(no subject)
So I could really, really use some distraction. Um. I went to the midnight showing of Order of the Phoenix Tuesday night and never got around to typing up a reaction, so... guess I'll ramble on about that.
I really wanted to love this one. But I think that was impossible. With OotP being my favorite book in the series, my expectations for the film were just too high. But I did like it a lot. And I really want to see it again soon. But possibly with a seat farther back than the third row (man, is that disorienting).
Things that didn't really work for me:
- Color palette/general soul-sucking atmosphere. There's like a moth-eaten umbrella over this film. Gray, gray, somber gray. When it isn't gray, it's gray-blue or, of course, nauseating pink. On top of that, it's almost oppressively quiet. Can you believe I missed the teen-angsty shouting from Harry? Where were the hysterics from Trelawney? It was almost worse, these sad, inward-facing, tiny beaten people.
I know the books get progressively darker. So do the films. I love that, I love the darkness. But it needs to be balanced out a little, and I don't feel it was. We still need the joy. We still need remnants, even just remnants, of the golden-glowy, shinyshiny magic. When we were actually given joy in this film, it wheezed out. The comedy felt strained. Such as... that laughter shared amongst the trio in front of the Commons Room fire? Awk-ward!
- Fragmented storytelling. Each scene/event/moment was tossed out at such a fast clip, it felt more like watching a string of vignettes or a montage (no doubt aided by the actual montages in flashback and dream sequences -- is this a first for a HP film?). Disjointed overall. For a film about the power of friendships and connections, it felt like more people were just beside each other rather than really WITH each other, interacting.
- I really missed the St. Mungo's scene. I understand why it was cut, and I appreciate immensely that Yates did not erase Neville's family story, reworked it into dialogue. But I wanted it. I'm a Neville fan, I can't help it. I mean, that scene has Neville's defiance, Neville's patented Gryffindor bravery. And the gum wrapper. Dear god, the gum wrapper! It's one of the most poignant things Jo's ever written.
- Tonks was wasted. Maybe next movie....
- Emma Thompson's brilliance was wasted. She broke my heart with her pitiful portrayal in the firing scene, and don't know that she was supposed to do that. Well, maybe a little, but... it was meant to be funny too, right?
- Why did we not see Umbridge pawing at the fire after Sirius ducked out? Such a crisp visual in the book, and a missed opportunity here.
- This isn't a legitimate complaint, because it makes sense to cut such things, but... I deeply miss all the classroom scenes we got in the first three films. And Quidditch (no "Weasley is our king"). I miss the little daily snippets of studying and learning. In this film, you almost forget they're in school.
- The centaurs looked beastly. They're not supposed to. Of course, they *are* a bit savage, and that's the irony within their condescending attitude toward humans, with their comments about intelligence juxtaposed against their brutal banishment of Firenze. Also, this broke continuity with their appearance in the first film.
- No rotating room. No room with the brain tank. No room with the bell jar of Time. (And the image of the Death Eater with the baby head is such a fantastically grotesque visual... it's a shame they didn't try to create it.) Why not? Just like (but even more so than) the parts eliminated from the maze in GoF, I don't understand why the Department of Mysteries was collapsed down into ONLY the Hall of Prophecy (which was cool, I'll give them that) and the Death Room.
- The flashback scene was way too rushed. Will anyone who didn't read the book understand how disillusioning that was for Harry, to see his father treat Snape like that? (Not to mention, it was too quick to SEE anybody!)
- It seems all kinds of topsy turvy that the longest book in the series begat the shortest film in the series. Long is okay, Yates, really. *nods* As long as you pace things properly, the audience won't care. And that's the thing, there was little to no build up anywhere. It didn't flow. And so the final battles at the end felt anticlimactic to me. It was pretty, sure (and would have been even prettier if they'd brought the statues to life), but it felt thin.
Things wot were happy-making:
- Neville, my Neville. ♥ Matt was fantastic. (Ok, "Don't gib it to him, Harry" felt squished in... not his fault. Speaking of which, I don't know if it was a good or bad thing that I didn't have to watch Neville's face get smashed in. I'm thinking, GOOD. But then, we also didn't get the bit about his father's wand because we didn't see it get broken, and I think the whole wand thing is an important part of Neville's self-realization.) Also, the first big audience laugh was Neville's. Yay. He IS made of AWESOME, and all who disagree shall DESPAIR for they are WRONG. *hem*
- The entire opening sequence. It almost felt like another movie up until the dementors arrived, and I think that captured how out of place Harry feels in Little Whinging, how desperately off it all is for him. I enjoyed the grit and the realism here and throughout the film (which might contradict what I said about the gray tone, but... you can have grit without depressing the hell out of everyone.)
- Mrs. Figg was adorable. Great casting there.
- The flight over the Thames. And the reveal of Grimmauld Place. Perfect.
- Crookshanks and the extendable ear. So cute.
- Mr. Weasley at the turnstiles. Hee.
- The propaganda-style poster of Fudge. Nice touch.
- Luna? Wonderful. Another score for the casting department.
- As with GoF, movie!Cho is not only bearable, but in fact quite sweet.
- Umbridge was just as creepy as she should be. Staunton embodied her cloying vileness so expertly. Also, they depicted the first detention perfectly. Just horrid and dark, blood and garish pink. Annnd, also on the topic of Umbridge: while much of the score seemed lackluster to me, I think Umbridge's theme is wonderful: light and dainty, with a skipping of notes, growing ever more ominous.
- I loved the Daily Prophet bits, especially at the end (throwback to classic film technique).
- I loved the thestrals. The milky bulbous eyes were straight out of Fuseli's The Nightmare. Geektastic. (But why did they act like Neville couldn't see them? I guess they needed to simplify the film.)
- The panoramic shots. GUH. And the dizzying-spinny shots (like the one going into Hogsmeade). Eep!
- The visuals overall. HP films never skimp on wowing the eye, grayness or no.
- The little power-dance on the steps between McGonagall and Umbridge.
- Kreacher. Oh gawd, I can't stand Kreacher in the book, almost as much as I can't stand Grawp... but he was kind of funny here. Like a vertically and garment-challenged version of Filch.
- Bellatrix. Keep in mind that, as a Neville fan, I'm obligated to despise her. But no one does twisted and freaky like Helena. And, oh, she does! That Bride of Frankenstein-esque break out (more like creep out) from Azkaban was plain awesome.
- Remus and Sirius. Okay, there was never enough of either one (though I'm much more satisfied with what we got of Sirius, quality-wise), but I'll take what I can get. Just, you know... please to be making better use of Thewlis' talent in the next movie, thank you. Oh, and! When Sirius greets Harry at Grimmauld Place, with Remus doing that casual lean against the door frame right behind him... ah, how shippy was that? Loved it.
- The Weasley twins. Again, underused characters, but always gold.
- Ginny showing up all of her brothers in the Room of Requirement.
- Ron, despite being pushed into the background of the film way too much, still having many of the funniest lines.
- Snaaape. Occlumency. Sidelong glance of torture and loathing as he sends Harry away.
- The veil surpassed my mental image of it. Daunting and eerie.
- Dumbledore kicking ass. Not ideal, but then, if we're talking ideals, we'd have to bring Richard Harris back to life because no one will ever be a more ideal Dumbledore. But Gambon did a great job here, I think, showed us WHY Dumbledore's one of the most powerful wizards around.
- "I must not tell lies." It's not in the book, but it should have been, when the centaurs carry Umbridge away. A lovely moment of bringing things full circle, adding much-needed fluidity to the film.
There's probably more, but... err, yeah, that's enough. *grin*
I can't believe we're a week away from the FINAL book.
Rupert was so cute on Craig's show tonight. I love how Craig kept giving him grief about the ice cream truck.
I'll be seeing the Decemberists (with an orchestra) this weekend. Hopefully, I'll be more excited by Sunday, but with everything that happened this week, all I really want to do is sleep through the weekend.
I really wanted to love this one. But I think that was impossible. With OotP being my favorite book in the series, my expectations for the film were just too high. But I did like it a lot. And I really want to see it again soon. But possibly with a seat farther back than the third row (man, is that disorienting).
Things that didn't really work for me:
- Color palette/general soul-sucking atmosphere. There's like a moth-eaten umbrella over this film. Gray, gray, somber gray. When it isn't gray, it's gray-blue or, of course, nauseating pink. On top of that, it's almost oppressively quiet. Can you believe I missed the teen-angsty shouting from Harry? Where were the hysterics from Trelawney? It was almost worse, these sad, inward-facing, tiny beaten people.
I know the books get progressively darker. So do the films. I love that, I love the darkness. But it needs to be balanced out a little, and I don't feel it was. We still need the joy. We still need remnants, even just remnants, of the golden-glowy, shinyshiny magic. When we were actually given joy in this film, it wheezed out. The comedy felt strained. Such as... that laughter shared amongst the trio in front of the Commons Room fire? Awk-ward!
- Fragmented storytelling. Each scene/event/moment was tossed out at such a fast clip, it felt more like watching a string of vignettes or a montage (no doubt aided by the actual montages in flashback and dream sequences -- is this a first for a HP film?). Disjointed overall. For a film about the power of friendships and connections, it felt like more people were just beside each other rather than really WITH each other, interacting.
- I really missed the St. Mungo's scene. I understand why it was cut, and I appreciate immensely that Yates did not erase Neville's family story, reworked it into dialogue. But I wanted it. I'm a Neville fan, I can't help it. I mean, that scene has Neville's defiance, Neville's patented Gryffindor bravery. And the gum wrapper. Dear god, the gum wrapper! It's one of the most poignant things Jo's ever written.
- Tonks was wasted. Maybe next movie....
- Emma Thompson's brilliance was wasted. She broke my heart with her pitiful portrayal in the firing scene, and don't know that she was supposed to do that. Well, maybe a little, but... it was meant to be funny too, right?
- Why did we not see Umbridge pawing at the fire after Sirius ducked out? Such a crisp visual in the book, and a missed opportunity here.
- This isn't a legitimate complaint, because it makes sense to cut such things, but... I deeply miss all the classroom scenes we got in the first three films. And Quidditch (no "Weasley is our king"). I miss the little daily snippets of studying and learning. In this film, you almost forget they're in school.
- The centaurs looked beastly. They're not supposed to. Of course, they *are* a bit savage, and that's the irony within their condescending attitude toward humans, with their comments about intelligence juxtaposed against their brutal banishment of Firenze. Also, this broke continuity with their appearance in the first film.
- No rotating room. No room with the brain tank. No room with the bell jar of Time. (And the image of the Death Eater with the baby head is such a fantastically grotesque visual... it's a shame they didn't try to create it.) Why not? Just like (but even more so than) the parts eliminated from the maze in GoF, I don't understand why the Department of Mysteries was collapsed down into ONLY the Hall of Prophecy (which was cool, I'll give them that) and the Death Room.
- The flashback scene was way too rushed. Will anyone who didn't read the book understand how disillusioning that was for Harry, to see his father treat Snape like that? (Not to mention, it was too quick to SEE anybody!)
- It seems all kinds of topsy turvy that the longest book in the series begat the shortest film in the series. Long is okay, Yates, really. *nods* As long as you pace things properly, the audience won't care. And that's the thing, there was little to no build up anywhere. It didn't flow. And so the final battles at the end felt anticlimactic to me. It was pretty, sure (and would have been even prettier if they'd brought the statues to life), but it felt thin.
Things wot were happy-making:
- Neville, my Neville. ♥ Matt was fantastic. (Ok, "Don't gib it to him, Harry" felt squished in... not his fault. Speaking of which, I don't know if it was a good or bad thing that I didn't have to watch Neville's face get smashed in. I'm thinking, GOOD. But then, we also didn't get the bit about his father's wand because we didn't see it get broken, and I think the whole wand thing is an important part of Neville's self-realization.) Also, the first big audience laugh was Neville's. Yay. He IS made of AWESOME, and all who disagree shall DESPAIR for they are WRONG. *hem*
- The entire opening sequence. It almost felt like another movie up until the dementors arrived, and I think that captured how out of place Harry feels in Little Whinging, how desperately off it all is for him. I enjoyed the grit and the realism here and throughout the film (which might contradict what I said about the gray tone, but... you can have grit without depressing the hell out of everyone.)
- Mrs. Figg was adorable. Great casting there.
- The flight over the Thames. And the reveal of Grimmauld Place. Perfect.
- Crookshanks and the extendable ear. So cute.
- Mr. Weasley at the turnstiles. Hee.
- The propaganda-style poster of Fudge. Nice touch.
- Luna? Wonderful. Another score for the casting department.
- As with GoF, movie!Cho is not only bearable, but in fact quite sweet.
- Umbridge was just as creepy as she should be. Staunton embodied her cloying vileness so expertly. Also, they depicted the first detention perfectly. Just horrid and dark, blood and garish pink. Annnd, also on the topic of Umbridge: while much of the score seemed lackluster to me, I think Umbridge's theme is wonderful: light and dainty, with a skipping of notes, growing ever more ominous.
- I loved the Daily Prophet bits, especially at the end (throwback to classic film technique).
- I loved the thestrals. The milky bulbous eyes were straight out of Fuseli's The Nightmare. Geektastic. (But why did they act like Neville couldn't see them? I guess they needed to simplify the film.)
- The panoramic shots. GUH. And the dizzying-spinny shots (like the one going into Hogsmeade). Eep!
- The visuals overall. HP films never skimp on wowing the eye, grayness or no.
- The little power-dance on the steps between McGonagall and Umbridge.
- Kreacher. Oh gawd, I can't stand Kreacher in the book, almost as much as I can't stand Grawp... but he was kind of funny here. Like a vertically and garment-challenged version of Filch.
- Bellatrix. Keep in mind that, as a Neville fan, I'm obligated to despise her. But no one does twisted and freaky like Helena. And, oh, she does! That Bride of Frankenstein-esque break out (more like creep out) from Azkaban was plain awesome.
- Remus and Sirius. Okay, there was never enough of either one (though I'm much more satisfied with what we got of Sirius, quality-wise), but I'll take what I can get. Just, you know... please to be making better use of Thewlis' talent in the next movie, thank you. Oh, and! When Sirius greets Harry at Grimmauld Place, with Remus doing that casual lean against the door frame right behind him... ah, how shippy was that? Loved it.
- The Weasley twins. Again, underused characters, but always gold.
- Ginny showing up all of her brothers in the Room of Requirement.
- Ron, despite being pushed into the background of the film way too much, still having many of the funniest lines.
- Snaaape. Occlumency. Sidelong glance of torture and loathing as he sends Harry away.
- The veil surpassed my mental image of it. Daunting and eerie.
- Dumbledore kicking ass. Not ideal, but then, if we're talking ideals, we'd have to bring Richard Harris back to life because no one will ever be a more ideal Dumbledore. But Gambon did a great job here, I think, showed us WHY Dumbledore's one of the most powerful wizards around.
- "I must not tell lies." It's not in the book, but it should have been, when the centaurs carry Umbridge away. A lovely moment of bringing things full circle, adding much-needed fluidity to the film.
There's probably more, but... err, yeah, that's enough. *grin*
I can't believe we're a week away from the FINAL book.
Rupert was so cute on Craig's show tonight. I love how Craig kept giving him grief about the ice cream truck.
I'll be seeing the Decemberists (with an orchestra) this weekend. Hopefully, I'll be more excited by Sunday, but with everything that happened this week, all I really want to do is sleep through the weekend.