Yes - THE Movie!!
"Mustache? What mustache?" That was one of my reactions after seeing the movie. Because - despite all the debate it has generated, THAT mustache on Remus Lupin mattered not a single bit. In fact, after that first brief glimpse of him in the harsh light of the train as he rose to fight off the Dementor, none of us - Mincot, Pelirroja, Gryffinjack and me - even noticed the feature at all. It was just there, a part of him, seamlessly integrated into an excellent whole.
I really, really liked the movie. Apart from two small quibbles (related) I thought it was an excellent adaptation of the book, given the time constraints of a movie.
What did I like?
1. The whole look and feel of the movie. Far more real, and more believably in Scotland. I thought the production values were much tighter, with much more focus on the shifting moods, and the pervasive sense of danger.
2. Thewlis as Lupin. Perfect!!! Not that I'd ever had any doubts whatsoever, after seeing him in [I]Seven Years in Tibet. [/I] He was everything that canon Remus was, and then some. LOVED his clothes, especially that battered cardigan and dreadful tie, and the air of genteel poverty about him. His relationship with Harry was perfect, and so was his playing of the Shack scene and his moments with Sirius.
3. Oldman as Sirius. Limited screen time, but again, an excellent jhob. And his dry sense of humour, so evident in Book 5, came out beautifully. There is much talk of Cuaron accidentally foreshadowing in this movie things that are important in the next books. When Sirius said goodbye to Harry (lovely scene) and told him that the people we loved neverleave us, that they arein our hearts *DD's line in the book, but perfect here in this context), I wondered if this may foretell some future communication with Sirius, or the fact that Sirius will somehow give Harry strength in the way James has done previously.
4. THe kids can now act. Well certainly Dan, Rupert and the Phelps boys can - they have really grown up and into their roles. Dan was excellent, and much more believable in his anger in the beginning at the Dursleys'. Fred and George - great! the way they seamlessly completed each other's sentences and were REAL twins. Alas, however, Emma Watson is still rather stiff and forced, and she is too conscious of 'what' she is doing and how important her scenes are. Dan and Rupert are far more natural.
5. The new cast members at Hogwarts. I'm afraid I never DID particularly like Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and Michael Gambon was far more how I had always imagined himfrom the books. I can see Gambon's DD as having a core of steel - alas, Harris was too ill when filming COS to give me any sense of power and strength. Gambon also gives me a better feeling of the dry, twinkling humour that book DD has.
Little things I loved:-
* The subtle emphasis on time throughout the movie, especially the person reading "A Brife History of Time" in the Leaky Cauldron at the beginning.
* Lupin's walking stick and slight limp as he left at the end.
* Harry's line about Professor Lupin having a rough night.
* Sirius' remark about Padfoot having fleas!! ROTFL at the Great Fanfic Moment - I wonder has Cuaron read Katinka's "Interwobven"?!!!
* Interaction of Snape, Sirius and Remus in the Shack - loved Sirius' reference to Snape's chemistry set.
* Buckbeak. MUCH better than I thought he would be.
The only two things I didn't like were:-
1. The lack of an explanation of MWPP, with a lot of the background information in the Shack. I suspect that muich of this has ended up on the cutting room floor, but it is a shame - for the sake of 5-10 minutes more, the movie could have been made completely satisfying.
2. The fact that they STILL treat Ron as a buffoon and give some of hisbest lines tyo Hermionein some stupid search for "girlpower". GRRRR`- Hermione is strongenough in herself without needing to take the special Ron line in the Shack about "If you want to kill Harry, you willhave tokillus too!". That was always a line that showed Ron's utter loyalty and frinedship, and the transposition has demeaned his character.
Yes, there were major story
I really, really liked the movie. Apart from two small quibbles (related) I thought it was an excellent adaptation of the book, given the time constraints of a movie.
What did I like?
1. The whole look and feel of the movie. Far more real, and more believably in Scotland. I thought the production values were much tighter, with much more focus on the shifting moods, and the pervasive sense of danger.
2. Thewlis as Lupin. Perfect!!! Not that I'd ever had any doubts whatsoever, after seeing him in [I]Seven Years in Tibet. [/I] He was everything that canon Remus was, and then some. LOVED his clothes, especially that battered cardigan and dreadful tie, and the air of genteel poverty about him. His relationship with Harry was perfect, and so was his playing of the Shack scene and his moments with Sirius.
3. Oldman as Sirius. Limited screen time, but again, an excellent jhob. And his dry sense of humour, so evident in Book 5, came out beautifully. There is much talk of Cuaron accidentally foreshadowing in this movie things that are important in the next books. When Sirius said goodbye to Harry (lovely scene) and told him that the people we loved neverleave us, that they arein our hearts *DD's line in the book, but perfect here in this context), I wondered if this may foretell some future communication with Sirius, or the fact that Sirius will somehow give Harry strength in the way James has done previously.
4. THe kids can now act. Well certainly Dan, Rupert and the Phelps boys can - they have really grown up and into their roles. Dan was excellent, and much more believable in his anger in the beginning at the Dursleys'. Fred and George - great! the way they seamlessly completed each other's sentences and were REAL twins. Alas, however, Emma Watson is still rather stiff and forced, and she is too conscious of 'what' she is doing and how important her scenes are. Dan and Rupert are far more natural.
5. The new cast members at Hogwarts. I'm afraid I never DID particularly like Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and Michael Gambon was far more how I had always imagined himfrom the books. I can see Gambon's DD as having a core of steel - alas, Harris was too ill when filming COS to give me any sense of power and strength. Gambon also gives me a better feeling of the dry, twinkling humour that book DD has.
Little things I loved:-
* The subtle emphasis on time throughout the movie, especially the person reading "A Brife History of Time" in the Leaky Cauldron at the beginning.
* Lupin's walking stick and slight limp as he left at the end.
* Harry's line about Professor Lupin having a rough night.
* Sirius' remark about Padfoot having fleas!! ROTFL at the Great Fanfic Moment - I wonder has Cuaron read Katinka's "Interwobven"?!!!
* Interaction of Snape, Sirius and Remus in the Shack - loved Sirius' reference to Snape's chemistry set.
* Buckbeak. MUCH better than I thought he would be.
The only two things I didn't like were:-
1. The lack of an explanation of MWPP, with a lot of the background information in the Shack. I suspect that muich of this has ended up on the cutting room floor, but it is a shame - for the sake of 5-10 minutes more, the movie could have been made completely satisfying.
2. The fact that they STILL treat Ron as a buffoon and give some of hisbest lines tyo Hermionein some stupid search for "girlpower". GRRRR`- Hermione is strongenough in herself without needing to take the special Ron line in the Shack about "If you want to kill Harry, you willhave tokillus too!". That was always a line that showed Ron's utter loyalty and frinedship, and the transposition has demeaned his character.
Yes, there were major story