Harry Potter Movies

[bob_barron 0]

I saw a midnight show on an IMAX screen.

 

I really need to see it again, so I can understand everything and compare it to the others. I also have to pick up the book soon, so I compare it to the book.

 

But it was such a fun movie, the crowd was cheering with everything.

[Mik 0]

Wait a second, you haven't read the books?

 

I have tickets to the 10:30 showing tonight. I bought tickets on Tuesday and this was the only one that wasn't sold out. Can't wait.

[bob_barron 0]

No, I don't read the books until I see the movies.

 

This way I go in totally unspoiled. Makes it more fun.

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

You read the book and you'll really see how much they cut out of this movie. It's almost unrecognizable.

[bob_barron 0]

I like it though. To me, the books flesh out the backstory and provide me with more information that I didnt know.

 

Chamber of Secrets is my favourite of the three books I've read.

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

I bet GOF will become your new favorite. It's my favorite of the books. Don't get me wrong I'll probably love the movie (I haven't seen it, just heard what they cut out). The thing is it's not always what the cut out, but also what they change. And from what I've heard they've changed a few things.

 

In the book Barty Crouch Jr. isn't revealed until the end. In the movie you see him front and center from the beginning. In the book you think that not only is Barty Jr. innocent, but you think he's dead. Really from what I've heard that's the only thing they really changed. The rest is just cut out stuff. Except the stuff they had to change to make up for the omission of the House Elves, who play a really big part in the book's plot.

[bob_barron 0]

Yea, I think I'll pick up GOF after I see the movie for a 2nd-3rd time.

[EricMM 0]

I'm really getting sick of all the quality character development they're having to cut out of these movies.

 

Plus, if you haven't read the book, what happens with the two wands at the end of the movie makes no sense. It's not even remotely explained, merely named.

[Vyce 0]

This was a pretty great movie, easily the best of the four Potter flicks.

 

I'm currently rereading Goblet of Fire right now, and am only halfway through it, but damn, you're right about everything they cut out. Especially at the beginning, everything felt almost TOO rushed.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Best of the four which is no surprise, since the first three books/movies are essentially introductions and revealing stuff about the backstory. GoF is where things actually start happening.

[bob_barron 0]

I'm really getting sick of all the quality character development they're having to cut out of these movies.

 

Plus, if you haven't read the book, what happens with the two wands at the end of the movie makes no sense.  It's not even remotely explained, merely named.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

They have too though. They can't make 4-5 hour movies with every little thing in it.

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

Why not? Peter Jackson did.

 

I demand Harry Potter Extended Edition DVD's!!

[bobobrazil1984 0]

it was pretty good. The directing seemed amateurish compared to Azkaban though (especially early on, very choppy and weirdly editing). Luckily for Newell he had great material, its pretty hard to fuckup Dragon vs Broomstick Harry. I also thought the girl that plays Hermoine did a not-so-good job. She was over-acting and over-dramatizing everything. Its actually kinda a bummer since she was great in part 3.

Honeslty I didnt miss most of the cut-outs. I do agree that some more explanation was needed on the wands thing and one or two other things, but the movie was still very lean. GOod job on the adaptaton aspect itself. Kill Bill style would have been incredibly overkill (then again I'm of the opinion that both Kill Bill and Matrix sequels were over-padded duo's of films that would have been better and leaner as 1 3-hour movie).

[EricMM 0]

My friend actually did raise a good point:

 

If you were to break up the book into two different movies, where you make the cut? The whole book built to the last part, there was not intermediate cliffhanger worth ending a movie on.

 

MAYBE the 1st challange? If they had embellished the first half, it would have been possible, but not really great.

 

This is going to become more and more of a problem as the books become LONGER and DENSER.

 

I'm just mad that they're ignoring characters like Malfoy who become more important later on, and have been constantly built up throughout the whole series by being always there, in classes, in the hallways.

[CanadianChris 0]

I'm going to Montreal Sunday to see it in IMAX. Should be fun.

[Anakin Flair 0]

At least we got the Amazing Bouncing Ferrett...

 

I agree with all said above- they choped the hell out of this movie. And the begining was definately to rushed- I couldn't believe they cut the Quiditch match out entirely, and just showed the opening. Also, they cut out any mention of Veelas, and Fleur being half-veela.

 

Emma Watson (Hermione) did fine with what she got, but it just happened that almost every scene she had was an emotionally charged one.

 

My hat's off to Daniel Radcliff- he made me cry at the end of the third task, when he was crying over Cedric. Very well done.

 

I knew they cut out the hospital wing bit with Serius and Severus, but I hated that they cut out Dumbledore's explanation of what had happened. Crouch Jr. getting kissed was cut as well, along with Fudge making it clear that he wasn't going to go along with Dumbledore.

 

And Dumbledore- was it me, or did he seem more pissed off at times than concerned? Michael Gambon may be a fine actor, but he really hasn't hit Dumbledore at all, in either movie.

 

I knew I'd have gripes about this going in (it's the curse of adapting a long book like Goblet into a movie), but all in all, and all gripes aside, I thought it was an excellent movie. I really can't wait to see what they doo with Book 5 now.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

I haven't seen one commercial for this movie. I guess I don't watch TV as much as I used to.

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

I've seen commercials for it all over the place, so you must not.

[Mole 0]

Friday's numbers: $36,385,000

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

Just Friday alone? Damn this will do pretty well.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Well, it's Harry Potter. Of course it'll do well, especially with the 6th book in such recent memory.

 

Saw it, and it was good. It lacked some of the quieter moments of the third movie (I'm thinking of Lupin and Harry on the bridge, just talking), as well as that movie's mastery of detail (the wonderful moving wanted posters for Sirius Black), but it did a really good job of cramming most of Book 4's big stuff into the picture. Newell especially did a good job shooting Cedric, Fleur, and Krum, all of whom come off pretty flat/spare in the book, and were helped a lot just by having convincing archetypal-looking actors in the roles and a few good scenes.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

The Weasley Twins kicked ass. I'll be interested to see if their big mark-out moment in Part 5 is depicted in its full glory

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

Hopefully it is in it's full glory. Well technically it can't be in all it's glory as Peeves isn't in the movies so we won't have the part where they tell Peeves to give Umbridge hell.

[cabbageboy 0]

I enjoyed the movie quite well, though like Edwin I think I liked Azkaban a bit more. I haven't seen an HP movie that I thought was just OMG **** level amazing, but I've enjoyed all 4 to varying degrees.

 

Man, the Prof. of the Dark Arts position is about like being the drummer for Spinal Tap. I've wondered for a while about this: Why isn't Snape the professor for the Dark Arts?

[Mik 0]

It has something to do with the fact that ever since Voldemort begged Dumbledore for the position many many years ago - no one has been able to hold the position for moe than one year and Snape has a more important agenda.

 

I'm sure I'm missing details, but it's all explained in the "Half Blood Prince."

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

Snape is a former follower of Voldemort and has always been interested in the Dark Arts, therefore he was never trusted to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts because he would become tempted to revert to his old ways. Dumbledore trusted him because he showed remorse for what he did and over the years proved himself to be loyal (or so Dumbledore thought). So finally in HBP Snape does become the DADA Teacher.

 

Oh and Voldemort cursed the position out of anger after Dumbledore refused to let him teach at Hogwarts. Thats why they can't keep a teacher for more than a year. Sort of a way of keeping the students from ever having a solid teaching in Defense so that they aren't properly prepared to defeat Voldemort.

[CBright7831 0]

So, do you think this movie will outgross Episode III? It's one of the favorites to do so (along with Narnia and Kong).

[ANKLELOCK 0]

I've seen it twice. The first was at midnight on Thursday night after a long day and it turned out to all be blur. I then proceeded to see it with friends on Friday after staying awake for about 40 straight hours, so I was even more impaired, especially because we were sitting in front of the most annoying group of 50 year old obese women who wouldn't shut up laughing throughout the most emotional parts of the movie.

 

This week i'm going to see it on IMAX and hopefully sink it all in.

 

My conclusions so far: I really liked it for what it was, but it cut WAY too much of the epilogue/aftermath of Voldemort's return stuff out, though.

[cabbageboy 0]

Nothing is outgrossing Episode 3 this year. The Peter Jackson King Kong won't get near what the LOTR movies made, though it'll make quite a nice chunk of change. As far as the Chronicles of Narnia...huh??

 

Episode 3 has made almost 850 million worldwide this year. I don't see anything topping that. The last Harry Potter made about 789 million worldwide I think (and about 249 million domestic).

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Very good film, I'd probably put it behind POA but ahead of one and two because this one left out more pertinent info, IMO. Azkaban's only huge folly was it's way-too-fucking-short scene in the Shrieking Shack, along with the stupid ommitance of Sirius allowing Harry to visit Hogsmeade (which would've made a better ending then Harry pretending that Buckbeak was the bow of the Titanic).

 

While I'll admit that this one had the best humour I often found there to be too much of it considering the serious tones the book takes on. This is where shit starts to get serious. It was hinted at in SS and COS and even shown a bit in POA but nothing big really happens until this book. It is where Harry and Co. are shell-shocked into a different kind of reality through the death of Cedric Diggory.

 

And somehow they managed to fuck it up.

 

Everything started to go downhill for me once Harry returned with Cedric's body. The crowds reaction was one of silence and nervousness but nothing more then that. Then Harrry mentions that Voldemort is back and STILL nothing is affecting this crowd. Rowling in the book describes a seriously chaotic scene and this was anything but. The omission of the hospital scene that followed afterwards w/ the Weasley's, Snape, Sirius and Dumbledore was key to the book and it's a crime that it was cut. And finally, they let the end fall flat on its face with a "Oh well, guess we'll see what happens" look on everybodys faces.