Mine came through the post on Saturday morning via Amazon and we watched it on Saturday night.. There are a few extras with the DVD.. a tour around Hogwarts, a trip to Diagon Alley, where you choose your wand, your owl and a visit to Gringott's bank also. It's a two disc set, and there's stuff to download - you can receive "Owls", though this function doesn't seem to be up and running yet, you can get "sorted" into a house via the Sorting Hat (I am in Ravenclaw ).. there's more, but my PC keeps telling me that i've performed an illegal function and will be shut down But overall, it's pretty cool

Can't wait for the second installment come November/December time

I got the DVD (and finally set up my DVD player) Unfortunately I bought a widecreen copy by accident (DOH!) so i haven't watched it yet. I'll report back when we get a normal version!

I haven't bought it yet, though I do intend to. I'm putting it off cos I've still got a few DVD's that I've not got round to watching yet. Although Sainsburys are selling it for £14.99 which is quite cheap and very tempting!

I'm worried about watching the movie.
I loved the books and I'd hate to lose some of the magic by watching the movie and being disappointed.
A friend of mine feels the same way, so we're going to watch it together in a couple of weeks when I visit her after Homecoming

Still not seen this film. I read the first book which I thought was alright... not sectacular but alright... though I understand the later books get better.

I saw some work-in-progress footage of the new HP film and thought that looked very promising

I didn't like the book. So little in fact that I didn't get past some published extracts, I never even gave it a chance.

However, I really rather enjoyed the film, especially the bit where Harry recieves his father's lightsabre... I mean invisibility cloak!!!

It was very much on it's way to being a Star Wars film. And that in my opinion was no bad thing

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by MonSTeR
It was very much on it's way to being a Star Wars film.

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As in the whole "The Hero's Journey" thing? Yeah, not arf.

Yeah coz the plot of star wars was soooooooooooo original when it came out. So Harry Potter MUST be copying off it.

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by Sydney
Yeah coz the plot of star wars was soooooooooooo original when it came out. So Harry Potter MUST be copying off it.

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Star Wars redefined "original" after it was relased, re-setting the mark by which films of it's type are judged. I truly believe Rowling's story for the film has a few too many similarities that pertain directly to Star Wars for it's HUGE influence to be disputed or denied.

I'm not saying she ripped it off completely, but just enough so Lucas's lawyers didn't get there teeth into it.

I still think it's a good movie though

Well, they say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.. For those of you with SKY, the latest episode of Buffy (Episode 20) had a *huuuuuge* Harry Potter rip off/tribute/whatever in the last 10 minutes, Catch the Golden Snitch anyone?

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by MonSTeR
(quotes)

Star Wars redefined "original" after it was relased, re-setting the mark by which films of it's type are judged. I truly believe Rowling's story for the film has a few too many similarities that pertain directly to Star Wars for it's HUGE influence to be disputed or denied.

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As in for example? I'm not quibbling that Star Wars has a huge influence, just wondering which bits of HP you thought were particularly ripped off. I've not seen it since the cinema, so forgive me if I'm being dense.

And Star Wars was _never_ original. In the particular case of the lightsabre/invisibility cloak, the receiving of the father's sword was hardly invented by Lucas, now was it? Off the top of my head I can go back to the Volsung Saga for examples.

We got the DVD the other day and Len has watched it all and said its a good film.

So we sat down and watched it again the other night but only got half way through it because of little Georgia wanting attention.

I loved what I saw though and am wanting 5 mins to myself so I can watch the rest of it

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by The Prophet

As in for example? I'm not quibbling that Star Wars has a huge influence, just wondering which bits of HP you thought were particularly ripped off. I've not seen it since the cinema, so forgive me if I'm being dense.

And Star Wars was _never_ original. In the particular case of the lightsabre/invisibility cloak, the receiving of the father's sword was hardly invented by Lucas, now was it? Off the top of my head I can go back to the Volsung Saga for examples.

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I'm not saying that Star Wars was the original, but that Rowling's reference for many of the points within the story was I'm sure (even though I'm sure she would deny it) Lucas's epic. It's the most prevalent influence in its sphere and I truly beleive Rowling is rewriting this story, rather than the rewriting the same story that Lucas rewrote.

Here're the main similarities - an extremely gifted boy is seperated from his parents when very very young and is brought up by his uncle and aunt who have no "special abilities" and are somewhat scornful of the boy's parent's abilities.

A message arrives (by owl or droid) that plunges said gifted boy into a realm he never dreamed of where he's encouraged to use these gifts and that he learns of his father's prowess and ability to pilot either A) a broomstick for an aerial game of football, or B) starships/speeders.

The young hero meets a wizened, grey haired, bearded man who tells him how great his father was, and somewhat excerts a surrogate fatherly influence over the hero.

The inheritence (the cloak/lightsabre). i can't recall the harry potter Dialogue off-hand anymore, but I do remember remarking at the time the incredible similarities between this scene in Harry Potter and the one in Star Wars where Ben Kenobi gives Luke his father's sword.

I know that the son taking up his father's sword is commonplace in stories both fact and fiction, and heck even "Robin Hood Prince of Thieves" had a subplot about Robin's Father's sword taken by Nottingham. Similarly the lack of the real parents thing, Peter Parker lived with his Aunt and Uncle in Spiderman. But to follow through with all of these things, and many more I'm sure which I can't recall at the moment, I think illustrates the Star Wars saga's huge influence in the ongoing story of Harry Potter. It's not that Star Wars was original, but that it became so iconic that I believe that Rowling took her ideas from here, rather than from older influences.

And like I said before, I don't think this is a bad thing.


(Edited by MonSTeR 20/05/2002 09:50)

(Edited by MonSTeR 20/05/2002 12:26)

In fact, IMDB has a list of all the references made in the film:

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Birds, The (1963)
Star Wars (1977)
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Labyrinth (1986)
Home Alone (1990)
Total Recall (1990)
Alien: Resurrection (1997)
Varukiri porofairu (1999) (VG)
Gladiator (2000)

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ooooh. where abouts on IMBD is that list? (Me look, me no find, me stoopid!) And do they give justification for the references? I'm a bit surprised by Home Alone and Gladiator being in there. I'm pretty good at spotting these things and i can't think of any references to these two in particular.

There's a tab on IMDb entries called 'movie connections', it gives th titles and links of prequels, sequels, remakes and references. Unfortunately, it never says what the reference is.

I wonder what the Alien Resurrection reference is. Possibly something along the 'what's to like' line, but I've only seen HP the once.

I'll try to respond to the Star Wars stuff in detail tomorrow, as I have a lot of comments, but I want to do it at home where the Java script works properly and I can check the original for reference as I type.

(Edited by The Prophet 20/05/2002 14:49)

"

voldemort / vader : "Join Me Harry and Together we will rule the glaxy/bring back mummy and daddy"

Harry/Luke: "Never!!!"

i almost choked when i heard this it was so blatantly star wars i was sure voldemort would admit to being harrys real father lol



not that i dont love HP books or the film but there definatly are areas "borrowed" from star wars

Never read the books... never gotten around to it! The film was harmless enough however very over-hyped! I think it was fun but not the masterpiece everyone made it out to be... rather predictable really. (It all reminds me of Enid Blyton!!)

totally agree, film was over hyped but thats only because the series of books were great fun to read and very inspiring. i mean the film missed so much out, even main characters like peaves the polterguiest who i think was to be played by rick male (cant spell) before the character was cut!

Tainted Fluff