Harry Potter Blatherings (Finally)
Feb. 21st, 2011 11:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quaggy
So, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Yeah. I was not looking forward to this film. Book 7 is not my favorite... or, as I like to call it, "Harry, Ron and Hermione's Camping Trip From Hell" which should give you a clue to my main objections.
Never had I been more excited to know that a movie would be forced to leave stuff OUT. But then they decided that they were going to split the film into two parts. And I thought to myself "Ah hell, the camping trip is back on!" Actually, I was quite delighted that those scenes seemed to move along pretty quickly, though my brother (who never finished reading the series) later commented about how the camping scenes went on forever. I quickly assured him it was much longer in the book!
The truth is... I actually really enjoyed the film! I think a lot of what I was what they changed or how they reinterpreted certain parts. I loved the scene where Hermione tells the story of the Deathly Hallows. The animation was lovely and a welcome change of pace. More importantly, it took a long bit of narrative and made it watchable and interesting.
On a whole, the movie did pretty well with all theuseless exposition that was Book 7. Harry's angst over not knowing who Dumbledore truly was toned down and Grindelwald seems to be nothing more than a petty, arrogant thief. Normally I'm not a fan of such glossing over, but frankly the Grindelwald/Third Reich parallels would be a little much for a family film.
I really enjoyed the bit with the polyjuiced Harrys. The Godric's Hollow was as lovely as I was hoping it would be. (Though I wish they had included the bit with memorial where his house used to be. It was a nice bit in the book that captured pretty well how we grieve together as a society.) But I think my favorite moment was during the opening scenes, when Emma Watson knocked it out of the park, as she disappeared from her parents life. And later, in that random London cafe, when she has to erase the memories of those two Death Eater, you can see what it's costing her and how she's thinking about the last time she used that spell. In the books, Hermione modified her parents memories, gave them new names and sent them to Australia. Even without it being explicitly stated, it was a pretty safe guess that she would be back after the war to give them back their lives. But in the movie, it felt... permanent. Hermione had erased herself from their lives and basically just turned herself into an orphan. What a strong, heartbreaking moment to start things off on.
It also made the connection between Hermione and Harry seem that much stronger. And yes, we've now come to the shipper's rant part of the post. So, it's no secret that I've always thought that Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson have marvelous onscreen chemistry, even from the early films. But I'm beginning to wonder just how many of the cast and crew are closet Harry/Hermione shippers. Because you don't get THAT many shippy moments by accident. The two canon pairings only got a couple a piece. At least, the Hermione/Ron one were believable, like how their hands were almost touching while they were sleeping (even I will admit that was lovely). Harry/Ginny didn't fair nearly as well, but then they had less to work with. (And why does Ginny/Neville make so much more sense to me in the movie-verse? They're like two peas in a pod.)
But from practically the very begining and definitely when they were on the run, the movie was chock-full of Hermione/Harry sweetness, to satisfy even the most rabid shipper. Now, granted a lot of it was to show Ron's growing jealousy... but that moment in the woods when Hermione suggested that they just stay there and grow old? It was just the two of them. (Was it even in the book? I can't remember. Even if it was, I don't think it would have sounded quite so proposal-like.) And then there was Harry dancing with Hermione to cheer her up. I don't think the two every quite connected like that in the book after Ron left. Not until they got to Godric's Hollow, at least.
In the movie, for all intents and purposes, Harry and Hermione were a couple... until Ron had to come back, all sweet and heroic-y. At least they left off the "she's like my sister" bit. (Though I always figured that line in the books was less a ship death sentence and more only-child Harry trying to explain how important his relationship with Hermione was to Ron in terms he'd understand.) And even though it wasn't quite as in-your-face-Ron as before, Harry and Hermione were still close as ever. ("You're not still mad at him, are you?" / "I'm always mad at him." Which, come to think of it, is one of my objections to Ron/Hermione!)
But as I watch the movie, I suddenly realized something. The movies and books are different enough that shipping movie-Hermione/Harry is a totally different thing. Even better, there probably wouldn't be the epilogue (since an epilogue with adults that look nothing like the kids we've watched grow up would be meaningless), so the movie series would be left wide open in terms of future parings. But then I found out on Wikipedia that they are planning on filming the stupid thing with the original crew and using computers to age the actors ala Benjamin Button. Damn you, shiny-new-CGI-techniques for killing my buzz!! *shakes fist*
Preferred pairings aside, I hated the epilogue. HATED IT! It was so unnecessary and read like bad fanfic! (Albus Severus? Really? And no Fred? Did Ginny get a say in these names at all? Oh, right. Lily's middle name is Luna. Never realized that Luna and Ginny were so close that she would blow her one chance at naming one of her kids on her.) Oh, well. I shall just ignore that last scene of the movie, the same way I ignore the book epilogue, the same way I ignore the last scene of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Speaking of A:tLA, between Harry Potter and Avatar: the Last Airbender, I was beginning to think there was something wrong with me since I never seemed to be able to pick (or even like) the canon ship. I can't tell you how relieved I was when I found out that Kyo/Tohru was the endgame pairing in Fruits Basket (my very first manga ever-awww) . It made me feel like I wasn't completely crazy. (I also had to keep reminding myself I was right about Josh/Donna & Luke/Lorelei.) But it doesn't make it any easier when a pairing you hate becomes the endgame.
Sigh. I enjoy shipping, but sometimes I wish I could just put it in a box and just not care at all who's with who. Since that's apparently impossible for me, I guess I'm going to have to write my own ending instead. So, for those you who care about this sort of thing, yeah the Harry/Hermione fic is back on. I was even writing parts of it in my head as I watched the film. :-)
And now, the only thing I ask of the Movie Gods is that Part 2 gives me a couple more shippy moments for me to cling to before canon comes crashing down on my head. But sadly, I think Part 1 was my ship's last hurrah. Sigh. Well, at least the dragon scene looks cool.
Never had I been more excited to know that a movie would be forced to leave stuff OUT. But then they decided that they were going to split the film into two parts. And I thought to myself "Ah hell, the camping trip is back on!" Actually, I was quite delighted that those scenes seemed to move along pretty quickly, though my brother (who never finished reading the series) later commented about how the camping scenes went on forever. I quickly assured him it was much longer in the book!
The truth is... I actually really enjoyed the film! I think a lot of what I was what they changed or how they reinterpreted certain parts. I loved the scene where Hermione tells the story of the Deathly Hallows. The animation was lovely and a welcome change of pace. More importantly, it took a long bit of narrative and made it watchable and interesting.
On a whole, the movie did pretty well with all the
I really enjoyed the bit with the polyjuiced Harrys. The Godric's Hollow was as lovely as I was hoping it would be. (Though I wish they had included the bit with memorial where his house used to be. It was a nice bit in the book that captured pretty well how we grieve together as a society.) But I think my favorite moment was during the opening scenes, when Emma Watson knocked it out of the park, as she disappeared from her parents life. And later, in that random London cafe, when she has to erase the memories of those two Death Eater, you can see what it's costing her and how she's thinking about the last time she used that spell. In the books, Hermione modified her parents memories, gave them new names and sent them to Australia. Even without it being explicitly stated, it was a pretty safe guess that she would be back after the war to give them back their lives. But in the movie, it felt... permanent. Hermione had erased herself from their lives and basically just turned herself into an orphan. What a strong, heartbreaking moment to start things off on.
It also made the connection between Hermione and Harry seem that much stronger. And yes, we've now come to the shipper's rant part of the post. So, it's no secret that I've always thought that Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson have marvelous onscreen chemistry, even from the early films. But I'm beginning to wonder just how many of the cast and crew are closet Harry/Hermione shippers. Because you don't get THAT many shippy moments by accident. The two canon pairings only got a couple a piece. At least, the Hermione/Ron one were believable, like how their hands were almost touching while they were sleeping (even I will admit that was lovely). Harry/Ginny didn't fair nearly as well, but then they had less to work with. (And why does Ginny/Neville make so much more sense to me in the movie-verse? They're like two peas in a pod.)
But from practically the very begining and definitely when they were on the run, the movie was chock-full of Hermione/Harry sweetness, to satisfy even the most rabid shipper. Now, granted a lot of it was to show Ron's growing jealousy... but that moment in the woods when Hermione suggested that they just stay there and grow old? It was just the two of them. (Was it even in the book? I can't remember. Even if it was, I don't think it would have sounded quite so proposal-like.) And then there was Harry dancing with Hermione to cheer her up. I don't think the two every quite connected like that in the book after Ron left. Not until they got to Godric's Hollow, at least.
In the movie, for all intents and purposes, Harry and Hermione were a couple... until Ron had to come back, all sweet and heroic-y. At least they left off the "she's like my sister" bit. (Though I always figured that line in the books was less a ship death sentence and more only-child Harry trying to explain how important his relationship with Hermione was to Ron in terms he'd understand.) And even though it wasn't quite as in-your-face-Ron as before, Harry and Hermione were still close as ever. ("You're not still mad at him, are you?" / "I'm always mad at him." Which, come to think of it, is one of my objections to Ron/Hermione!)
But as I watch the movie, I suddenly realized something. The movies and books are different enough that shipping movie-Hermione/Harry is a totally different thing. Even better, there probably wouldn't be the epilogue (since an epilogue with adults that look nothing like the kids we've watched grow up would be meaningless), so the movie series would be left wide open in terms of future parings. But then I found out on Wikipedia that they are planning on filming the stupid thing with the original crew and using computers to age the actors ala Benjamin Button. Damn you, shiny-new-CGI-techniques for killing my buzz!! *shakes fist*
Preferred pairings aside, I hated the epilogue. HATED IT! It was so unnecessary and read like bad fanfic! (Albus Severus? Really? And no Fred? Did Ginny get a say in these names at all? Oh, right. Lily's middle name is Luna. Never realized that Luna and Ginny were so close that she would blow her one chance at naming one of her kids on her.) Oh, well. I shall just ignore that last scene of the movie, the same way I ignore the book epilogue, the same way I ignore the last scene of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Speaking of A:tLA, between Harry Potter and Avatar: the Last Airbender, I was beginning to think there was something wrong with me since I never seemed to be able to pick (or even like) the canon ship. I can't tell you how relieved I was when I found out that Kyo/Tohru was the endgame pairing in Fruits Basket (my very first manga ever-awww) . It made me feel like I wasn't completely crazy. (I also had to keep reminding myself I was right about Josh/Donna & Luke/Lorelei.) But it doesn't make it any easier when a pairing you hate becomes the endgame.
Sigh. I enjoy shipping, but sometimes I wish I could just put it in a box and just not care at all who's with who. Since that's apparently impossible for me, I guess I'm going to have to write my own ending instead. So, for those you who care about this sort of thing, yeah the Harry/Hermione fic is back on. I was even writing parts of it in my head as I watched the film. :-)
And now, the only thing I ask of the Movie Gods is that Part 2 gives me a couple more shippy moments for me to cling to before canon comes crashing down on my head. But sadly, I think Part 1 was my ship's last hurrah. Sigh. Well, at least the dragon scene looks cool.
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no subject
Date: 2011-02-22 05:26 am (UTC)I agree! That was SOOOO well done!
But I'm beginning to wonder just how many of the cast and crew are closet Harry/Hermione shippers. Because you don't get THAT many shippy moments by accident.
But from practically the very begining and definitely when they were on the run, the movie was chock-full of Hermione/Harry sweetness, to satisfy even the most rabid shipper. Now, granted a lot of it was to show Ron's growing jealousy... but that moment in the woods when Hermione suggested that they just stay there and grow old? It was just the two of them. (Was it even in the book? I can't remember. Even if it was, I don't think it would have sounded quite so proposal-like.) And then there was Harry dancing with Hermione to cheer her up. I don't think the two every quite connected like that in the book after Ron left. Not until they got to Godric's Hollow, at least.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this! I'd really like to know how many people working on the movies ship H/Hr but just don't want to admit it! Even though the Ron/Hermione was done well and the Harry/Ginny was, too, for what they had to work with.
It's almost like the film contradicted itself in the romance department. O__o And, no, Hermione suggesting that she and Harry just stay there was NOT in the book.
It was so unnecessary and read like bad fanfic!
Yeah, I don't get it, either. Why can't authors just leave plotlines of lesser importance to readers' imaginations? I don't need them to tell me every last detail about everything! It really didn't matter to me who everyone married and had kids with. I wanted the epilogue to be what everyone went on to do after school!
Oh, well. I shall just ignore that last scene of the movie, the same way I ignore the book epilogue, the same way I ignore the last scene of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
LOL I do the same! I watch the Agni Kai/all the Zutara, skip the Maiko, then go to Zuko's coronation, and then I shut it off. 8D
But it doesn't make it any easier when a pairing you hate becomes the endgame.
I hear you! Yeah, there will always be fanon, but yeah--that still sucks!
Sigh. I enjoy shipping, but sometimes I wish I could just put it in a box and just not care at all who's with who. Since that's apparently impossible for me, I guess I'm going to have to write my own ending instead
I do that a lot, but mainly with Avatar. Zutara forever! ♥♥♥♥
no subject
Date: 2011-02-22 05:27 am (UTC)Just ignore it and continue to ship what you want. C-:
no subject
Date: 2011-02-22 01:43 pm (UTC)Yes, I think that was the great lesson of A:tLA. Canon is fine and dandy, but it can't tell you what to like. :-)
no subject
Date: 2011-02-22 01:40 pm (UTC)Or can't. H/Hr is the prototype for how shipping wars can ruin a good ship beyond repair. After the whole "delusional" interview and the horrid response afterwards (from both sides), it was like open season if you dared to admit you thought Harry and Hermione might have had qualities that made them a better match than their canon partners.
One of the reasons Katara/Zuko is still such a great ship, is because the ship together at least a segment of the ship worked really hard to present a united "it doesn't have to be canon for us to ship it"/"live and let live" philosophy. That just doesn't exist H/P fandom.
But I think it's pretty obvious that both David Yates and Steve Kloves both prefer that pairing. To the point, that I think it's made JK Rowling look twice at that pairing and think "Okay, yeah. I guess there WAS something there after all." She recently gave an interview where she admitted that, while she still thinks her pairings were ultimately the best choice, she could see how there was something between Harry/Hermione that people would respond to.
It really didn't matter to me who everyone married and had kids with. I wanted the epilogue to be what everyone went on to do after school!
Yes, exactly! All the stuff I really wanted to know didn't get revealed until the interviews that JK Rowling gave afterwards. We didn't even know for certain that Harry and Ron became Aurors!
Yeah, there will always be fanon, but yeah--that still sucks!
It's just hard to watch your show with Zuko/Mai sucking face all over the place. I'm okay with my ship not happening, when it's another pairing that I like or, at least, tolerate. If Harry had wound up with Luna, I wouldn't have been nearly as annoyed by the end. But when it's a pairing that totally leaves you cold, it actually diminishes my enjoyment just a little... which totally sucks.
no subject
Date: 2011-02-22 05:28 am (UTC)oh well....
no subject
Date: 2011-02-22 01:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-22 11:22 pm (UTC)So, for those you who care about this sort of thing, yeah the Harry/Hermione fic is back on. I was even writing parts of it in my head as I watched the film. :-)
Yay! :) I look forward to it (way, way more than the epilogue to Deathly Hallows Part 2!)
no subject
Date: 2011-02-23 12:54 am (UTC)Yes! They nearly killed me in Movie 6. And as a best-friend-shipper, I was even more susceptible. You can trace it all the way back to the first movie when Emma Watson was too embarrassed to hug both Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint in front of everyone. Chris Columbus's compromise was to only have to hug Daniel and do the awkward thing with Rupert as a foreshadow for their future relationship. Instead, it just made it seemed like Harry and Hermione were the better friends.
I look forward to it (way, way more than the epilogue to Deathly Hallows Part 2!)
Awww, thank you! It's partly that drabble I wrote for you a while back with a few more interesting details thrown in. Like after the war, Harry winds up renting a Muggle flat in London (and Hermione soon follows suit) rather than completely settling into the wizard way of life. It's also going to have a bit more of his relationship with Aunt Petunia, so I'm going to have to wait until after Part 2 to see how they handle the Snape/Lily/Tuney relationship.