Initial Reactions

I really can't decide how I feel about it. It was so different from what we've seen before.

I enjoyed watching it. It had some really lovely moments. It was a nice ride; it didn't feel nearly as long as it was. And I can't believe how funny it was. I've never laughed so hard at a Harry Potter movie. They're usually so bogged down with drama, and this one was so light most of the time.

From Azkaban on, I've felt that the movies move too fast. Every scene is just an overview, a glance at the intricate scenes you find in the books. The later movies (this one included) have almost no time for any real development. Everything is matter-of-fact. Really important characters have maybe five lines in the whole movie. The Spinner's End scene was so quick that I missed Snape mentioning that he'd been deceiving Dumbledore, and I've read the books! I knew it was coming! Then they mention once that Dumbledore was traveling, and they act like it was some huge revelation when we found out where he's been going. Most non-readers probably forgot about it. It was the same thing with Harry dreaming about the door in Order of the Phoenix. There's also very little recap. People have to remember everything that was ever mentioned in previous movies; there's no time to re-explain anything. I don't really know how to change these things without pushing the limits of your typical audience's attention span, though, so I guess that's why the films are the way they are. I picture the film as a long string connecting tons of little tiny boxes.

As usual, they changed a lot of things from how they were in the book. This time, though, it didn't bother me too much. This time it didn't feel like change for the sake of change. I can understand why they changed some things to make them play out better on-screen. Most of the changes enhanced the story rather than detract from it. Many changes in previous movies were tacky and not exactly necessary, and things like that are hard for me to ignore.

Edit: I forgot about the cornfield scene. That was LAME.

Some people mock Emma Watson's dramatic acting, especially her crying, but I really think she nailed it this time. When she saw Ron and Lavender kiss.....oh, man. I really felt it. I saw it on her face. And I've been there, so I know how it feels. We shared a moment. That was my biggest crying moment of the movie, actually. I did shed a quick tear for Dumbledore, though.

There weren't any moments that made me go, "HOLY SHIT THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!" like Phoenix and others have done. I was waiting for a really epic moment, but even the cave scene wasn't exactly grandiose. I guess it's not really that kind of story, though. I suppose this movie is right to be so different because the book itself is so different from the first five. I didn't think about that until now.

So basically I keep switching from feelings of "that was it?" to feelings of "hmm, that was really nice." It was a lovely film. I wouldn't mind watching it again right now. Well, maybe not right now. I have a HUGE headache, probably from concentrating too intensely. The movie really wasn't what I was expecting, but that doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't right.

I wanted to get my initial thoughts out, but I'm really not in the mood to discuss it. Please don't be offended, but I really don't even want to hear your thoughts on the film right now. I know that seems hypocritical, considering I'm putting my own thoughts out there, but it's ok with me if you don't want to read them. I'm feeling really contemplative. I guess this is the "I" part of my INFP personality at work. So many thoughts are spinning around in my head, and I don't know what to make of any of them.

You know what? I feel like I need a Pensieve.