp, where Hermione is righteously and hilariously indignant. Ron explains how he found them. The ball of light from the Deluminator that went into his chest? I lol'd! And then, to my surprise, Harry points out how corny that is when he and Ron are talking in the tent after. "Keep talking about that ball of light that went into your chest, Ron." Oh Harry, you adorable little fucker, you!

"Engorgio! REDUCIO!" I died.

So they go to see Xenophilius Lovegood about the sign he was wearing at the Wedding. Which I forgot to mention. Whatevs, you know it anyway. Xeno's acting weird, but he explains briefly, and then Hermione reads the Tale of the Three Brothers while a compelling, beautiful animation sqquence enfolds before us. Holy shit, guys. Enthralling and gorgeous; this is a highlight of the movie series FOR SURE.

But the Death Eaters are on their way. They've taken Luna, so they have to stay so that Xeno can get her back. But they can't, of course. They have amission. And so they escape, unfortunately right into the clutches of a group of Snatchers. A chase scene is on! But they are cornered quickly, and Hermione uses a stinging hex on Harry's face so he's less recognizable, and the Snatchers take the Trio right to Malfoy Manor.

Oh. My. God.

Everything about this entire scene was in-fucking-credible. Draco is forced to identify Harry, but he's reluctant. He can't look Harry in the face, except he does once, and that look they share? Yikes. Hair-raising. So much is being said in that one moment of eye-contact.

I liked the way this scene set up the Malfoy family. Standing close together, Lucius looking the most unkempt we've ever seen or imagined. Senior Malfoy's words to Draco make it hard not to feel sorry for them: "If we're the one to hand Potter to The Dark Lord, everything will go back to the way it was." Oh man.

Bellatrix notices the Sword of Gryffindor. OH SHIT. It's about to get real. She has Harry and Ron thrown into the Malfoy dungeons, where Luna, Ollivander, and Griphook are being held captive, and she proceeds to torture Hermione for information (and pleasure, I would imagine) while they remain below, powerless to help.

The sword was in Bellatrix's vault; how the fuck did it get into their hands? she wants to know. Hermione doesn't know, either, but Bellatrix continues to torture Hermione, but we don't get a good look at what she's doing. It looks and sounds terrifying, though.

AND DOBBY ARRIVES TO SAVE THE FUCKING DAY. He takes Luna and Ollivander away with the promise to return in ten seconds. We aren't treated to Wormtail's death, but that's okay. I really don't care. Dobby knocks Wormtail flat with his own wand, and Harry and Ron are set free. They climb the stairs to the drawing room to find Bellatrix interrogating Griphook, Hermione on the floor with Mudblood carved into her arm. Holy fucking shit. The most chilling moment of the entire movie for me.

Bellatrix is going to kill Hermione, but Ron's having none of that. A fight ensues. A badass fucking fight! Things look dismal for our Trio until Dobby lets the chandelier fall, narrowly missing Bellatrix, who cannot believe Dobby would try to harm one of his old masters.

I don't even know what to say. Dobby was so fucking BADASS in this scene. Every line he said was accompanied by cheers from the theatre. YOU GO, DOBBY COCO!

Of course, this is a moment is imbued with bittersweet excitement, because most of us know how this ends. Horribly. Bellatrix throws the knife at their quickly Disappearing group.

And when they materialize... well, heart-of-hearts, our hero's been knifed. And damn it is it ever sad. Beautiful Dobby's last words, "Harry Potter," and Luna's lovely moment of quiet comfort; Harry digging the grave, and all of them putting Dobby to rest. It was all beautifully, flawlessly, heartbreakingly done. It was exactly what it needed to be.

And the movie ends with Voldemort's discovery of the Elder Wand's location, and his immediate theft of it from Dumbledore's grave. And we will have to wait half a year to see the rest of this, and although we know what happens, NOOOOOO!!!

Overall, I couldn't be happier. The movie was spectacular, keping every integral moment of the book and adding some extra flavour at the right moments (for once, honestly). It captured the very essence of the novel and ensnared my heart. This movie deserves many more watches in the near future. It's too bad this couldn't have been done for the last few movies, because this just goes to show how well the movies could have been done if they'd had enough time.

I am so happy. I hope you are too.

And I'd be very surprised if anyone made it this far in my recap of the movie.

One last thing: NEVILLE! "Hey, losers. He's not here." OH FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, I realize I've been crazy absent from my fandomS for a while NOW, but that's just because I have crazy amounts of schoolwork to do (which I should get started on pretty soon). I'll be done in two weeks, at which point I will be much more available. YAY!

HP! HP! HP!