The Harry Potter Series (Spoilers)

The last one is now out on DVD and I just finished watching it. I have to say, I didn't like it as much as I did in the theaters, which has been a recurring issue for me with almost every installment since the 3rd one (Order of the Phoenix is the exception - I still think that's a great movie). I was okay with it until the trio got to Hogwarts, then things just started to fall apart for me. I hated that they didn't show Fred's death, I hated that they (and by they, I mean Steve Kloves) couldn't resist turning Ron into a shrieking wussy-pants again (see: The Room of Requirement scene), I hated how awkward every Harry/Ginny interaction was. Mostly I hated the reliance on special effects and how they were constantly used in place of explaining major plot points. Also, I don't care if it sounds stupid, they need to say the spells! Otherwise they're just shooting colored lightning at each other!

I do love the series overall, though. There are great moments in every movie and the "older" actors were pretty much uniformly fantastic.

I just watched the very last one for the first time actually. I thought it was fantastic UNTIL the scene when Harry and Dumbledore are in King's Cross Limbo. The scene itself was good, but the fact that they did not even attempt to explain why the holy frick Harry does not die for real after Voldemart Avada Kedavra's him confirmed for me that any explanation is just way too confusing. I still don't get it after reading the book multiple times, and having it explained for me, and then having explained to me like I'm five. I was looking forward to the movie version trying to dumb it down for me even further, but instead they took it out altogether. I doubt anyone could make sense of it.

After that the movie moved kind of slowly for one that is supposed to end on an epic battle note. I really wish Harry would have told Voldemort to his face more about why he knew that the Elder Wand would obey him, and I wish more people had been watching their final showdown. Though I guess the fact that they explained the Elder Wand allegiance in a way that made any sense at all mildly impresses me. That was always a confusing pile of nonsense for such an important plot point.

But aside from that I thought this movie was amazing, and quite emotional. LOVED the actress who played Helena, and the addition of Ciaran Hinds as Abeforth.

Oh, also I was impressed with the epilogue because I thought the actors actually did a passable job of selling themselves as older. It also could have gone in the other direction of ridiculousness if they had overdone their aged makeup, which they didn't.

The actor who played Crabbe was sentenced to 2 years of prison for his role in the UK riots last year. http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/20/world/europe/uk-harry-potter-actor-jailed/index.html?iref=obinsite

That's not very funny, but the comments on the article are hilarious.

I hated that they (and by they, I mean Steve Kloves) couldn't resist turning Ron into a shrieking wussy-pants again

And that is why I gave away all my Harry Potter DVDs last year (I had 1-5). I just can't stand the way Ron is portrayed. It's not Rupert Grint's fault: I always thought he was one of the better child actors. But they turned my favourite character in the books into a wimp, when in the books one of Ron's defining character traits is bravery. I just don't get it.

Ron was awesome in DH part 1; which is why I think I was more disappointed with part 2 than I otherwise would have been. If part 2 came after HBP I would have been like, oh whatever, same old same old, but part 1 I was pretty impressed. It's still my favorite of the films.

JK writing a movie that take place in the Potter universe based on Fantastic Beasts....

*meep*

(That was a meep of joy.)

Hah, awesome! Didn't his son end up with Luna?

ETA: BEST tweet of the day on this topic:

RT @Evy_Lynch
.@wbpictures @jk_rowling even if I'm too old to play Luna, can I go through 10 hours prosthetics to play a crumple-horned-snorkack. Please??

biakbiak wrote:JK writing a movie that take place in the Potter universe based on Fantastic Beasts....

I got so excited when I read this! It feels like a little bit of my childhood is back.