I *loved* it even 'tho I jumped in a couple of places - hee hee. Gary Oldman played Sirius just as I'd imagined. To be honest I didn't notice a difference between Michael Gambon & Richard Harris as Dumbledore. In fact if I didn't know better I'd have been convinced they were the same person

The scene with Harry riding on Buckbeak over the lake was fantastic. I loved Rons spider nightmare "Spiders....want me to tap-dance.." and the whole Time-Turner sequence. Also liked Malfoy getting punched in the face (twice) and Snape in Nevilles Grandmothers clothes.

Fab film that even kept my 7yr old from fidgiting for over two hours.

P.S. Where was Ginny Weasley? I don't think I saw her at all.....




(Edited by Teresa 02/06/2004 14:57)

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by Teresa
P.S. Where was Ginny Weasley? I don't think I saw her at all.....

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Ginny had a blink-and-you-miss-her moment on the stairs in Griffindor Tower when the fat lady's painting had just been slashed - she said one line to Harry and Ron but I can't remember what it was

I'd forgotton about Snape in womens clothes - so funny

I'd concur with a lot of Sydney's comments -- I was expecting the film to feel cramped, they had a lot to cram in, but I was suprised at how much they seemed to leave out, even fairly major things -- though they covered all the biggies, weren't the identities of the Marauders (Padfoot et al) explained, and wasn't Cho introduced? Or am I getting the wrong book, were they in 4?

Very impressed with Gary Oldman's Sirius -- spot on IMO, Davis Thewlis didn't strike me as Lupin at all, felt completely wrong to me. Richard Gambon was excellent.

I thought this was a great film. Gary Oldman was cool. The werewolf was very cool. The Dementors were uber-cool! Buckbeak looked fantastic, though when Harry was riding him over the lake I really was expecting him to shout out "I'm the king of the world!"

There was a fair bit of stuff left out, but this is inevitable in any book-to-film adaptation, and it was done to make the film coherent. Compare it to the first Harry Potter film, which tried to keep as much of the book in it as possible and as a result it was a rushed mess, jumping from scene to scene before they'd been even been set-up.

No, this *is* worthy of the Harry Potter name. I may even buy the DVD. Though I am still worrying about how the hell they're gonna do the next one...

I'm off to see this on Friday with my mates, so I will express my feelings then.

I'm halfway through rereading the first books as well, so prisoner will be fresh in my mind when I go to see it.

(Edited by Tycho 03/06/2004 11:43)

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by PictureOfFlowers
Buckbeak looked fantastic, though when Harry was riding him over the lake I really was expecting him to shout out "I'm the king of the world!"

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I whispered that loudly to Jazz

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by Callum

though they covered all the biggies, weren't the identities of the Marauders (Padfoot et al) explained.

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Exactly, and why didn't Harry question how Lupin knew how to work the map...hmmm! I kept knowing what was going to happen next because i've read the books too much lol!

I thought it was brilliant anyways! SO much better and felt more like the books than the first two! I was petrified when the dementor first got on the train but all the little kids in the cinema seemed unfazed! :s Anyways Loved it, it has it's faults but over all its fantastic!!!

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by Teresa
I whispered that loudly to Jazz

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...if only my mate Jen had whispered *sigh* lol

Personally i didnt think the film was that great. Having read the books i was disappointed that a lot was left out and some things changed.
as a film on its own, it is a bit confusing with plots al over the place
as an adaptation i think it is poor, as it seems to assume you have read the book and so can fill in the gaps yourself.

also, the time travel problem - how could harry save himself from the dementors? he should have been killed.

iv already had the time travel 'argument' on imdb

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by theamericanjesus
also, the time travel problem - how could harry save himself from the dementors? he should have been killed.

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Yeah, that part always confuses me as well. I always think BUT IT HASN'T HAPPENED yet, so how can it happen? It's just really confusing. But that was JK Rowling's choice that what happens in the future is already there. So that's more of a 'problem' with the book than with the film.

What did annoy me was that in the book Hermione was totally against interfering with time, and refused to let Harry doing anything, which was what made it all the more special when he suddenly realised that HE needed to perform the patronus. Yet in the film she was willing to throw stones, make werewolf noises, they just kinda totally glossed over the 'wizards musn't mess with time' thing, which I thought ruined the specialness of Harry being all brave and realising it was him all along.

i went and saw this movie...and one of my guilty pleasures has always been harry potter.

i thought that the new dark look was good, but other than that...the DIRECTING WAS TERRIBLE.

one of the best things about harry potter, was that it didn't give into polularity or fasion...it carved it's own way, and almost inspired many of it's own fasion trends...
this installment was quite the contrary...fasionable clothes, and i just got the feeling that the director was trying to make this one more popular by giving into popular fasion trends (and others like the super fast camera pans, and everything was done in close ups).

i also had a problem with how badly they chopped the story...they changed far too much of the book, and overall i was disappointed because this movie just seemed like a harry potter movie that didn't really need to be about harry potter...the director could have made this movie about any group of pre-teens that can use magic...

i didn't see much of hogwarts, or classes, or even the uniforms; the things that kept the watcher tied to the harry potter universe.

i can understand needing a new dumbledore (rest in peace marcus uralius)...but why did they switch directors too?

my final opinion....the new darker feel was nice, the casting was as good as ever, but the director was terrible..

mark my words, if this director (alfonso something) is not fired...he is going to kill off the harry potter movies, until they are as anticipated and revered as the latest star wars movies (boooooo!!!!)

it just seems that hollywood can't leave good enough alone

final verdict...out of 10, i give the new harry potter a 7.5

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by aielman
mark my words, if this director (alfonso something) is not fired...he is going to kill off the harry potter movies,

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It was announced ages ago that a different director would be doing Harry Potter 4 - I think it's Mike Newell, the guy who directed Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Lots of people I've talked to actually liked Alfonso Cuaron's style... why only keep him on for one film, especially as he had Chris Columbus' (the director of the previous HP films) recommendation? *shrug*

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by aielman
popular fasion trends (and others like the super fast camera pans, and everything was done in close ups).

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I liked the new clothes, made it more real in my eyes as that's what people actually wear, not the stuff they were wearing in the first 2 films. I'm sure it's got nothing to do with popularity, people are hardly going to decide whether to go see it or not depending on the clothes they're wearing.
And as for the close ups, there were barely any! Most of the shots were very wide if my memory serves me properly.

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i can understand needing a new dumbledore (rest in peace marcus uralius)...but why did they switch directors too?

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Because Chris Coloumbus decided he wanted to spend time with his family instead.

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it just seems that hollywood can't leave good enough alone

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Yeah! They've taken good enough and made it better!