It has begun. (Actually, it began a few weeks ago, but it's only now I have time to pause and reflect upon it, take it all in.) The hype train is in full motion for Deathly Hallows Part 2, and it is shaping up to be quite the campaign. Yes, the major advertisements and such have been cropping up quietly in various corners of the Internet, but I think this is just because WB has learned that word of mouth is these films' most valuable marketing tool. The trailer went viral approximately 10 seconds after it made its appearance (I posted it here only to find that all my blogger friends had done the same within the same 10 minutes or so), and the amount of stills and clips and the usual jumble of spoilers has been much more sparse this time around.
I for one like that the marketing team seems to be going minimalist for this film. Even the posters that have just been released are understated, just a photograph and the "IT ALL ENDS" caption, which for me is more than sufficiently epic, but when compared to your average movie poster is incredibly scaled down. This leads me to believe that not only are they relying on us fans to spread the word and generate buzz due to our tragically mingled excitement and sadness about the series' final film, but that the film may just be capable of speaking almost entirely for itself. I tend to judge films before their release based on the choices made in their marketing (how early, how frequent, etc), and generally the movies that truly blow us all away are the ones that didn't have the loudest, most explosion-y commercials or a million and one scenes leaked on the web. They're the ones that some sects of the movie-going community started talking about ages before their actual release, and that have the least to prove at the box office. Because let's face it, even if Deathly Hallows 2 tanks (which it won't, because I'm pretty sure myself and my nerd friends' ticket money could single-handedly keep it afloat), the franchise is already swimming in cash. Even if this movie is a huge financial disappointment, there is so much emotion behind it for everyone who made it and everyone who'll watch it that it is impossible for it to be a true failure.
My optimism, however, doesn't blind me to some of the nagging questions I have about the final installment. I am always slightly wary of these films, just because there are so many tiny places where re-writes of the text can make or break my favorite scenes and characters. What does give me hope is that Deathly Hallows Part 1 was my favorite by far in terms of accuracy and interpretation, so I'm going to venture a guess that it's sister film can't diverge too widely from this achievement. I am concerned, though, about some of the changes they seem to be making. The first is something we all got a glimpse of halfway through the trailer, and something which the producers talked about during filming: Harry and Voldemort are going to have a physical altercation during the final battle, trading blows that do not take place anywhere in JK Rowling's book (and rightfully so-- writing a fist fight is hard enough; writing a fist fight between a 17 year old boy and a 60-something year old man would be doubly strange). I understand the motivation here-- it is a movie after all, and that kind of drawn-out fight appeals to the thrill seeker in us, and if I'm being honest I think we can (halfheartedly) admit that in Rowling's version, the final actual confrontation (that is, the moment when Voldemort is actually killed) is just a wee bit anti-climactic. I could write you a thesis on why it's written that way (I have no doubts it was very intentionally done), but that isn't the point. What I'm concerned about is whether this scene will come off in the film as well as those responsible for the re-write seem to be hoping. I can make peace with it as long as it's believable, but if it isn't I worry that this critical moment could turn into a near parody of the text it seeks to bring to life.
My other primary concern (and it's kind of miraculous that at this point I've really only got two) is the Snape and Lily relationship and how it will be portrayed/revealed. The films have already flubbed this once, cutting Lily completely out of the "Snape's Worst Memory" scene in Order of the Phoenix, so it will be that much more difficult for them to make the Snape plot twist both clear and believable without a whole lot of exposition. As far as movie-watchers know, Snape and Lily might never have even met one another-- this is a problem as by the film's end we have to buy that he was in love with her, and so much so that he was willing to die for her son with the man he loathed. And don't forget that this all has to be done without turning the film into the Snape Show.
Overall, I'm excited. Everything looks pretty great so far, and I think there is an inflation factor for many of us that will make the film seem even better than it truly is just because of our emotional investment in it as the end of an era. If ever there were a time when "graduation goggles" were going to work in someone's favor, it would be now, and I think the marketing gurus at WB are just savvy enough to realize that.
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