Harry Potter Marathon Day Part 1
So I decided to watch all seven Harry Potter films in one day, before going to see the last one in theaters sometime next week. And instead of spamming my facebook or twitter feeds with my musings on the movies, I decided just to do one long post to collect my thoughts.
To be honest, I've never really loved most of the movies. Visually they've always been stunning, and they captured the look of everything perfectly - even the look of some of the characters. But such is the nature of most child actors - a lot of them are really terrible at times. Even the supporting cast - adults included - fell into the occasional trap of just existing for the name-drop factor, or to deliver a few corny lines.
I don't think the movies really hit their stride until the fifth film. What Cuaron did with HP3 was great, but although he brought a little more unique character and depth into the films than Columbus had. And Mike Newell took Goblet of Fire and turned it into a rousing adventure, filled with suspense and humor, but it wasn't until David Yates took over that the films really began to delve into the heart of what I think makes Harry Potter so enduring. Suddenly the world was filled with grey areas - it wasn't all just good guys and bad guys. And that's where the series shines - is in the struggle not just between good and evil, but the idea of right versus wrong. Love versus hate. Forgiveness, acceptance, and tolerance versus vengance and bigotry.
There's a blogger recently who read through the entire Harry Potter series, blogging chapter by chapter, experiencing the books for the first time and sharing his thoughts and reactions and theories with his readers. When he was reading Order of the Phoenix, he suddenly got very personal, sharing experiences he'd had as a gay teenager growing up in a world that did not accept him for who he was. I realized why the character of Delores Umbridge has always been one of my favorites. You can't help but hate her, and you're supposed to. But when you really look at her character - this is a woman who believes with all her soul that she is right and justified in her persecution of Harry and the other children. The parallels I could draw to people in the conservative religious world would probably make some of you uncomfortable. I'll let you think about that. Imelda Staunton captured Umbridge's character (and oh god that laugh) so perfectly, as did Evanna Lynch, who went to an audition wearing home-made radish earrings and was more perfect than any Luna they could have ever cast.
The tragedy of the series for me is that in a lot of cases, the acting didn't improve much over ten years. Radcliffe was always pretty good, although in the first movie he was cheesy and more than once seemed to anticipate actions before they happened. But after watching the first movie again, I'm certain that Rupert Grint is actually the best actor of the trio, even from the start. Emma Watson still makes me cringe a little. She had the perfect look, and the perfect attitude for Hermione, but until HP7, I really couldn't stand her as an actress. Is it a little awful that I'm sort of sad that Radcliffe and Grint both got a little...less attractive as they got older? Whereas Watson became glamorous and elegant, and Tom Felton and Matthew Lewis are both suprisingly good looking now. (Especially Lewis. You know they did away with the fake ears and false teeth for the final film? Not only does Neville get to be a badass, but he gets to look good doing it. Finally!)
So, without further intro and ado, here we go. The Harry Potter Extravaganza Day begins NOW!
(actually it began at 3:30 this morning, but I fell asleep watching the first movie, and finished it about half an hour ago)
HP1: The Sorceror's Stone
To be honest, I've never really loved most of the movies. Visually they've always been stunning, and they captured the look of everything perfectly - even the look of some of the characters. But such is the nature of most child actors - a lot of them are really terrible at times. Even the supporting cast - adults included - fell into the occasional trap of just existing for the name-drop factor, or to deliver a few corny lines.
I don't think the movies really hit their stride until the fifth film. What Cuaron did with HP3 was great, but although he brought a little more unique character and depth into the films than Columbus had. And Mike Newell took Goblet of Fire and turned it into a rousing adventure, filled with suspense and humor, but it wasn't until David Yates took over that the films really began to delve into the heart of what I think makes Harry Potter so enduring. Suddenly the world was filled with grey areas - it wasn't all just good guys and bad guys. And that's where the series shines - is in the struggle not just between good and evil, but the idea of right versus wrong. Love versus hate. Forgiveness, acceptance, and tolerance versus vengance and bigotry.
There's a blogger recently who read through the entire Harry Potter series, blogging chapter by chapter, experiencing the books for the first time and sharing his thoughts and reactions and theories with his readers. When he was reading Order of the Phoenix, he suddenly got very personal, sharing experiences he'd had as a gay teenager growing up in a world that did not accept him for who he was. I realized why the character of Delores Umbridge has always been one of my favorites. You can't help but hate her, and you're supposed to. But when you really look at her character - this is a woman who believes with all her soul that she is right and justified in her persecution of Harry and the other children. The parallels I could draw to people in the conservative religious world would probably make some of you uncomfortable. I'll let you think about that. Imelda Staunton captured Umbridge's character (and oh god that laugh) so perfectly, as did Evanna Lynch, who went to an audition wearing home-made radish earrings and was more perfect than any Luna they could have ever cast.
The tragedy of the series for me is that in a lot of cases, the acting didn't improve much over ten years. Radcliffe was always pretty good, although in the first movie he was cheesy and more than once seemed to anticipate actions before they happened. But after watching the first movie again, I'm certain that Rupert Grint is actually the best actor of the trio, even from the start. Emma Watson still makes me cringe a little. She had the perfect look, and the perfect attitude for Hermione, but until HP7, I really couldn't stand her as an actress. Is it a little awful that I'm sort of sad that Radcliffe and Grint both got a little...less attractive as they got older? Whereas Watson became glamorous and elegant, and Tom Felton and Matthew Lewis are both suprisingly good looking now. (Especially Lewis. You know they did away with the fake ears and false teeth for the final film? Not only does Neville get to be a badass, but he gets to look good doing it. Finally!)
So, without further intro and ado, here we go. The Harry Potter Extravaganza Day begins NOW!
(actually it began at 3:30 this morning, but I fell asleep watching the first movie, and finished it about half an hour ago)
HP1: The Sorceror's Stone
- The opening scene was so great. It's hard to say if I wish Harris had been healthy enough to finish out the films, because I did come to like Gambon's Dumbledore.
- Privet Drive set was genius. The Dursleys were fantastically cast. Dudley's a better actor than half the kids at Hogwarts.
- Hagriddddddd
- I still remember catching my breath at the bricks separating to reveal Diagon Alley. That was a great effect.
- So glad they got Julie Walters to agree to do the whole series. Perfect Mrs Weasley. Little Bonnie! So cute!
- I love the shot after the feast, back in the dormitory, of Harry sitting at the window with Hedwig. Like, finally, someplace I belong.
- Interesting to note that they changed the classrooms for potions and DADA after this one. I guess the potions classroom had too much sunlight.
- Ok the CGI shots of Neville falling off the broom were kind of terrible.
- "I'm going to bed before either of you come up with another idea to get us killed, or worse, expelled" "She needs to sort out her priorities" <3
- Whatever happened to Lee Jordan? You realize he's only in the first two movies? That's terrible. Lee was a great character. Of course, he only exists in the movies to commentate quidditch, which they don't show in movies 3-5, so I guess I can see why.
- The giant chessboard set still takes my breath away. That was glorious.
- "Alas, earwax."
- Both the Columbus adaptations fall into the category of trying so hard to be true to the books that they lose any originality. They're lovely to look at but the depth just isn't there. However, Columbus does a nice job of putting us in the setting of the world, establishing the groundwork of what followed.