Goblet of Fire
So, folks.
Yes, so the weekend was pretty damn good, if I say so myself. Friday night Eddie came up for his first KD cocktail (as some of you may remember, he missed the spring one because his band had a gig that he couldn't possibly skip!)and we had a great time. I'm so happy that everything is back on track with us; he danced like a fool and I loved every mintue of it!
So then yesterday we stayed in bed until like 2:00, then we got up and went home to Manchester to see Jess, (my bestest who is FINALLY home from school in Florida for Thanksgiving!) and go see Goblet of Fire, as is mine and Jessica's tradition. We are supposed to go on opening night but, seeing as she flew in at 11 pm Friday and the cocktail went until 12, we decided it was acceptable to go a day late. So, as is also tradition, here is my review!
Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed by this one. Azkaban still garners my favorite HP movie award. Although I will say that I am absolutely positive that if I hadn't read the book, I would have LOVED this movie... there was just too much left out for me to really appreciate it as a cinematic masterpiece, especially since I was comparing it to Rowling's original book the entire time. I really tried not to; I completely understand that they had to cut a lot due to time constraints (I mean come on, it IS like a 700-page novel...), but I feel as though the storyline that they chopped were what really made the nuances of the book come alive. For example, the entire Crouch subplot, which is truly what moves the larger plot along and makes it seem so dark, was cut. No Winky, no backstory involving love and betrayal, not enough info about how Barty Crouch, Jr went to the dark side. I didn't like how he appears in that first scene, AKA Harry's dream... it took a lot of the mystery out of everything. Actually, not enough backstory, PERIOD. No one explicates how Mad Eye is a nutjob and therefore it just seemed weird. I also really didn't think that the relationships, in ANY case, were developed enough. Where was all that awesome sexual tension brewing between Ron and Hermione? And why, especially with Book 6 clarifying everything now, were there so many scenes of Hermione comforting Harry? Ugh, gag. In more minor characters, I didn't feel like anyone, particurly the other Tri-Wizard Champions, were developed enough- I know it soudns horrible, but I really didn't CARE that much when Cedric was killed, because I didn't feel that attatched to him to begin with (For the record, I CRIED when I read that part!), and I wasn't all that surprised when Krum bewitched Fleur in the maze, whereas in the book I was like, "What? No! He's a good guy now!!" Oh, and definitely not enough Snape, Sirius or McGonagal.
I don't know, I guess what I am trying to say is that everything just seemed so RUSHED, so I, as a reader first, was left feeling very unsatisfied because JK put SO much time and effort into developing such an intricate plot, and even though I KNEW it would be impossible to capture on screen, I was just sad to see that I was right. Overall, from a cinematic perspective, it was amazing. The darkness of the tone was excellent, the special effects were great, and the blue tint added to every scene until the end was awesome. Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie; just, as expected, the old saying that "you can never capture a book on screen" was definitely proven true in this case. OH! And did anyone else notice that none of the music was the same?? When John Williams withdrew (He didn't do the score for this one, correct?), did he take the copyright to his music with him?? I might have just missed it because I was so caught up in the movie itself, but I don't remember hearing "Hedwig's Theme" anywhere!
I'm curious to see how other people liked it, and whether they have/have not read the book, too. Maybe I am just a cynical English major bibliophile now; who knows?? :)
So, there you have it! Hope everyone is doing well!!
Yes, so the weekend was pretty damn good, if I say so myself. Friday night Eddie came up for his first KD cocktail (as some of you may remember, he missed the spring one because his band had a gig that he couldn't possibly skip!)and we had a great time. I'm so happy that everything is back on track with us; he danced like a fool and I loved every mintue of it!
So then yesterday we stayed in bed until like 2:00, then we got up and went home to Manchester to see Jess, (my bestest who is FINALLY home from school in Florida for Thanksgiving!) and go see Goblet of Fire, as is mine and Jessica's tradition. We are supposed to go on opening night but, seeing as she flew in at 11 pm Friday and the cocktail went until 12, we decided it was acceptable to go a day late. So, as is also tradition, here is my review!
Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed by this one. Azkaban still garners my favorite HP movie award. Although I will say that I am absolutely positive that if I hadn't read the book, I would have LOVED this movie... there was just too much left out for me to really appreciate it as a cinematic masterpiece, especially since I was comparing it to Rowling's original book the entire time. I really tried not to; I completely understand that they had to cut a lot due to time constraints (I mean come on, it IS like a 700-page novel...), but I feel as though the storyline that they chopped were what really made the nuances of the book come alive. For example, the entire Crouch subplot, which is truly what moves the larger plot along and makes it seem so dark, was cut. No Winky, no backstory involving love and betrayal, not enough info about how Barty Crouch, Jr went to the dark side. I didn't like how he appears in that first scene, AKA Harry's dream... it took a lot of the mystery out of everything. Actually, not enough backstory, PERIOD. No one explicates how Mad Eye is a nutjob and therefore it just seemed weird. I also really didn't think that the relationships, in ANY case, were developed enough. Where was all that awesome sexual tension brewing between Ron and Hermione? And why, especially with Book 6 clarifying everything now, were there so many scenes of Hermione comforting Harry? Ugh, gag. In more minor characters, I didn't feel like anyone, particurly the other Tri-Wizard Champions, were developed enough- I know it soudns horrible, but I really didn't CARE that much when Cedric was killed, because I didn't feel that attatched to him to begin with (For the record, I CRIED when I read that part!), and I wasn't all that surprised when Krum bewitched Fleur in the maze, whereas in the book I was like, "What? No! He's a good guy now!!" Oh, and definitely not enough Snape, Sirius or McGonagal.
I don't know, I guess what I am trying to say is that everything just seemed so RUSHED, so I, as a reader first, was left feeling very unsatisfied because JK put SO much time and effort into developing such an intricate plot, and even though I KNEW it would be impossible to capture on screen, I was just sad to see that I was right. Overall, from a cinematic perspective, it was amazing. The darkness of the tone was excellent, the special effects were great, and the blue tint added to every scene until the end was awesome. Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie; just, as expected, the old saying that "you can never capture a book on screen" was definitely proven true in this case. OH! And did anyone else notice that none of the music was the same?? When John Williams withdrew (He didn't do the score for this one, correct?), did he take the copyright to his music with him?? I might have just missed it because I was so caught up in the movie itself, but I don't remember hearing "Hedwig's Theme" anywhere!
I'm curious to see how other people liked it, and whether they have/have not read the book, too. Maybe I am just a cynical English major bibliophile now; who knows?? :)
So, there you have it! Hope everyone is doing well!!