lunabee34

I adore this movie from start to finish. It is action-packed, beautifully shot, incredibly well-acted and moving beyond belief.

Some things from the book were left out, and other things were presented differently, but on the whole, I think the changes the movie made actually benefited the story.

Dumbledore's backstory is, for the most part, left out of both DH movies. We don't learn anything about his history with Grindewald or what happened to his sister. And frankly, there really isn't a good way for the movie to have disseminated this information anyway.

Two things that were left out that I did miss a bit were Percy's acceptance back into the fold and the way Harry reveals himself to McGonagall in Ravenclaw Tower. I know why they didn't show Percy's return to the family--they haven't followed that thread of the storyline in the movies and so it would seem to come out of nowhere. I love that moment in the book in the Room of Requirement, though, and how poignant it makes Fred's death. Fred dies offscreen in the film, and while it is keenly felt, his death is so much more moving the way it happens in the book, bantering with Percy. They also changed the way that Harry, Ron and Hermione enter Hogwarts proper; there's no Harry protesting that his classmates can't help him and running around doing other things. He immediately accepts their help and confronts Snape dramatically in a scene that I am besotted with. I think the film version of his entrace into Hogwarts is actually better than the book's. However, I absolutely love the part of the book where Harry is incensed that Carrow has spat upon McGonagall and protects her honor, so I was a little sad to see it cut.

Parts of the battle were vastly different than in the book, again for the better, I think. Neville gets to shine like the diamond he is in this movie. He is brave and stalwart and amazing. Blowing up the bridge is fantastic, the speech he gives to Voldemort is fantastic, and the way he kills Nagini is fantastic--ten thousand times better than the book's version. Neville is my favorite character, and he acquits himself more than admirably in this film. Also different is the site of Snape's death, which takes place in a boathouse rather than the Shrieking Shack, presumably because it was deemed too far away from the castle and liable to bungle up the pace of the film.

Speaking of Snape, ILU ALAN RICKMAN 4EVAH! The film is not able to go into the detail about Snape's past and his feelings for Harry's mom that the books are, and I think the movie does an exceptional job of getting that information across in a very short amount of time. Alan Rickman is a genius. As a viewer, I am so used to inscrutable Snape, spy!Snape who must always hide everything so very very far inside himself. And when we do see his emotions, his terrible and vulnerable face, his horrific grief--it is deeply shocking and moving. Harry's expression after he looks at the memories--it makes me tear up just now thinking of it.

Hermione and Ron kiss under different circumstances in the movie, but it's still a hell of a kiss. This was a low participation audience, but that drew some hoots and hollers and applause. As did Molly's duel with Bellatrix. I actually think that drew the loudest response. I've been waiting for years to hear Molly tell Bellatrix off, and the scene did not disappoint.

Another difference between novel and film is that Harry breaks the Elder Wand, which *duh*. I've always thought putting it back in the tomb with Dumbledore is stupid to the nth degree. As long as it exists, someone can still take the damn thing. Kudos on that one, movie.

And now for Lorraine's opinion on the one wholly new thing the movie adds to the saga: Neville's off-hand declaration of feeling for Luna--

LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Neville and Luna are my two favorite characters. I ship them hard with everyone in the books, but desperately so with each other. Thank you, David Yates!

I love the way the book proper ends with the Trio hand in hand in the rubble of Hogwarts, and I think the movie did a brilliant job with that. Which brings me to the Crapilogue. I hate it in the book. Hate, hate, hate. But I love it in the film version. It made me so happy to see them all hale and whole and with children. IDK why I have such different responses to essentially the same scene, but I do.

I can't wait to go see this again!!!!!