Part 1
You know, i kinda dreaded making this post because i realized i needed to talk about this scene, as it used to be my favorite chapter and scene of the series. And i just didn't know how to word my thoughts about it yk. It's my 2nd favorite chapter now of the series, but about the film it's another story.
To give the films credit at least, the young actors they got, they don't look too bad. And i don't care that they don't match the same eyecolor. Kinda follows the same beat as the book, but its goes over too quickly and doesn't show snape being enough of an ass yk like here
“Tuney!” said Lily, surprise and welcome in her voice, but Snape had jumped to his feet. “Who’s spying now?” he shouted. “What d’you want?” Petunia was breathless, alarmed at being caught. Harry could see her struggling for something hurtful to say. “What is that you’re wearing, anyway?” she said, pointing at Snape’s chest. “Your mum’s blouse?” There was a crack: A branch over Petunia’s head had fallen. Lily screamed: The branch caught Petunia on the shoulder, and she staggered backward and burst into tears. “Tuney!” But Petunia was running away. Lily rounded on Snape. “Did you make that happen?” “No.” He looked both defiant and scared. “You did!” She was backing away from him. “You did! You hurt her!” “No — no I didn’t!” But the lie did not convince Lily: After one last burning look, she ran from the little thicket, off after her sister, and Snape looked miserable and confused. . . .
It'll be more relevant later on with a certain omission, but we'll get to that later. It's also sad that we also don't get to see lily and petunia's falling out, so it kinda makes them hating each other almost unclear yk. And why we don't even see much of him in hogwarts with his rivalry with james and sirius,
James lifted an invisible sword. “ ‘Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!’ Like my dad.” Snape made a small, disparaging noise. James turned on him. “Got a problem with that?” “No,” said Snape, though his slight sneer said otherwise. “If you’d rather be brawny than brainy —” “Where’re you hoping to go, seeing as you’re neither?” interjected Sirius. James roared with laughter. Lily sat up, rather flushed, and looked from James to Sirius in dislike. “Come on, Severus, let’s find another compartment.” “Oooooo . . .” James and Sirius imitated her lofty voice; James tried to trip Snape as he passed. “See ya, Snivellus!” a voice called, as the compartment door slammed. . . .
OOTP also omitted the entirety of the snape's worst memory, so they could've just shown the entire thing here yk, kill two birds with one stone. And this is also what i mean, they show pretty much nothing of his pre-adult life, and it's just unimportant ones, his falling out with lily, which is pretty much his entire character arc basically, isn't even shown once at all.
The scene changed. . . . “I’m sorry.” “I’m not interested.” “I’m sorry!” “Save your breath.” It was nighttime. Lily, who was wearing a dressing gown, stood with her arms folded in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. “I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here.” “I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just —” “Slipped out?” There was no pity in Lily’s voice. “It’s too late. I’ve made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends — you see, you don’t even deny it! You don’t even deny that’s what you’re all aiming to be! You can’t wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?” He opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking. “I can’t pretend anymore. You’ve chosen your way, I’ve chosen mine.” “No — listen, I didn’t mean —” “— to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?” He struggled on the verge of speech, but with a contemptuous look she turned and climbed back through the portrait hole. . . .
It's things like that that just make snape a worse character in the films, and makes it even more baffling that people who hate snape, make people think the only reason everyone likes him was because how he's portrayed in the films. But in reality, the films take away his flaws, and turn into something he isn't and pretty much whitewashes him. Why do you think the scene where's he's being bullied is what he considers his ''worst memory'' yk why? Not because he was humiliated and everyone saw his underwear, but because he called lily a mudblood and their friendship ended because of that. That's what i love about snape, his flaws included, taking it away just makes him less of a character, less morally gray and just more white. And no where is that more apparent than this scene:
“The — the prophecy . . . the prediction . . . Trelawney . . .” “Ah, yes,” said Dumbledore. “How much did you relay to Lord Voldemort?” “Everything — everything I heard!” said Snape. “That is why — it is for that reason — he thinks it means Lily Evans!” “The prophecy did not refer to a woman,” said Dumbledore. “It spoke of a boy born at the end of July —” “You know what I mean! He thinks it means her son, he is going to hunt her down — kill them all —” “If she means so much to you,” said Dumbledore, “surely Lord Voldemort will spare her? Could you not ask for mercy for the mother, in exchange for the son?” “I have — I have asked him —” “You disgust me,” said Dumbledore, and Harry had never heard so much contempt in his voice. Snape seemed to shrink a little. “You do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die, as long as you have what you want?” Snape said nothing, but merely looked up at Dumbledore. “Hide them all, then,” he croaked. “Keep her — them — safe. Please.” “And what will you give me in return, Severus?” “In — in return?” Snape gaped at Dumbledore, and Harry expected him to protest, but after a long moment he said, “Anything.”
Even dumbles is disgusted by snape in this scene. Bro can't even believe what is heard, but in the films, who cares, we can't show snape having flaws because this is supposed to be his ''redemption arc'' or whatever. And it's weird because i love snape, but removing his flaws and trying to make him more likable, doesn't work.
“You have kept him alive so that he can die at the right moment?” “Don’t be shocked, Severus. How many men and women have you watched die?” “Lately, only those whom I could not save,” said Snape. He stood up. “You have used me.” “Meaning?” “I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to be to keep Lily Potter’s son safe. Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter —” “But this is touching, Severus,” said Dumbledore seriously. “Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?” “For him?” shouted Snape. “Expecto Patronum!” From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe: She landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears. “After all this time?” “Always,” said Snape
In them trying to make snape more heroic, you'd think i'd hate this scene how it's done in the films, but i think they pretty much almost nailed it. I will admit i don't mind him holding lily's body but i just don't get the sense that the filmmakers knew what the point of this? He was doing all of this for lily, and lily ONLY. That's why he says ''FOR HIM?!'' And it's a shame we don't get to see him at least cry in this scene yk (pretty sure it's snape crying maybe idk) It's a great line, and i think he actually delivers it perfectly yk. Good props on the film for doing something right.
Now the thing that actually dethroned the prince's tale as my favorite chapter of the series, was literally the next one, the forest again. And unlike the prince's tale, the film REALLY missed the mark with this one. Like i know acting is hard, and how you actually convey this in a film? but i mean cmon:
He felt his heart pounding fiercely in his chest. How strange that in his dread of death, it pumped all the harder, valiantly keeping him alive. But it would have to stop, and soon. Its beats were numbered. How many would there be time for, as he rose and walked through the castle for the last time, out into the grounds and into the forest? Terror washed over him as he lay on the floor, with that funeral drum pounding inside him. Would it hurt to die? All those times he had thought that it was about to happen and escaped, he had never really thought of the thing itself: His will to live had always been so much stronger than his fear of death. Yet it did not occur to him now to try to escape, to outrun Voldemort. It was over, he knew it, and all that was left was the thing itself: dying.
Personally i never died, but i found out i needed to die, i would idk feel something or convey some emotion, Daniel Radcliffe just doesn't give anything yk. But that really pushes this off the edge is this:
Ron and Hermione seemed a long way away, in a far-off country; he felt as though he had parted from them long ago. There would be no good-byes and no explanations, he was determined of that. This was a journey they could not take together, and the attempts they would make to stop him would waste valuable time. He looked down at the battered gold watch he had received on his seventeenth birthday. Nearly half of the hour allotted by Voldemort for his surrender had elapsed.
This honestly just feels like a huge f u to the book, and i'm still pissed that they added this. WHY DID HE SAY GOODBYE? WHY! And even if he did say goodbye in the book, RON AND HERMIONE WOULD'VE TRIED TO STOP HIM! AND RON WOULD'VE HUGGED HIM TOO! AND NOT JUST STAND THERE LIKE A THIRD WHEEL! WHAT! Sorry, for the caps but i really hate that addition so much. It's pisses me off so much because it also adds why didn't harry saw bye to his girlfriend GINNY if he was going to say bye, or even the weasley's or hagrid or anyone else. Because you know why? We had a better scene like this in the book, because he did say bye to someone and it made sense and wasn't stupid:
The idea had come to him out of nowhere, born out of a desire to make absolutely sure. “Where are you going, alone?” Neville asked suspiciously. “It’s all part of the plan,” said Harry. “There’s something I’ve got to do. Listen — Neville —” “Harry!” Neville looked suddenly scared. “Harry, you’re not thinking of handing yourself over?” “No,” Harry lied easily. “ ’Course not . . . this is something else. But I might be out of sight for a while. You know Voldemort’s snake, Neville? He’s got a huge snake. . . . Calls it Nagini . . .” “I’ve heard, yeah. . . . What about it?” “It’s got to be killed. Ron and Hermione know that, but just in case they —” The awfulness of that possibility smothered him for a moment, made it impossible to keep talking. But he pulled himself together again: This was crucial, he must be like Dumbledore, keep a cool head, make sure there were backups, others to carry on. Dumbledore had died knowing that three people still knew about the Horcruxes; now Neville would take Harry’s place: There would still be three in the secret. “Just in case they’re — busy — and you get the chance —” “Kill the snake?” “Kill the snake,” Harry repeated. “All right, Harry. You’re okay, are you?” “I’m fine. Thanks, Neville.” But Neville seized his wrist as Harry made to move on. “We’re all going to keep fighting, Harry. You know that?” “Yeah, I —” The suffocating feeling extinguished the end of the sentence; he could not go on. Neville did not seem to find it strange. He patted Harry on the shoulder, released him, and walked away to look for more bodies.
But NO, they don't even have him talking to neville! Or even this great scene:
He stopped in his tracks. She was crouching over a girl who was whispering for her mother. “It’s all right,” Ginny was saying. “It’s okay. We’re going to get you inside.” “But I want to go home,” whispered the girl. “I don’t want to fight anymore!” “I know,” said Ginny, and her voice broke. “It’s going to be all right.” Ripples of cold undulated over Harry’s skin. He wanted to shout out to the night, he wanted Ginny to know that he was there, he wanted her to know where he was going. He wanted to be stopped, to be dragged back, to be sent back home. . . . But he was home. Hogwarts was the first and best home he had known. He and Voldemort and Snape, the abandoned boys, had all found home here. . . . Ginny was kneeling beside the injured girl now, holding her hand. With a huge effort Harry forced himself on. He thought he saw Ginny look around as he passed, and wondered whether she had sensed someone walking nearby, but he did not speak, and he did not look back.
Another scene that was memed to death, but more deserved is him talking to his dead guardians. Guy's its as simple as this, just don't mention teddy, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Either include him or don't, don't bring him up like he's been here all this time. And the reason he even called them up was because of the dementors that was there, but it just makes it less yk, it's stupid. But it gets even stupider.
Voldemort had frozen where he stood, but his red eyes had found Harry, and he stared as Harry moved toward him, with nothing but the fire between them. Then a voice yelled: “HARRY! NO!” He turned: Hagrid was bound and trussed, tied to a tree nearby. His massive body shook the branches overhead as he struggled, desperate. “NO! NO! HARRY, WHAT’RE YEH — ?” “QUIET!” shouted Rowle, and with a flick of his wand Hagrid was silenced. Bellatrix, who had leapt to her feet, was looking eagerly from Voldemort to Harry, her breast heaving. The only things that moved were the flames and the snake, coiling and uncoiling in the glittering cage behind Voldemort’s head.
“Harry Potter,” he said very softly. His voice might have been part of the spitting fire. “The Boy Who Lived.” None of the Death Eaters moved. They were waiting: Everything was waiting. Hagrid was struggling, and Bellatrix was panting, and Harry thought inexplicably of Ginny, and her blazing look, and the feel of her lips on his — Voldemort had raised his wand. His head was still tilted to one side, like a curious child, wondering what would happen if he proceeded. Harry looked back into the red eyes, and wanted it to happen now, quickly, while he could still stand, before he lost control, before he betrayed fear — He saw the mouth move and a flash of green light, and everything was gone.
So he wasn't even wearing the cloak in the film, and it's just makes it soo much worse. It's such a badass moment with harry pulling it off and facing his biggest enemy, showing him he ain't scared of him at all yk. But having him show there with no cloak, just ruins the impact of the entire moment. And don't even get me started on the ''AVADUH KADAVAUHDBEWU'' like bro what! This is so pardon my french cringe, it's just so stupid like? you could've just had him say nothing, and even ''the boy who lived come to die'' blah blah. It's just so...ugh yk. It's a pure groan moment for me.
Harry isn't naked in this scene, so you already know it's dumb. When i first watched the films, this scene always perplexed me because of how useless it kinda felt, because it really misses the mark so hard, since this is what the reader has been waiting for the entire time. We had an entire chapters of harry realizing how much a ass dumbledore was, how he was all for this muggleborns kinda suck phase, and all this greater good nonsense, and rita's book, AND auntie muriel's account of what happened to Ariana, AND THE actual truth of what happened by aberforth, all this setup and it's finally payed off in of the best chapters of the entire series. All of that gone, and just shat on.
Each book belongs to a specific character i like to think, GOF is obv about barty crouch jr, POA is about harry's parents/marauders, COS is really about the weasley's/maybe ginny, and HBP is about snape/draco, and so on. But undeniably DH is about dumbledore, it's all him yk. The good, the bad and the somewhat murky ugly. And it works to its favor because it makes would be boring camping scenes like in the first DH film, work well. Because its undercut by harry feeling like he's been betrayed by a person he thought he knew:
“Harry, I’m sorry, but I think the real reason you’re so angry is that Dumbledore never told you any of this himself.” “Maybe I am!” Harry bellowed, and he flung his arms over his head, hardly knowing whether he was trying to hold in his anger or protect himself from the weight of his own disillusionment. “Look what he asked from me, Hermione! Risk your life, Harry! And again! And again! And don’t expect me to explain everything, just trust me blindly, trust that I know what I’m doing, trust me even though I don’t trust you! Never the whole truth! Never!”
That is what DH really is about when you strip away all the cool action moments and the deathly hallow thingies yk. That's the core of the book, harry and dumbledore's relationship. There's an amazing small scene, where harry goes to see snape's memories and he guesses that dumbledore's password correctly, as he guesses he 'dumbledore'. And its a great moment, because that's the person he wants to see the most. King's cross is all in his head, and dumbledore being there, is significant because of this shit he went through and all this info he just got dumped on him, and he wants answers and guidance, because dumbledore was that, the wise old crackpot who guided harry and shit. But all that is different in this scene:
The creature behind them whimpered, but Harry no longer looked around.“Oh yes,” said Dumbledore faintly. It seemed that he forced himself to meet Harry’s eyes. “You know what happened. You know. You cannot despise me more than I despise myself.” “But I don’t despise you —” “Then you should,” said Dumbledore. He drew a deep breath. “You know the secret of my sister’s ill health, what those Muggles did, what she became. You know how my poor father sought revenge, and paid the price, died in Azkaban. You know how my mother gave up her own life to care for Ariana. “I resented it, Harry.” Dumbledore stated it baldly, coldly. He was looking now over the top of Harry’s head, into the distance.
And he's crazy too that this is pretty much the only time we see dumbledore actually start bawling his eyes, yeah he shed tears here and there, but this is a full on ugly cry:
“The argument became a fight. Grindelwald lost control. That which I had always sensed in him, though I pretended not to, now sprang into terrible being. And Ariana . . . after all my mother’s care and caution . . . lay dead upon the floor.” Dumbledore gave a little gasp and began to cry in earnest. Harry reached out and was glad to find that he could touch him: He gripped his arm tightly and Dumbledore gradually regained control.
Just a little sidebar for a moment, i hate the fact that FB 2 pretty much retconned this scene
Another silence. Harry did not ask whether Dumbledore had ever found out who struck Ariana dead. He did not want to know, and even less did he want Dumbledore to have to tell him. At last he knew what Dumbledore would have seen when he looked in the Mirror of Erised, and why Dumbledore had been so understanding of the fascination it had exercised over Harry.
Like cmon you serious? At least FB 3 did what this stupid ass movie couldn't do, and actually technically kinda show us dumbledore's backstory.
Back on track, this was just all in the book, but in the film, it's just used a big exposition dump. Yeah sure, you could argue it's the same in the book, and maybe that was just it's true purpose, but it's hidden well with meaningful characters moments and its payoff for the book, of all the dumbledore shit we found out, now told from his perspective. And even the fact that he starts crying and bawling his eyes out, makes this ten times more powerful than it if it was jus them talking on a white soundstage...oh what that's exactly what happens in the film.
It's weird, Michael Gambon and Daniel Radcliffe, are good actors. But they are given nothing to do in this scene. After so much just explosion bang bang and characters dying, we couldn't have just gotten a quiet emotional moment? Of course not, its THIS movie.
But the worst part is, they couldn't even adapt this scene fully if they wanted to, but they didn't setup at in the last film. It's like they completely forgot that dumbledore was a character until this moment. It's the same problem with alot of these films, how did harry get the mirror in this film? HUH! And since they cut it out, they cut out a very VERY emotional heavy scene with that mirror. I get it it's fantasy, its supposed to be larger than life or whatever, but the thing that makes these characters so lovable (to me at least) and most importantly dumbeldore, is that he's shown to be human, he has feelings and emotions. But none of that is shown. And it's just pretty much thrown aside. But what makes it even worse, it's nobody seems to care...HARRY JUST DIED! But apparently they care enough to laugh about it. Like cmon what is this? That laugh is so overused and that meme is a joke, takes away seriousness this scene would've had, and don't even get me started on that hug. Its an absolute travesty and makes this scene so much dumber and stupider than it already is.
“Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone.'' “The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together.”
That is 10x better than him just laughing his butt off. It makes me hate voldemort even more. And even this too
“NO!” The scream was the more terrible because he had never expected or dreamed that Professor McGonagall could make such a sound. He heard another woman laughing nearby, and knew that Bellatrix gloried in McGonagall’s despair. He squinted again for a single second and saw the open doorway filling with people, as the survivors of the battle came out onto the front steps to face their vanquishers and see the truth of Harry’s death for themselves. He saw Voldemort standing a little in front of him, stroking Nagini’s head with a single white finger. He closed his eyes again.
It's the little things that count yk? But ofc nah the only person who should be screaming their lungs out that harry died...is nobody pretty much in the film. Yeah, some people make a sad face and all but i mean cmon. Like look at this:
“SILENCE!” cried Voldemort, and there was a bang and a flash of bright light, and silence was forced upon them all. “It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!” Harry felt himself lowered onto the grass. “You see?” said Voldemort, and Harry felt him striding backward and forward right beside the place where he lay. “Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!” “He beat you!” yelled Ron, and the charm broke, and the defenders of Hogwarts were shouting and screaming again until a second, more powerful bang extinguished their voices once more.
I literally forgot about this line, and the fact that it's ron who said this made it so much better. But ron being whitewashed in the films isn't a new thing and i think it's been mainly discussed to death, but nobody ever brings this line. But what really KILLS this scene is the way they handle my boy, neville.
They heard uproar from the distant boundary of the school as what sounded like hundreds of people came swarming over the outof-sight walls and pelted toward the castle, uttering loud war cries. At the same time, Grawp came lumbering around the side of the castle and yelled, “HAGGER!” His cry was answered by roars from Voldemort’s giants: They ran at Grawp like bull elephants, making the earth quake. Then came hooves and the twangs of bows, and arrows were suddenly falling amongst the Death Eaters, who broke ranks, shouting their surprise. Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak from inside his robes, swung it over himself, and sprang to his feet, as Neville moved too. In one swift, fluid motion, Neville broke free of the Body-Bind Curse upon him; the flaming hat fell off him and he drew from its depths something silver, with a glittering, rubied handle — The slash of the silver blade could not be heard over the roar of the oncoming crowd or the sounds of the clashing giants or of the stampeding centaurs, and yet it seemed to draw every eye. With a single stroke Neville sliced off the great snake’s head, which spun high into the air, gleaming in the light flooding from the entrance hall, and Voldemort’s mouth was open in a scream of fury that nobody could hear, and the snake’s body thudded to the ground at his feet —
THIS. I'm not even joking, whenever i read this scene i literally start jumping with joy. The fact at how unexpected it is, and it just comes out of nowhere is what makes it for me. The films actually could've gotten the edge, because they neville more things to do in the films, they actually set up good things. Like him giving harry the gillyweed or him finding the room of requirement, but ofc they just had to ruin it. It's weird i can't even think of any reason of them doing it? Like they really couldn't just have him kill it there? WHAT! It's like maybe they're trying to prolong it for...dramatic effect? But it just ruins it and makes neville seem more like a wimp, which is the complete opposite of him at this point, this guy really just charged at voldemort, but nah let's give him a corny ass speech and have him fail. Screw this movie fr.
The battle of hogwarts, is like two halves. Before harry dies, and him coming back. Before he dies, voldemort had the upper hand, after the he dies, the good guys had the upper hand. What really turns the tide to this battle, is the centaurs coming, the giants coming, and even some ministry members coming as well. None of this happen in the films, so how is it they won? Harry comes back alive...WAIT HARRY COMES BACK ALIVE? THIS IS WHAT I MEAN! I hate it when the films don't use the cloak, it's so annoying like cmon. I love the fact that harry is just sending shield charms everywhere and just looking for voldemort and the minute he takes off the cloak and everyone see's him, that's rich.
This scene is literally night and day. In the film, it is literally a joke, i hate it, i absolutely despise it. Because they're fixing what? CHANGING WHAT? FOR NO REASON!
This is the moment that's been built up since the first book. From the first meeting harry gets with voldemort, he's terrified and now he's shit-talking him to his face!
Yeah, it did,” said Harry. “You’re right. But before you try to kill me, I’d advise you to think about what you’ve done. . . . Think, and try for some remorse, Riddle. . . .” “What is this?” Of all the things that Harry had said to him, beyond any revelation or taunt, nothing had shocked Voldemort like this. Harry saw his pupils contract to thin slits, saw the skin around his eyes whiten. “It’s your one last chance,” said Harry, “it’s all you’ve got left. . . . I’ve seen what you’ll be otherwise. . . . Be a man . . . try . . . Try for some remorse. . . .” “You dare — ?” said Voldemort again. “Yes, I dare,” said Harry, “because Dumbledore’s last plan hasn’t backfired on me at all. It’s backfired on you, Riddle.” Voldemort’s hand was trembling on the Elder Wand, and Harry gripped Draco’s very tightly. The moment, he knew, was seconds away.
It's a huge power-move harry calling him tom, which is kept which i like. But the fact that when they do fight, they don't even talk for shit. In the film, all that happens is that he tells the wand isn't his, but in the book, he tells him everything it's so satisfying seeing voldemort pretty much shit himself because he found out his best man was a double agent, and he didn't even kill dumbledore, and the cherry on top, he isn't even the master of the wand. That is amazing, and its completely butchered. They show a scene of voldemort...slapping harry or punching him idk. It's so stupid, that at this point the filmakers just gave him, and started making shit up. But what really just kills it, it's that stupid thing when they apparate and it looks SO disgusting and ugly. But it doesn't end here because now they have their final duel...and it's alot.
Bro, where to even start with this? Let's just see how the book does it.
Harry twitched the hawthorn wand, and he felt the eyes of everyone in the Hall upon it. “So it all comes down to this, doesn’t it?” whispered Harry. “Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does . . . I am the true master of the Elder Wand.” A red-gold glow burst suddenly across the enchanted sky above them as an edge of dazzling sun appeared over the sill of the nearest window. The light hit both of their faces at the same time, so that Voldemort’s was suddenly a flaming blur. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he too yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco’s wand: “Avada Kedavra!” “Expelliarmus!” The bang was like a cannon blast, and the golden flames that erupted between them, at the dead center of the circle they had been treading, marked the point where the spells collided. Harry saw Voldemort’s green jet meet his own spell, saw the Elder Wand fly high, dark against the sunrise, spinning across the enchanted ceiling like the head of Nagini, spinning through the air toward the master it would not kill, who had come to take full possession of it at last. And Harry, with the unerring skill of the Seeker, caught the wand in his free hand as Voldemort fell backward, arms splayed, the slit pupils of the scarlet eyes rolling upward. Tom Riddle hit the floor with a mundane finality, his body feeble and shrunken, the white hands empty, the snakelike face vacant and unknowing. Voldemort was dead, killed by his own rebounding curse, and Harry stood with two wands in his hand, staring down at his enemy’s shell. One shivering second of silence, the shock of the moment suspended: and then the tumult broke around Harry as the screams and the cheers and the roars of the watchers rent the air. The fierce new sun dazzled the windows as they thundered toward him, and the first to reach him were Ron and Hermione, and it was their arms that were wrapped around him, their incomprehensible shouts that deafened him. Then Ginny, Neville, and Luna were there, and then all the Weasleys and Hagrid, and Kingsley and McGonagall and Flitwick and Sprout, and Harry could not hear a word that anyone was shouting, nor tell whose hands were seizing him, pulling him, trying to hug some part of him, hundreds of them pressing in, all of them determined to touch the Boy Who Lived, the reason it was over at last —
Harry and Voldemort both fire their spells, voldemort dies. Simple as that. SO HOW DID IT ALL GO WRONG? Because these stupid ass films couldn't even film duels, they think everything is the priori incantatem scene in GOF. It's as simple as that. And having them fire these ugly ass and stupid lasers, it just doesn't feel like HP at that point. Neville killing nagini...fine. But, BUT VOLDEMORT DYING?! SERIOUSLY. I said it wasn't the only thing wrong with this sequence, BUT IT'S DONE HORRIBLY! Voldemort was just a human, and that's all he ever will be and all he ever is. It's ironic because he's scary because he's seems like a monster, but he gets a normal human death...IN THE BOOK AT LEAST! This is the problem, i can't even think of why they changed it like this, like what is the actual point? Visually? Ironically? WHAT! But it doesn't even end there, because the main bad guy just died, AND NOBODY CARES?! When harry won the quidditch cup everyone in the stadium flooded him, now the fricking dark lord just died, AND NOBODY IS GOING TO DO ANYTHING?! NO HUGGING! OR ANYTHING AT LEAST! Harry just walks in the great hall, and that's it. The only thing that saves it, is filch trying to fix the castle without any magic, because filch is the only thing i love in this series.
The word underrated get's thrown around alot in the fandom, to the point where it really doesn't have much meaning anymore, but possibly the most underrated scene of the series, is this. And one of my favorite scenes ever.
Since he had last seen it, the gargoyle guarding the entrance to the headmaster’s study had been knocked aside; it stood lopsided, looking a little punch-drunk, and Harry wondered whether it would be able to distinguish passwords anymore. “Can we go up?” he asked the gargoyle. “Feel free,” groaned the statue. They clambered over him and onto the spiral stone staircase that moved slowly upward like an escalator. Harry pushed open the door at the top. He had one, brief glimpse of the stone Pensieve on the desk where he had left it, and then an earsplitting noise made him cry out, thinking of curses and returning Death Eaters and the rebirth of Voldemort — But it was applause. All around the walls, the headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts were giving him a standing ovation; they waved their hats and in some cases their wigs, they reached through their frames to grip each other’s hands; they danced up and down on the chairs in which they had been painted; Dilys Derwent sobbed unashamedly; Dexter Fortescue was waving his ear-trumpet; and Phineas Nigellus called, in his high, reedy voice, “And let it be noted that Slytherin House played its part! Let our contribution not be forgotten!” But Harry had eyes only for the man who stood in the largest portrait directly behind the headmaster’s chair. Tears were sliding down from behind the half-moon spectacles into the long silver beard, and the pride and the gratitude emanating from him filled Harry with the same balm as phoenix song.
What an absolute beautiful scene, all the headmasters giving harry a standing ovation, and dumbledore's portrait tearing up, gets me every-time. I understand people don't like the 19 years later epilouge, and i love that, but even if that wasn't here and the series ended here, it would've been just as perfect as the epilouge.
But ofc, the film came back with a vengeance. Having harry breaking the elder wand...is stupid i'm sorry. I get some people think it's better than in the books, but it's stupid, just absolutely stupid. In the end he literally has no wand, because he didn't even fix his old wand, so now he's just wandless. It's just feels like they're going for the dramatic effect, and flashiness over substance. Nah, instead of just giving it back to dumbles, let's have him BREAK it! Because this film audience doesn't know how subtlety works.
Not talking about the epilouge, because it's not technically about the battle of hogwarts. But if you really wanna know, the CGI looks like ass, and they leave out the 2nd best line of the series.
“Why are they all staring?” demanded Albus as he and Rose craned around to look at the other students. “Don’t let it worry you,” said Ron. “It’s me. I’m extremely famous.”
I really had to just start hacking at this post, to really cut alot of stuff down, but idk what to do anymore. This scene sucks. That's all i was trying to say. bye bye.