I dug all of the quiet moments between the kids in this film a lot... and you can tell how comfortable they are working with Yates, who has pulled increasingly-good performances out of them. And I like how Ron's beef with Harry and Hermione was real, not just some teenage love bullshit... I also liked the little bit that Steve Kloves added the bit with the two of them dancing. I didn't get any romantic tension out of that scene, more of a "shit, girl, after all we've been through (and are possibly about to go through), let's just take a moment to hold each other and dance" moment...

I, like Longo, was hoping to see more Alan Rickman. He just does so much with his facial expressions in this character that it's always fun to watch, especially considering how ultimately know what he's about... I also wanted to see more Luna Lovegood... that's my girl...

It was fucking GREAT to see the story of the Deathly Hallows played out in something other than a flashback... that animation was haunting and beautiful (and quick, which was good in a movie that's pretty much all setup and backstory)...

All in all, it's a solid setup for part 2. I want to reserve complete judgment until I see Deathly Hallows as a whole, though...

And no, HBP is STILL the Empire Strikes Back of the series. If this were that movie, it would have ended with Harry and Ron captured and with Hermione being tortured by Bellatrix. And had Empire ended like this one did, it would be with the scene between Luke and Vader. Not the saber battle, but the "Son, come with me and we'll rule the galaxy"/"Father... Ben, why didn't you tell me?" scene. Or it would have ended with, say, everybody mourning the death of Chewbacca. This movie ended on a commercial break; Empire ended with a cliffhanger, a major revelation with unknown ramifications, and a resulting desire to see what happened next.

So, no.


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