Chatterbox: Pudding's Place

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part the first.

So I went to the midnight showing at our theatre (which... probably was a poor decision given I had school in the morning, but still...)

I have a few things I need to complain about, and a couple of things I need to rave about, so here goes. Enter at your own risk.

Complaints and one rant: 

1. Ralph Fiennes

Okay, let's get something very straight here: Ralph Fiennes is a brilliant actor. And he's good at being evil!

But.

For the love of all that is villainous, why was he cast as Voldemort?! WHY?!

I don't even...

He's completely wrong for the part! His presence onscreen fills me with unbearable rage! He hams! He hams it up for Lord bloody Voldemort!

And he's SHORT! Not that I have anything against short people but Voldemort is supposed to be freakishly tall! Not shorter than Harry is!

I told you, didn't I, that Ralph Fiennes would ruin the opening scene? He did, everyone else was brilliant (well, except the writer, who only gave Bellatrix like one line), and then he's over there doing his weird... icky breathing thing and being completely contrary to the mental picture I have of Voldemort.

And at the end, when he stole the Elder Wand! Dear lord, something like that should not be that funny!

*incoherent shrieks of rage*

2. Bellatrix

Did not get enough screen time. That is all. We'll get back to her in a minute though.

3. Helen McCroy

Is almost as bad a Narcissa as Fiennes is a Voldemort. Luckily she didn't do much other than peer worriedly over other people's shoulders, so I was able to more or less ignore the fact that she IS NOT BLONDE.

4. Andromeda Tonks

Was not in the movie. Cue "...WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN..." from Quinn and I. I was looking forward to seeing the third Black sister, thanksverymuch.

Things that made me Happy:

1. Bellatrix

Was amazing. The Malfoy Manor scene was all kinds of disturbing because of HBC's spectacular performance. Especially the torture scene, which we'll get to later.

Oh! And the owning of the snatchers was if possible made even more epic than it was in the books!

The only thing that could possibly have made it better is if *angry grumbling* Ralph Fiennes hadn't ruined the opening scene from the get go and if the writers had seen fit to give Bella more than the one line. The twisted little shipper inside of me wanted public humiliation and shame and more crazy in that scene, but nooo. 

2. Yaxley

Was a very pleasant surprise. He has a nice accent, and the bit with him pursuing the trio through the Atrium, with the Undesirable #1 posters flying through the air, was a very unexpected and rather subtle Crowning Moment of Awesome.

Against all odds the movie seems to have added another Death Eater to my list of characters to fangirl at.

Also his nose was fascinating.

3. Malfoy Manor

Was one of the things I was most excited about if I'm being perfectly honest (because it breaks up the monotony of the Prolonged Camping Trip, I swear! Not because I'm evil!). And it totally outdid my expectations.

First: The snatchers were great, a perfect combination of snarkery and villainy.

Second: The look on Draco's face whilst examining Harry was so... I mean, you just want to reach through the scene and give him a big hug.

Third: Bellatrix's complete ownage of the snatchers? You know how awesome it was in the book? Yeah, the movie doubled that. At least. 

Fourth: The offscreen screaming sounded bloody realistic. I mean like "My god what did they do to get Emma Watson to scream like that" realistic. There is none of this Twilight 'you know that doesn't sound like pain to me' squeaky nonsense in MY fandom, thanks.

Fifth: The tiny snippet of the actual torture itself was all kinds of terrifying and disturbing, even for me. Helena Bonham Carter is amazing. And the angle of the shots only made things worse (or better, depending on your point of view...)

Sixth: Carving "Mudblood" onto Hermione's arm. Perfection. Why I didn't think of it I will never know. And the way it was presented, after the fact with her just... lying there, completely wrung out was... wonderful in a twisted kind of way.

Seventh: HAHAHA Dobby on the chandelier!

Eight: The acting throughout this scene was spectacular. And in this I am including the earlier bits with the snatchers, and the Malfoys (well, Helen McCroy's a good actor even if she is, appearance-wise, NOT Narcissa). Also, Rupert Grint was incredible in this scene, frantic in a slightly understated way that wasn't hammy or narmy like I expected it to be, which was incredible.

Overall the whole Malfoy Manor scene was just so incredibly believable and definitely the highlight of the movie from my admittedly biased point of view. And no, I am not just saying this because It Had Bellatrix In It. I'm saying this because it really was, in my opinion, the actual best scene acting, effects, and cinematography wise. 

4. Neville

"[standing up] Hey, losers. He's not here." <-- to Death Eaters inspecting the train!

This was the full extent of his screen time. It is also one of the film's Crowning Moments of Awesome. 

5. Physical Appearance Throughout the Movie

I love that they apparently said, "Let's forget about Beauty Is Never Tarnished and take everyone who ought to look like they've just gone through Hades and back, and then make them look like they've just gone through Hades and back." This especially applies to Jason Isaacs, who actually looks like he's just been rescued from Azkaban and fallen out of favor with his increasingly irrational and violent boss. Also and slightly more subtly the dirt, grime, and in some cases blood which our trio never seemed to get rid of. And the lack of shaving, which my friend considered disgusting but I appreciated because, y'know, they're wanted fugitives on a prolonged camping trip and all.

6. Umbridge

Reminded everyone of our principal. Also I love Imelda Staunton, she's such a great actor.

That being said I loathe the character almost as much as I loathe Ralph Fiennes' Voldemort.

...

I think that's all.

Who else has seen it and what did you think of it? Share your thoughts! I command you! NOW!