I can't believe we've finally made it to the end of this film series (well almost, once we get to the end of this little set of reviews). I've really enjoyed rewatching all the films and I think I've paid a lot more attention to them than I usually do. I have neglected my knitting a little bit though, I can't knit and type my thoughts at the same time.
And I've managed to keep my thoughts on this film down below 5,000 words! Quite an achievement. So rather than the standard five-part series of posts about the film, there's only going to be four. This means I have to come up with new viewing material a whole week earlier than I was planning. Yikes.
In this first installment we'll pick up where we left off. Things are not good at Hogwarts, Dobby is dead, and Harry, Ron and Hermione are going to break into Gringotts.
1. Final part of the final Harry Potter film and we jump straight back into the action with a little ‘Previously on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’. Okay, so not really, but we get to see Voldemort stealing the Elder Wand again before the Warner Brothers logo pops up on screen.
2. Hogwarts does not look like a happy place to be right now. It’s all grey and cloudy and surrounded by dementors. Also the students are having to march into the building under Snape’s watchful eye. Sad things are going to happen in this film, got that?
3. Harry’s hanging out at Dobby’s grave looking at that shard of mirror that would make a lot more sense if they’d included the gift of the mirror in Order of the Phoenix.
4. Bill and Fleur are letting everyone hang out at Shell Cottage. It’s been a few weeks since I watched the previous film and I’d forgotten that this is all taking place immediately after the last film.
5. I like the way that there are shells set into the walls all over the house. Not very practical, but pretty. I could see Luna living in a house like that.
6. Anyway, Harry’s having a little chat with Griphook. About the sword. Apparently the one in Bellatrix’s vault is a fake and we get a little clue that Snape might not be entirely on Voldemort’s side, considering he was the one who put the fake in there.
7. So Harry reveals that he needs to break into Gringotts. This opening bit is quite slow, it’s a little bit like the beginning of the previous film. Gearing up to the big exciting events that are to come.
8. Harry, Ron and Hermione are having a discussion on the landing, in the dark so no one can see them, presumably this stops them from being overheard. Except Fleur walks in on them, so not so private then.
9. I love that Olivander can identify a wand just by looking at it. I’m guessing that’s why he’s so good at his job.
10. And we get a lesson in how wands work. They can change allegiance if they are won from their opponent. I’m guessing that this is something that only happens with adult witches and wizards, otherwise all the kids having duels at Hogwarts would be constantly pinching each other’s wands.
11. Olivander explains what he knows about the Deathly Hallows. Owning all of them will make one the Master of Death. Olivander tries to dodge Harry’s question, but Harry knows Voldemort questioned Olivander about the Elder Wand. Poor Olivander, Voldemort tortured it out of him and Harry has to tell him that Voldemort’s got it. Then he tells him they’ll let him rest. That’s not very reassuring.
12. Olivander gets a little dig back at Harry, warning him that he won’t stand a chance against Voldemort. Harry’s all determined to get him anyway.
13. I love Helena Bonham-Carter being Hermione being Bellatrix. She looks really kind of disgusted with herself. It’s weird seeing Bellatrix being kind of nice. Hermione’s not always a very good actress.
14. Those two little goblins pushing the cart in the background when we first see Gringotts are Warwick Davies’s children. Thank you special features. I think one of the guys playing a goblin said he was in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory film as well.
15. The Gringotts staff are a little bit suspicious of Bellatrix!Hermione. With good reason. Luckily Harry’s got the hang of one of the Unforgivable Curses.
16. It’s a wild ride through Gringotts now. I love how that goblin is just sat there perfectly oblivious to what’s going on. This would make such a cool theme park ride.
17. The bank’s onto them and good for them, Hermione’s able to keep her head while flying through the air from a great height. But now they’re trapped underground since the cart they were in will be alerting everyone that there’s thieves in the vaults and there’s no way out.
18. Hermione’s not impressed with the way the goblins have been treating the dragon. Poor dragon.
19. Bellatrix looks as though she’s kind of loaded. There’s gold and stuff everywhere.
20. We’ve got that little chirping sort of noise again that indicates there’s a Horcrux near. Except Hermione sets everything off multiplying so they’re soon being buried under all that multiplying gold.
21. And Griphook’s betrayed them. They should really have gotten it in writing or something, because he got them in but he won’t help them out.
22. I love Hermione’s mad plans. When she’s crazy, she’s really crazy! What better way to get out of an underground cavern than on the back of a great big dragon?
23. If Harry and the crew were planning on breaking into Gringotts and liberating the Horcrux quietly, I’d say that right now they’re failing quiet miserably.
24. I do love the way that the dragon just sits on the roof for a moment and breathes. I think I’d do that if I’d been kept underground for all that time. Also, my rat Yoda seems quite taken with the dragon. As I’m typing this he’s right up at the bars of the cage staring at the screen. It’s cute.
25. As Harry hits the water he gets a bunch of Voldemort flashes. Voldemort’s discovered that someone’s been destroying his Horcruxes and he’s not happy about it at all. Once back on dry land, Harry fills in the others.
26. Hermione takes this news really well and starts telling Harry off for not severing the link between himself and Voldemort. It’s quite handy though because he now knows that they need to go to get the next one from Hogwarts and it’s linked to Rowena Ravenclaw.
27. Hermione’s still not happy with this turn of events. True to form, she wants to take a moment to plan what to do next. Harry points out that planning rarely works for them, that no matter how well they plan, when they get there inevitably ‘all hell breaks loose’. Couldn’t’ve put it better myself, Harry.
28. Voldemort’s walking barefoot through a bunch of dead goblins and people, watched by the Malfoy’s. That’s not somewhere I’d want to be right now. Then the Sword of Gryffindor slowly disappears from the dead Griphook’s grasp. Interesting.
And that's where we'll leave this for today. Next week we'll meet Dumbledore's little brother, head to Hogwarts and start blowing stuff up!
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