Jul 10, 2011

SO GLAD I DON'T HAVE TO SEE: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

"Deathly Hallows: Part 2, can instantly be counted as one of the finest closing chapters to a franchise in movie history. "— Matt Mueller

"The Potter saga could hardly have ended on a better note. With one miraculous flourish of its wand, the franchise has restored the essential magic to the Potter legend. There are some superb set-piece scenes - and now the plot has so much more zing ... this is such an entertaining, beguiling, charming and exciting picture. It reminded me of the thrill I felt on seeing the very first one, 10 years ago." – Peter Bradshaw

"[It's] awash with gorgeous tones, and carrying an ultimate message that will resonate with every viewer, young or old: there is darkness in all of us, but we can overcome it." —Philip Womack

Why am I not convinced by these glowing reviews? Could it be, possibly, because not one of them makes so much as featherlight allusion to the fact that every single Harry Potter movie up to this point has been a $200-million turd? Yes, that's it. I'm sure there must have been an exception somewhere along the line — the one with the dragon fight? Where Robert Pattinson copped it? — but on the whole: turds. How liberating it is to say that. I remember only too well the compulsory kindness meted out to British movies — or any British movie that looked within spitting distance of turning a profit — among those unlucky enough to review movies for a London broadsheet. It was practically stamped into your passport. How luck I am to live in the land of the free.

2 comments:

  1. Agree. When it comes to fantasy films I pride myself on being able to set aside credibility. But that hasn't helped with any of the Potters I've seen. Each one was a dreadful bore. For the last one, which was on cable last week, I lasted about 20 minutes.

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  2. Have to disagree. This series as a whole is the singular movie achievement of the past 10 years. Yates has created moments in his entries that stand alongside the best of David Lean.

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