Film Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, Part 5

Sorry for not posting this one on schedule originally. My computer apparently ate the final post I'd written for this film and I didn't pay attention properly and so just posted the first part of the next one which left this one kind of unfinished.

Let's try this again, shall we?

Last week (heh), Harry and Hermione danced, visited Godric's Hollow, had a run in with a snake, found the Sword of Gryffindor and were reunited with Ron.

This week we'll wrap everything up, kinda, ready for the next film.

102. Hermione’s decided where they’re going to go again. Xenophilius Lovegood. Ron immediately sides with her and proposes a vote. Hermione just raises her eyebrow at that. You’re going to have to keep trying to win her own Ron.

103. Harry: You’re not still mad at him are you? Hermione: I’m always mad at him. Hehe. I forgot how many funny lines there are in these films.

104. Apparently Luna’s out at the moment. Xenophilius seems a little bit… odd. And I don’t mean in the same way that Luna is a little bit odd.

105. Harry doesn’t know the ‘tale of the three brothers’ which is convenient because most of the audience probably aren’t either. Hermione whips out her book to read it to them, after a correction from Ron, who declines her invitation to read it instead.

106. I love the animation during this bit. I would watch a whole film animated like that. It looks almost 3D even though it’s also sort of a silhouette.

107. Does the wand that Death gives to the oldest brother look familiar at all?

108. The gist of the story is that the elder wand and the resurrection stone bring on death for the first two brothers. It’s very dark. It kind of reminds me of a Tim Burton film. Meanwhile the invisibility cloak is good because it lets the younger brother mean Death on his own terms.

109. As Harry doesn’t understand, Xenophilius draws Harry a little diagram. Conveniently it’s the same as the pendant he wore to the wedding, the symbol on the grave, in the book and in Albus Dumbledore’s signature on the letter in Rita’s book. Hermione asks him about Ignotus Peverell and Xenophilius gets really twitchy, so the trio decide that they should probably make a move.

110. At this point Xenophilius really loses it. And so we learn exactly where Luna is. Voldemort’s got her.

111. Harry’s a bit thick sometimes. He actually asks who took Luna. Do you really, really have to ask?

112. The Death Eaters set about destroying the Lovegood residence, apparently in the hopes of burying Harry in the ruins of the building or something.

113. And the trio disapparate right into the middle of a group of Snatchers. What follows is lots of running. Lots and lots of running. Oh and some spell shooting. There’s a fair amount of that as well.

114. Still running.

115. Bit more running.

116. Then Hermione fires a spell at Harry, just to make us really question where her allegiance lies. This sends Harry back into Voldemort’s mind, where we get to see an aged Grindelwald.  Dumbledore’s got the Elder Wand. Harry quickly fills Hermione in on this development before the Snatchers grab them.

117. I love that when the Snatcher says ‘Ugly’ both Harry and the guy who’s caught her looks round.

118. And now they’re on to Harry. They’ve spotted his scar. So it’s off to Malfoy Manor they go.

119. Harry’s handed over to Bellatrix who asks Draco to confirm that the guy with the swollen face is who they think he is. Lucius is about as desperate as Xenophilius is, considering that he is no longer the favourite with Voldemort, but sees this as he way back up to the top.

120. Bellatrix is very unhappy to see that the Snatchers have the sword of Gryffindor, so decides that the best course of action is to dump the boys downstairs and torture Hermione.

121. And who should be downstairs but Luna Lovegood. I realise that the most important thing happening in this scene is Hermione screaming her head off upstairs, but I love the dungarees that Luna is wearing.

122. Harry decides to ask the shard of mirror he’s been carrying around all film for some help. And a moment later Dobby arrives to take away Luna and Olivander.

123. Dobby is so cool. He knocks out Wormtail and pinches his wand. I would watch a whole film about Dobby’s adventures.

124. Ron is not impressed to hear Bellatrix’s threat to hurt Hermione. In fact, Bellatrix holding a knife to Hermione’s throat is the only thing that stops them from fighting Draco and his mother.  Luckily it’s Dobby to the rescue again, unscrewing the chandelier. He wasn’t intending to kill her of course, he was only planning to maim or seriously injure.

125. And Dobby is definitely the hero of the hour, taking Harry and the gang away to Shell Cottage. Unfortunately Bellatrix had pretty good aim when she threw that dagger and now Dobby is deathly wounded. It’s too late for essence of dittany now. L

126. What makes this scene even worse is the fact that as he dies, Dobby is telling Harry how happy he is to be here, with his friend, Harry Potter. I think Dobby’s death hurts a little bit more than Hedwig’s. Luckily Harry has Luna on hand to help him deal with Dobby’s death. I feel sorry for Harry here, this yet another death that has been caused by people associating with him. That’s got to be getting to him.

127. I do worry about their choice of location for the burial. I don’t think sand dunes are really suitable grave sites.

128. But I’m not able to dwell on this for too long because Voldemort is heading for Hogwarts, to a certain deceased Headmaster’s tomb.

129. Dumbledore is looking remarkably good for someone who’s been dead six months which is realise is totally not the point of this scene. Voldemort now has the Elder wand which in theory will make him nigh on invincible.

130. And thus the film ends, with Voldemort shooting a bolt of magic, like lightning, up into the sky. That means bad things will happen.

Now I've got the right post scheduled for next week so we can smoothly move on to Part 2 like none of that ever happened. ;-)