HPatDHp2

That is a terrible picture of Snape.

Finally got around to watching HPatDHp2. ON BLURAY. Tried out rigging my laptop to my tv for the first time. Pretty cool, except that the sound quality wasn't really as impressive and speaker kept producing the kind of sounds when u slap a piece of paper in mid-air, but only when the orchestral plays the really low sounds, so it didn't affect my much except when Voldemort BLEEPBLEEPBLEEPBLEEPBLEEP.

Set-up wise, the video was pretty awesome for a movie, very clear except certain parts it gets glitchy which is weird. The sound was quite low although I was pretty confident that can be fixed, because I intentionally kept the volume of my VLC player at 100% instead of 400% which is what i normally do, thinking that it might improve my sound quality. Ended up having to turn the volume on my tv up all the way to 100 (normally at 20) and resulted in the slap sounds, I THINK.

Story wise, it felt weird for a movie to feel too rushed and too dragged out at the same time. This is the first movie where I read the book beforehand so I knew what was supposed to happen where. And for future reference, ALWAYS watch the movie first, even though it's bad business for the author, I'm sorry to all authors. Movies will always be restricted by time and will always cut parts of a book out and this is no different. The pacing of the book was a little strange at the end, but because it was exciting, nobody questioned it mid-reading. In the movie, it becomes very obvious. There is a lot of back-and-forth not only between people but also between places so it feels stuck in some parts. The front, on the other hand, feels rushed. From Shell Cottage with Bill Weasley and his beautiful wife all the way to the conversation with Aberforth.

The visuals are obviously spectacular, except for any part with floating objects. I can't believe it's 2011 and we still haven't nailed down floating objects yet.

Something I want to give massive props to is the acting. Particularly that of Snape and Voldemort. Surprisingly for the end of the series, the protagonists' don't stand out in particular. Many times, it feels like this whole army of good guys (which while filled with all brilliant actors, all have too little screen time, another flaw of books-turned-movies) versus one person and his horde of cannon fodder.

Snape was great in this movie and the actor, I think, Alan Rickman deserves an Oscar. I think this might be the single best acting I have ever seen. The only other movie to have won the honor of being the best in something (in my mind) is the first 8 minutes of Up the movie. Specifically the best part was Harry reliving the memories of Snape. That short clip really took the cake. Even as I read the books, I never felt any sort of attachment to him as a character, despite what the fangirls out there would say. He was a good character in terms of character development but I just didn't like him that much.

Well, Alan Rickman's acting changed all that.

Voldemort also appeared pretty impressive, acting wise. First time seeing him as a desperate character, pretty good in my book.

All in all, great movie, disappointing on the not-enough-Emma-Watson department. : )