Yes, it's that Wizard kid again

[drakyndra]

So, today I went in with notalwaysweak and a few other people (most of whom I didn't know) to go see the last Harry Potter movie.

Yes, I know, it's been out for almost a week and I hadn't seen it already. Call myself a Potter-fan indeed.

Ah well. I still cried.


I think the movie did pretty well for what it was i.e. never going to be the "real" canon for me, which is always going to be the books. I was pleased that a lot of my favourite lines and key scenes were in there pretty much word for word, but then they cut things which I really missed (Percy's return before Fred's death) and messed around with other scenes. Oh Neville, your big moment was so much cooler in the books. (On the other hand, they didn't go badfic on you, and you remained adorkable, so it's alright).

I'm still wondering what happened to, oh, the entirety of Remus and Tonks' plot. That line about Remus's son came so out of the blue. And poor Dumbledore's backstory. I had hoped there would be something about him and Gellert.

Though on the other hand, the made me cry with "The Forest Again" which is entirely well and proper. I think I would have killed someone if the screwed that up. I think there is some biological problem going on if you don't end up in tears over that scene.

I also teared up over Fred - oh Fred, oh George - and Snape's memories, which were very well done.

Though they reminded me of a comment I've seen elsewhere, that while Rickman does a great job as Snape - the Snape he plays is not the same one as the books. To paraphrase someone else, book!Snape is a bitter young man who has never been able to grow out of his teenage grudges and obsessions. Rickman!Snape is flawed, but not consumed by his flaws like the book version.

I think Ron/Hermione and Molly's line - you know the one - got a whole lot of enthusiasm from the audience, as well as a number of Neville's moments. And McGonnagal. And Kingsley. And Hermione as Bellatrix - kudos to Helena Bonham-Carter on that bit of acting.

(Another comment I've seen floating around is that it was interesting to note that for once, when Malfoy grabbed a black guy and a white guy for his sidekicks, it was the black guy who lived through it. Go go Blaise Zabini!)

As for the "19 years later" bit... well, I never had much of a problem with the epilogue in the books. My favourite Star Wars movie is Return of the Jedi, dancing Ewoks and all; I am fine with a bit of sap at the end of the Epic Series Climax.

But what I felt seemed fine by me in text... did not come off nearly as well with less than spectacular old age make-up. I honestly wish they'd have got different actors in instead.

Of course, the fact that we apparently had some rather.. enthused fans behind us made things interesting. And it's not as if the people I was with were all that secretive about their fannishness.

Theatre was also pretty packed, too. Glad we booked in advance, since I don't think we could have sat together otherwise.


...And now I feel like reading Potter fanfic again. Any recent things out there to recommend? I prefer gen or canon ships, mostly, and something with plot or world-building would be fun.

In other news, you can now see an official (non-camera phone) version of the teaser trailer for The Dark Knight Rises.
And I have discovered that Utena caps and Texts From Last Night make a disturbingly fitting combination.

Comments

[grendelity.livejournal.com]

Ahhh do not worry, I haven't seen it yet. Going on Friday, and hopefully the crowd will have thinned out. I've heard mostly good things, though...everyone seems to have the same sort of crit for it, too.

I think the exposure to HP fanfic I've had is all spectacularly awful, so I don't think I can rec anything and not go straight to hell. fanficrants has been going nuts with HP fic for the last week. [Also not a good source for quality fic ahaha.]

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

Mmm, it's not perfect, but it does a lot better than a lot of adventure/fantasy types films. (Face it, the success of Potter has brought a lot of bad wannabes around).

Normally, I'd just trawl around for fic for whatever fandom in question, but HP is far too large for that. I really need to get a recommendation from somewhere so I know what's worth my time.

[grendelity.livejournal.com]

Lord, I know that is true. Between HP and Twilight, the YA section in any bookstore has become riddled with awful, awful knockoffs. I have criticism for the writing in HP and I don't claim to be in love with the series, but it's such a mainstay of more than half my life that I really don't understand when people say they hate it.

I think the last good HP fic I read was a Marauders!Sirius/Hermione story that someone I really liked started in, like....2001. And of course it's unfinished, which is a shame. Or it is to my 13-year-old self. otoh I can rec plenty of completely scarring fic because my friends are horrible people and apparently can't resist telling me when they find particularly awful gems. I'LL SPARE YOU UNLESS YOU'RE FEELING MORBID

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

I'm fully aware there are flaws in HP, and yet... it was my childhood. It was there for years and years. I get all fuzzy and defensive over it.

I think Twilight brought about worse things, though. Umpteen mediocre magical adventure stories are preferable to umpteen mediocre supernatural romances.

I am down with awful fic so long as it is of the hilariously bad kind. HP badfic has brought me many lulz throughout the years.

[grendelity.livejournal.com]

Oh god yes Twilight is significantly worse. I think there's definitely a section in Barnes & Noble called SUPERNATURAL TEEN ROMANCE and all the covers are like. Black + stark symbolic shot of something-or-another and overly-vague title in distressed font. I just. Really.

I think it's too early in the morning for anything other than that awful and notorious skull-fucking fic to come to mind. Which probably says something horrible about me.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. THE COVERS ALL LOOK THE SAME!

Ah, that fic. Oh, the memories of fandom.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

I find the bashing/OOC writing worse than excessive Americanisation, really. (Except when people put "Sorceror's Stone" instead of "Philosopher's Stone". Because, no.)

I can deal with the occasional bit of inappropriate terminology, it's warping the characters that bugs me more.

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

I've never been in the fandom but a rewatch of all the movies has me in the mood for fic, and given the sheer size of the fandom it's really hard to find good stuff that doesn't bash/ultra-woobify anyone and has been Britpicked even a little bit (I keep hitting authors who've gone out of their way to use British spellings but still have American idioms and brand names all over the place). But since it is an ENORMOUS fandom I'm sure that fusion fic I want to read where all the Doctor's companions are at Hogwarts together must be out there somewhere...

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Whoops, had deleted to add a bit and my comment got misplaced. But yes, will take Americanisms over terrible characterisation any day: I keep coming across eeevil Weasleys, and it makes me sad.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

I agree with evil!Weasleys making me sad. Also: evil Dumbledore.

And that fusion fic sounds highly entertaining and you must link it to me if you ever find it.

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Ha, I've just found the TV Tropes page about this very phenomenon - I was sort of hoping the fic I found that opened with Ron all but dancing on Hermione's grave was an aberration, but apparently not.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

Oh Harry Potter fandom, WHY U SO FAIL! :(

[londonesque.livejournal.com]

I was so tense the whole way through the film, I was exhausted afterwards!

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

Watching emotional films: It takes a surprising amount of energy.

[londonesque.livejournal.com]

And this film already has such an advantage, because we're already emotionally invested in the characters.