Throwing off the blanket

[Angela Boyko]

Most of you probably don't remember me - I went nomail on the other
HP4Gu lists a couple of months back - nothing personal to the groups,
just a lot happening personally with me.

I subscribed to this list when it was created but have been nomail until
tonight, because I really do like to hide under a blanket when it comes
to a movie I'm highly anticipating (got my ears firmly plugged for Star
Wars II)

*Anyways*, I saw the film tonight, with my almost six year old nephew. I
just cemented myself as Favourite Auntie for life. I had no idea the
movie was two and a half hours long and got him home long after his
bedtime. So not only did Nick get to see a movie in the theatre and not
from a VCR for the first time, he also got to stay up way late. (But he
couldn't wheedle a bedtime story from me. The movie was his bedtime
story!)

I've been dipping in out and of the posts, but decided it was too
masochistic to read all 422 posts in the archive. :-)


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Okay. I was prepared to love this movie. And, in the beginning, I did
not love this movie.

It skimmed way too much in the beginning. I missed the richness of
Joanne's words, creating this wonderful universe. But I also realize
that things had to be skimmed, or it would have been at least a 4 part
movie to do the book justice.

Loved Dan as Harry. Absolutely spot on. BUT - what was with the eye
colour? I could not love a movie that has a blue-eyed Harry. If they
could have such spectacular effects such as the invisibility cloak,
would it have been so hard to change his eye colour?

Loved Rupert too. I overlooked the fact that he was the wrong height. At
least he had the red hair and the cheeky attitude. 

Emma? I have mixed feelings. Her hair was all wrong. It was too
conditioned and cared for. Not that canon Hermione has greasy hair like
Snape, but canon Hermione does not include crimping part of her wild
mane as part of her morning routine. It was like the hairdresser was
told to make Emma's hair (or Emma's wig) bushy, but not unattractively
bushy.

But now that I'm done with the hair, I think Emma did okay. Maybe as the
movie Hermione grows and matures, Emma will be able to bring more depth
to the role.

Far be it for me to say anything against Alan Rickman. I've always
respected him as an actor, I just don't idolize him. :-) He was perfect
as Snape.

I'm also one who really liked how Oliver Wood turned out. I loved the
accent, so musical and wonderful. And the acting was good too. I look
forward to PoA and Oliver getting the cup.

I was disappointed in Richard Harris. Where was the twinkle? The humour?
The warm socks? That was not Albus Dumbledore at all.

I'm disappointed that they cut the whole "YOU'RE A WITCH, AREN'T YOU?"
line from the Devil's Snare sequence, and the whole potions sequence. I
know, I know, timewise it made sense. But in canon, Hermione earned
those 50 points, and she didn't in the movie.

The Quirrell/Voledemort sequence was absolutely brilliant, and was when
I stopped comparing the movie to the book in my head. How absolutely
clever for Voldemort to summon the images of Lily and James to tempt
Harry with. My nephew had watched most of the scarier sequences peeking
from behind his fingers. Strangely, this was the one scene where he sat
rapt with attention, and I was the scared one, as Quirrell burned and
cracked right before my eyes. He was delighted that the bad guy
crumbled, and I was riveted by how well it was portrayed, watching
Quirrell be destroyed. And the part where Voldemort's essence/spirit/?
passed through Harry and knocked him down was a brilliant touch.

And then the hospital scene was a let down. Harry woke up like he was
waking from a refreshing nap. Albus wasn't canon Albus at all. The part
about Lily's love protecting Harry is something that always makes me cry
when I read it. It wasn't that moving at all.

But I did cry when Hagrid gave Harry the photo album and he saw the
picture of him with his parents, Lily kissing his little hand with such
love and affection, and James holding him with such pride and adoration.
:-)

So I'm really mixed. There were parts that I loved and that could not
have been portrayed so effectively in the books, such as the Quidditch
game and the photo with James and Lily. The HP universe was just not as
rich onscreen as it is in the books - I thought that anybody who has not
read the books may be wondering what all the fuss is about. And so many
good lines were missing. And that was not Albus Dumbledore.

I guess I need to see it again. ;-)

Angela "I'm moving to Calgary in two weeks, how are all of you?" Boyko
-- 
Current Time zone:  Atlantic		ICQ: 65588507
Future Time zone:  Mountain		AIM: angelamermaid
http://www.geocities.com/ochfd42/index.html
  "Every time I close the door on reality it comes in
      through the windows."  Jennifer Unlimited