Harry Potter: Epic or Epic Failure?

**SPOILER ALERT** If you have not seen the last Harry Potter movie or do not want to read about all of the differences between the movie and the book, DO NOT CONTINUE READING! You have been forewarned :)

We have been excited for months about the finale of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part II. The hype was intense, we bought our tickets early, and we prepared ourselves emotionally for what seemed like the end of an era. We both even reread the ending of the book from where the last movie left off. I almost wish that I had not...

Here's what we liked:

• Shell Cottage--great scenery, beautifully depicted, nice start to the film
• Gringotts--very intense and neat scene with the dragon and the Lestrange's vault; Travers was left out of it, but that seemed okay and less complicated; no burning from the treasure and that seemed like a good director decision since it is technically a movie for children
• the Carrows being cut out...I didn't like that part of the book anyway
• the Room of Requirement scene with Malfoy was almost identical to the book, except that it was the fire that destroyed the diadem instead of the basilisk fang
• the continued build of relationships with the characters especially with Ron and Hermione in the Chamber of Secrets :)
• Snape's death and his flashbacks involving Lily Potter--very well done in a short amount of time, especially the emotion he felt when Lily was killed
• Neville...really, there's nothing more to say! He's fabulous (and when did he become hot?!?!)
• the Great Hall and the illustration of the friends who were lost in the battle--simply and emotionally depicted
• Kings Cross--could not have been more perfect! My favorite lines of the whole book made it in, and Harry and Dumbledore's conversation was pretty much straight from the book

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”  
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” ~Dumbledore 

• the death of Bellatrix and the most infamous line of the book from Mrs. Weasley...the audience cheered on this one!
• the epilogue! This was probably our favorite part seeing the characters "all grown up" and sending their own children off to Hogwarts on platform 9 3/4. The child actors chosen to represent James and Albus Severus were perfect!

Things that were just plain wrong:

• the conversation with Aberforth--too rushed; did not explain the life or death of his and Dumbledore's sister; had no heart!
• Harry telling Aberforth they were looking for the horcruxes...he did not tell anyone in the book other than Ron and Hermione
• the speech by Snape to the students at Hogwarts--it never occurred in the book
• the students were never dismissed to go home in the movie and the younger kids were left to fight!
• the Slytherins were taken to the dungeons! WHAT!?!?! instead of being asked to declare their allegiance to a side like in the book
• Harry barged in on all of the students with Snape instead of going off to look for the diadem
• Helena Ravenclaw--really, the worst ghost of all of Hogwarts! Her character was so different from the book, was void of any emotion except anger, and did not even explain the Bloody Baron or what happened with the diadem and Tom Riddle
• Harry prepares to meet his death and says goodbye to Hermione and Ron! FAIL! This never happens! Harry is supposed to be shielded by the invisibility cloak because it is his decision alone to go into the Forbidden Forest and meet Voldemort (such a powerful scene in the book); on another note, Ron and Hermione never would have let him go if he had told them goodbye in the book; if you have to make Harry say goodbye, at least hug your best friend! Harry hugs Hermione and never says goodbye to Ron or hugs him. So much for best friends! The scene would have been more powerful if you could watch the battle as if you were under the invisibility cloak with Harry
• no mention or reference to Teddy and how Harry is his godfather...what was supposed to happen to Tonks and Lupin's child? left alone to be consumed by death eaters?
• Voldemort and Harry's fight scene--did no one care to watch the dark lord die? where was everyone? We realize that the directors wanted to build the emotion of the fight by giving it grandeur, but it lacked emotion without a crowd of people.
• Voldemort's death--does no one care that the most evil person in the world was just killed? There was no cheering, no acknowledgment of his death, and no mention of what would happen next! Major fail!
• the end of the book was not included with the trio in Dumbledore's office, the headmasters' portraits applauding, and the restoration of Harry's original wand; instead we are left with the trio standing on a bridge, the Elder wand snapped in half, and glazed over glances that pine for the future while the audience is left pining for the original ending of the book

Had we not reread the ending of the book we may have had a more enjoyable experience with this movie. This is not to say that we did not enjoy the movie, but I do not feel that epic would be the best word to describe it; maybe we set ourselves up for too much? There may be more to come as I think of other things, but this will suffice for now. Happy moving going!

More reviews to come later on X-Men: First Class, The Company Men, Just Go with It, and the Lincoln Lawyer...hopefully, Winnie the Pooh too!