PoA as a movie: good or bad?
I was looking for info on the directors for the fourth and fifth movies and was astonished to read some of the things people wrote about the third movie.
OK, I admit it: I was a bit disappointed to see there was so many scenes missing, damn, even characters! I'd have loved to see Fred say that Wood was trying to drown himself in the shower, but Wood was cut out from the movie... I'd love to see Harry charging his Patronus at the fake dementors aka Draco and his cronies... I'd love to see Peeves getting shot in the nose with a chewing gum wad. In fact, I'd love to see EVERYTHING in it, since Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite book of the series. But would it work as a movie if it was exactly like the book? The logical answer is "no, it wouldn't". A movie is one thing, a book is another, that's just obvious, isn't it?
While I won't say I didn't like the first two movies (because I did enjoy them), the third one is just the best. By far. It has the right tone, it is funny whilst still scary, it is faithful to the book whilst still different. As a movie, the third one is the only one that is really well-done. People who haven't read the books found it much more entertaining than the previous two. Most of the older fans felt the same way. The two movies directed by Chris Columbus were more childish than the third, and it was kind of OK since the books which inspired them were softer, but things start to get darker and darker by the third instalment, so the mood of the movie was only fitting.
I really hope the next movies follow what Cuarón started, and from what we can already see of the fourth, Mike Newell is doing exactly that, bless him.
OK, I admit it: I was a bit disappointed to see there was so many scenes missing, damn, even characters! I'd have loved to see Fred say that Wood was trying to drown himself in the shower, but Wood was cut out from the movie... I'd love to see Harry charging his Patronus at the fake dementors aka Draco and his cronies... I'd love to see Peeves getting shot in the nose with a chewing gum wad. In fact, I'd love to see EVERYTHING in it, since Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite book of the series. But would it work as a movie if it was exactly like the book? The logical answer is "no, it wouldn't". A movie is one thing, a book is another, that's just obvious, isn't it?
While I won't say I didn't like the first two movies (because I did enjoy them), the third one is just the best. By far. It has the right tone, it is funny whilst still scary, it is faithful to the book whilst still different. As a movie, the third one is the only one that is really well-done. People who haven't read the books found it much more entertaining than the previous two. Most of the older fans felt the same way. The two movies directed by Chris Columbus were more childish than the third, and it was kind of OK since the books which inspired them were softer, but things start to get darker and darker by the third instalment, so the mood of the movie was only fitting.
I really hope the next movies follow what Cuarón started, and from what we can already see of the fourth, Mike Newell is doing exactly that, bless him.