The Tab

**This does not have spoilers as I just talk about the film in general without going into real depth, so don’t get your panties in a bind.**

In 1998, America was introduced to one of the greatest fantasy book series of my generation (HAHA suck it Twilight!).  By 2001 we were given the first cinematic installment of Harry Potter.  Anyone who had read the books squealed like a little girl and nerd-gasm’d…. no?  That was just me? Anyone?

Chris Columbus directed the “Sorcerer’s Stone” as well as the “Chamber of Secrets”, which happened to be the only two of the Harry Potter movies I liked.  His image of what he perceived this world to look like wasn’t too far off from I had imagined it to look like.  His vision as amazing, and clever, the way he laid everything out was simply spectacular.  Everything from the Dursely’s neighborhood to Diagon Alley, from Platform 9 ¾ to the Hogwart’s Castle, and anything in between.

What surprised me the most though was the cast, and how much even they looked, and acted like I would have imagined.  Columbus had out done himself in all of this.  How can you make this anymore epic then that?!  He remade an entire world practically the same as any one I have talked to would vision it themselves, what could he possibly do to make it better? I’ll tell you how!  No movie is really complete without a good soundtrack, and who better to do the music for your epic movie the fucking John Williams!!!

This man is known by all, and if they say they don’t they’re lying to you.  This is the man who has composed music for Star Wars, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, and Superman.  He composed music for the first three films, however his more notable song “Hedwig’s Theme” was used throughout the remaining films, and we all know you get giddy as a school girl when you hear that intro!  Williams was suppose to return for the finale of the series but the director David Yates claimed that he could not because their schedule’s didn’t align…. FUCK YOU DAVID!! WILLIAMS DOESN’T WORK FOR YOU! YOU WORK FOR HIM!! HE WILL MAKE YOUR MOVIES EPIC… and sir your first few Harry Potter films needed all the help they could get.

David Yates Directed the 5^th, 6^th, as well as part one and two of the 7^th installments.  Apparently Columbus didn’t want to continue working on the series, and to make matters worse!!!! Richard Harris (Dumbledore) passed away from Hodgkin’s disease in 2002.  This personally crushed me because I thought he was absolutely perfect for the role, alas some else would have to take up the role.  Frankly he can never be replaced, he WAS Dumbledore! Although Michael Gambon didn’t to a terrible job as Dumbledore, just a shame he had to start off in Alfonso Cauron’s “Prisoner of Azkaban”.  This movie just tore me apart!  At the time it was my favorite of the books, yet was slaughtered by this film.

Suddenly things were changed around, the house robes were no longer in the films(RAGE!!!), somehow Hagrid’s hut got relocated from a nice flat field to the side of some rocky hill (wtf?!?!), and the ghost’s were all gone (unless they were needed for convenience sake of the plot).  I mean it was bad enough no one included Peeves, but you took out ALL the fucking ghosts?!?!

After Columbus left it just seemed like no one could do the books any kind of justice, not even the actors.  The main three kids just seemed to get worse with each film, don’t believe me?  Go watch the scene in “Prisoner of Azkaban” where Harry is crying in the snow about Sirius Black… it’s painful.  When they started off all cute and little it was fine.  They were young and probably nervous about being in such a film, which I could only imagine actually helping in the first two films.  The first film they play kids who are introduced to a new world, new school, crazy things like three headed dogs and moving stair cases!  They were meant to act as nervous kids!

By the second film they’d have been through enough to get it down, and they do.  The sequel was fantastic and I thought their acting had improved a lot.  But holy shit wtf happened between the 2^nd and 3^rd film?  Things just felt either over played or down played, it was atrocious!  Nothing was down played more than the fight at Hogwarts in the 6^th movie.

This was a HUGE turning point in the story with such a nasty twist it almost made you sick! And yet David Yates managed to completely down play it like “Meh Dumbledore died (again, haha!…. I’m so going to hell for that) no big.  What? Snape is suppose to kill him? So what?  Doesn’t sound like a big deal to me”…. So I repeat

FUCK YOU DAVID!!

For some reason we kept David though for the two parter of “The Deathly Hallows” I honestly couldn’t say I was really enthusiastic about it.  With the previous 4 films not living up to their predecessor’s, I was just expecting this movie to flop.  Although being a Harry Potter fan, and this being the last of the series, I wanted to see it regardless.  I tried to fool myself thinking “Well, it’s in two parts… should give more time for content and story right?”  Sadly it also leaves more room for shenanigans and unnecessary bull shit.

So I went to the midnight release of David Yates “The Deathly Hallows”, sitting there with Josh talking about how much shit the previous films were, how I didn’t expect this to be any different, and I can feel myself becoming a target.  Midnight release of a Harry Potter film probably isn’t the best place to talk crap about said movie.  The picture eventually starts and as I’m watching the previews I was pretty sure they would be more entertaining that the movie itself.

It starts off its usual way with the camera flying through the clouds and I get a sense of nostalgia when I heard the intro start to play.  From that moment on, I was made a fool who was to eat his own words of doubt.

The film will quickly move into the action, keeping your attention from the start up till it finishes.  Our main actors and all the supporting cast were just phenomenal throughout the entire film.  Nothing seemed too over the top as they have been prior and didn’t make my cringe watching them.  The action was great, the drama felt believable, the acting improved, the story was true to the book (more so than they have been since “The Chamber of Secrets”, and the emotion was there.

I actually found myself feeling for the characters this time, they felt real.  It astonished me as to how much the three main kids improved since the previous film just a few years ago.  They didn’t seem overly dramatic, it was really nice to see them actually act and not pretend to act (there seemed to be real tears, not that scrunched up face then quickly pan away).

I still think Daniel Radcliffe is the weakest of the actors.  Emma Watson I think I would choose next as a weaker actor, however both were brilliant in this film, they still had a few scenes that it seemed as though they were trying just too hard.  It wasn’t nearly as painful as previous films and in fact was barely an issue at all.  Rupert Grint was, and has been my favorite actors since the first film.  He has been a descent actor since then, and actually has seemed to improve.  His role in this last movie as pretty spectacular compared to the other two.

The supporting casts (the little you get to see them) were just as spectacular.  Anyone who has read the books knows that this is all a pretty intense environment in every scene, and these actors give off that emotion well.  They all know what is going on, and know what is suppose to happen, and just portray it all with excellence.  Everyone seems on edge with the growing threat of Voldermort, and again, couldn’t be shown any more brilliantly than they did.

It’s rather hard for me to praise a film, as making fun of films is easy and can make better laugh material; this was still an excellent film.  This is one of the best movies that has come out in a rather long time.  I know to expect some Oscar nominations from this film, and I believe it should.  Comparatively to anything else that has come out this year, I’d say this is in my top 5 favorites of 2010. Between “The Deathly Hallows Prt 1”, “Inception”, and “Toy Story 3”, nothing really else this year stands out to me.  There was “Predators” and “The Expendables”, but they didn’t seem Oscar worthy.  Regardless This was just a fantastic film and I highly recommend it.

PS.  This movie had me in tears both times I watched it T-T