I’m not a film critic, nor do I want to be!

Actually, having just attended Master Pancake Theater for Twilight New Moon at the Alamo Drafthouse recently, it changed my perspective on film critics, and I never liked them much.

As a filmmaker, films are what I produce, and I honestly hope people will like what I make… it’s always a gamble… and it’s always nerve-racking. And I hope no one ever feels like my films are worthy of being torn to shreds by a handful of comedians — maybe I’ll change my mind as make more films and can laugh with the mistakes I make along the way, but for now, not a big fan of criticizing art.

Conversely, though, I like to hear what people have to say about my films. I’m particularly interested in knowing if there were things they didn’t understand, and what message they got out of the film, and how they felt during the film and at the end.

With that in mind, here’s my review of the latest film in the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2:

Let’s start with the good – the acting was superb, as usual, the directing was awesome, the visual effects spectacular, the music intense and immersing, the sound design fabulous. A great spectacle indeed.

I think the writing was the only thing that left me wanting, and I understand how difficult it can be to squeeze such volume as a Harry Potter novel into a 2-hour 10-minute movie.

Either way, I wasn’t as involved in the story as I would’ve liked. It really didn’t hit me on an emotional level. I felt very detached. And the book really messed with me. All of them did.

I know it sounds a bit sadistic, but perhaps seeing some of the deaths happen might have helped — seeing only the aftermath as it was shot left me a bit distant from the whole thing.

I also felt a bit cheated, by the whole series actually, that Ginny’s interaction with Harry was so sparse, when that’s the whole central theme of the film… Love conquers all, even Lord Voldemort.

This next comment might make me sound a bit old school, but the end scene with the digital aging of the cast didn’t quite do it for me… it looked too digital.

I got more emotion out of the trailer. I didn’t shed a single tear during this movie… I was strangely detached.

The ending, felt a bit anti-climatic. I didn’t get the scene when the 3 heroes just look out into the distance, after the battle.

The scene where Bellatrix gets killed wasn’t as emotional as I thought it would be. In the trailer it seemed very exciting, but in the film… not so much.

I could’ve waited to see this movie on DVD or Netflix. It was a beautiful film, but I, personally, just couldn’t get into it.

If you’ve seen it, I’d love to know what you thought.

Val Gameiro
Writer, Director, Filmmaker
Austin, Texas