De rigueur Harry Potter post

[furtech]

I have almost the opposite problem with PoA’s direction that I had with CC: this film felt like a “highlights” of the book, rather than a literal “fit it all in” adaptation (the first two films). I think this film could have used another thirty minutes. Unfortunately, this is the first film I’ve seen where I read the book first: I don’t think I would have understood it very well if I hadn’t (but there’s obviously no way to test that theory). I’m wondering how confused people who haven’t read PoA are going to be.

Sirius in dog form reminded me a LOT of a skinnier, lanker version of Gmork from Neverending Story.

I kept waiting for Lupin to have that heart-to-heart talk with Harry about the Mauraders: in the film the connection is never made between the map and Harry’s father, nor the four nicknames identified. Harry never seems to make the connection between Peter Pettigrew (sp), the map and his father, though it seems tantalizingly close. And wouldn’t Peter have been identified as his Maurader nickname?

Scenes missing or oddly seemed chunked-out: No Lucius Malfoy (why?); no heart-to-heart talk with Harry and Lupin about the Mauraders; McGonigal seems peripheral in this film; the missing bits of Snape—particularly the “why he hates Harry/Harry’s father and the work Snape does to help Lupin (he’s played for a simple villain in this film); why wasn’t Harry disciplined for spelling a teacher?!?

Things I think could have been handled better: too much nightbus; too much womping willow; womping willow is shut off with a simple “immobilius” spell?!?; Lots of continuity errors (inexcusable in a big-budget film!) A lot was made about not having Hagrid be suspected about freeing Buckbeak, yet the committee never checks the chain (it was merely –looped- into the post?!?) And no one hears the heavy, clanking chain as they try to lead him off?!? Werewolf looked like a cross between a shaved dog and a giraffe and walked like Golum (not terribly impressive). Characters handled like cameos: Dumbledore, McGonnigal, Finch, Snape. McGonnigal gives Hermione such a powerful device as the time-turner?!? That’s a god-machine! Way to powerful to use for taking extra classes (I hate it when writers use time devices casually. WAY too powerful!)

Given how the movie seems to assume the viewer has read the book (from all that is left out or skipped over), they play the climactic confrontation with Sirius, Lupin and Petigrew like a HUGE surprise that takes up too much time being coy (Lupin and Sirius are in it together!” OMG!)--time that could have been used to have a more heartfelt conversation about Azkaban, the Mauraders, Harry’s parents. I realize the film needed a climax, but that could have been/should have been the werewolf and the escape.

Things I really liked: the “Something Evil” choral at the beginning; Sirius is a hellova lot scarier as a junkyard dog than a droop-eared Newfie or fat black lab (yes, plus he’s wolf-ier and not pitbull-looking); Snape has one hugely redeeming moment: when the werewolf is attacking him and the kids at the end, he acts like a true teacher and puts himself protectively in front of the kids, clearly shielding/protecting them at his own peril (very nice). I actually liked the grey-ish palette: much more bleak/halloweenish and proper for the tone (scarier, more ominous).

The footprints in the end credits were very cute, but I doubt is anyone was able to keep from being distracted by them to actually read all of the credits…

Comments

[shadowolf.livejournal.com]

Hey, you were excited a few minutes ago :)

Where did you land the picture at?

[furtech.livejournal.com]

The Leaky Cauldron is a great place for rumors, news and stuff-Potter:

http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/

Click on galleries or go here:

http://www.hogwarts-gallery.org/hogwartsgallery/category.php

[shadowolf.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

Now that I've heard so many mixed reviews about this one (vs the last two), I can't help but think the cutting room floor is going to be coughing up a lengthy Director's Cut for the DVD...

[tcreynolds]

Wow, that would be de-lish! I hope I hope I HOPE!!! :D

[brokkentwolf.livejournal.com]

Haven't seen it yet. I will this weekend. :)

'Arry on IMAX

[kvogel.livejournal.com]

Saw 'Arry on an IMAX screen Saturday. Lots of fun, as it just about put the show in your lap. Loved the alternate look and abbreviated story not trying to cram everything in. Agree that there was critical material missing though, with Lupin and the map.

[silabub.livejournal.com]

I came away from the 3rd movie somewhat disappointed. I was never interested in the "Harry Potter" hype leading up to the first film, and was in fact, sick to death of hearing about it. For reasons still unknown to me, I went ahead and saw the 1st movie opening night in LA. I really, really enjoyed it. So I went and saw the 2nd one when it came out, and enjoyed it, too. Since I was far from a huge fan, tho, I never picked up any of the books. Besides, I enjoyed not knowing what was going to happen in the movies until the very end. I figured later on, if I ever wanted, I could back and read the books ( still have yet to ).

Since I'm not a hugely dedicated fan, I went to see the 3rd movie, not knowing that it was done by a different director. I felt like it didn't really warm up to my heart like the first 2 movies- as if it were done by a different director. I mentioned that to someone and they said, "Um duh- it actually *WAS* a different director."

There were some things I liked about the different feel of the movie, but others things I did not. The bleakness was interesting, but I felt like it was a little *too* bleak, which removed a lot of the original whimsicalness that was in the first 2 movies. I felt like there was something missing from this one- and doing a little more research and seeing just how much was depleted from the original book, I can see why it felt more empty than the first 2 films.

I agree with you on a lot of your points. I thought the nightbus scene was tedious. I knew the movie was going to fall short of my expectations when only 15 minutes into the movie I was treated to such a bizarre, over-done scene. The nightbus gag could have been quicker- and I didn't like that "squeezing" between the 2 trucks. They just squeezed the footage ratio of the film ( evident by stretchy Harry ), rather than making it look like the bus was squeezing around Harry and the other bus-patrons/driver/etc.

As much as I liked the choral by the kids, I thought it was kind of odd that the school was having the children sing a song about impending doom. That seems a little too bleak and random for even wizards and witches.

And yes- Lupin werewolf was very, very ugly. It reminded me of my dog, shaved, or something. He actually reminded me more of what the werewolf type from Whitley Streiber's "Wolfen" looked like.

And I thought that there had to be something more to that map. It's an extremely powerful tool- just saying that Ron's brothers happened to find it and snatch it from a teacher seemed like not enough of an explanation for something that is obviously going to show up in the films again.

[aeto.livejournal.com]

I just got back from seeing it last night... The one thing which surprised me most is that, in the long time since it came out, I managed to hear nothing about the werewolf connection. I haven't read the books, so that came as a bit of a surprise. I suppose, when Snape asked "what's the difference in a werewolf and animagus," it should have been a clue.

I can't quite decide if I liked the werewolf or not... I didn't so much think of "walked like Gollum" as much as "walked in an inhuman way." I can see how they'd be similar, though. They did make him digitigrade, it appeared, and it looks like someone spent some time thinking, "ok, how would something digitigrade walk upright." The distinct lack of fur was somewhat displeasing, though. Can't quite figure out why they went that route. From the animation they did on the hippogryf, they clearly had the talent to render fur.

Did you notice, in the footprints at the end, that they often matched what was being credited? When you saw the pawprints, that was during the animal handler section, and when you saw footprints morphing into pawprints, that was when they were around the IL&M credits. There were a few more places where they seemed to adjust the prints for the credits below, but none as obvious.

Favorite quote from the movie:
The tail's nice, but I can live without the fleas.