Seen it at last

[therealsnape]

Given the number of fellow-watchers in the local cinema I'm arguably the last person in fandom to have seen it. Yes, I do mean HBP. But we were on holiday till last Saturday and then there were some RL-things.
Still, for some lists of what I loved, hated, and missed, click the link.

 

Things I loved:
*The lighting of the wands, more particularly Maggie Smith. That close-up! Highlight (if you'll excuse the horrible pun) of the film.
*The scene in the hall. It even reconciled me to not getting the 'I'll write Augusta" scene. I can understand why they had to cut that.
*The Burrow.
*Snape's room. I want to stand in front of those bookshelves and read the titles. And I loved the type-writer. Was right in choosing my journal-layout after all.
*Fred and George's emporium. Part of me wants to go there, the larger part of me is relieved my students can't.
*Narcissa Malfoy's dress sense. And shoe sense. Impeccable, and such a relief for all those who occasionally worry about the wearability of their own purchases.
*Aragog's funeral.
*Molly's Christmas cake. Now that's what I call icing.
"Severus ... Please ..."  Words that hang around an actor's neck like an albatros. He did it just as I'd imagined. I don't envy Maggie Smith that "NO!" in the Battle of Hogwarts. But she'll pull it off, and if the director doesn't let her, I'll want to hire a reliable, not too expensive killer.
*Snape. Need I say it? Especially in his role as a party-animal. But all of his scenes were great.
*Helen Bonham-Carter.

Things I hated:
*The complete lack of scope they gave to Maggie Smith. She was brilliant in the Hall, at the lightning and in that 'Why is it always you three' scene, but McG would have shut up Severus with the necklace and the 'watch the lovey-doveys' thing was ridiculous.
*Maggie Smith's hairdresser. Make up your mind, man. This looks as if he changed ideas halfway. In the last film it was much better. (But then I hated that top-knot in film one, too). Not too enamoured of her costume designer either, but then I don't like anything resembling puff-ball sleeves. Not even when they are done in a fairly sleek, SF way.
*The burning of the Burrow and the whole scene around it. I mean, there's a perfectly good book to stick to, the scriptwriter is not Rowling, he just gets -- unlike us --  paid for playing around with her characters, what were they thinking of?
Never mind that it leaves us short one wedding venue - the absence of Phlegm makes it likely that the wedding announced between William Weasley and Fleur Delacour will now not take place. But the whole scene makes no sens and there would have been a better use of all that screen time.
And The Making Of ... Crop Circles? Well, there are more tedious things, watching paint dry, for instance. But I fail to see the point of it. And quite frankly, I like my own magical explanation for crop circles (see my story 'Stunned" on ff.net) just that little bit better.
*Fenrir Greyback. Is this the face that stopped a thousand clocks? He's just the common garden variety of a plugugly thug; what happened to the tremendous, intrinsic malevolence of the creature?
*Helena Bonham-Carters director, for what he did to her and to Dame Maggie. Bellatrix does not hop around like a giggling schoolgirl, taunting Harry with "I killed Sirius, I killed Sirius!"

Things I missed:
* Severus' "Don't call me a coward!" And there was a perfect moment for it. Loved the contemptuous way in which he disarmed Harry by simply kicking the wand out of his hand, though.
*The beautiful symmetry of Dumbledore's two "Because I'm with you," lines. In the beginning of the book, when he reassures Harry that nothing much will happen in AD's presence, and at the end of the book, when he takes comfort from Harry's presence. One of the things I loved best and there was time for it!

 

But all in all, I had a great time. I just love complaining.