[HPFGU-Movie] Important Negative Spoilers Request

[Jodi Bailey]

----- Original Message -----
From: Wendy St. John <wynnde1 at aol.com>


> Hello, Everyone,
>
> This is my first posting to this group - I've been a member of the main
group
> for several months now, though.
>

Same here, I mostly lurk, though, not sure why as I'm vocal enough in real
life... Anyway, I saw the film tonight and am feeling the urge to talk about
it, but I'm not very good at writing proper reviews at the best of times and
I'm feeling particularly incoherent today, so I'm just responding to various
bits of this that brought things to mind.

> S
> P
> O
> I
> L
> E
> R
>
> S
> P
> A
> C
> E
>

> Harry does floo to Knockturn Alley, but the whole scene with the Malfoys
> talking to Borgin is not there. I really like that scene, and was
> disappointed that it was deleted.

That this scene was cut was probably the biggest disappointment of the film
for me, but mostly because I *really* wanted to see Ed Tudor-Pole as Mr.
Borgin.

> The scene in Flourish and Blotts is much changed - Hermione gets some
lines
> that aren't hers in the book, there is no physical fight between Malfoy
and
> Weasley seniors, to name a few of the changes.

Another disappointment, I so wanted to see that fight.

> (Okay - this is admittedly nitpicky) - Gryffindor is shown having
Herbology
> with the Slytherins (in the book, it's with Hufflepuff).

I loved the Herbology scene though, and Miriam Margolyes is wonderful, to me
she seems more like a real teacher than any of the others in the films.
Maybe that's more a reflection on the kind of teachers I was lucky enough to
have, though :o)

> When called a "mudblood" by Draco, Hermione already knows what the term
means
> and she's the one who explains it to Harry.

This part really bothered me. For a start I didn't think there was nearly
enough of an uproar at Draco's comment, certainly not enough to make it
obvious he'd said something so terrible. And then Hermione not only knowing
what it meant, but getting all upset about it which just doesn't seem in
character at all.

> Also, I thought the actual Quidditch looked better, but that far too much
> time was spent on the bit with the bludger chasing Harry (with Draco right
> behind). That scene seemed to go on FOREVER with them zooming around the
> inside of the stands, and I was thinking that time could have been better
> spent on dialogue elsewhere in the movie.

I guess it probably did go on a bit, but I didn't notice at the time; the
Quidditch was one of the highlights of the first film for me and once again
I was totally swept up in the excitement of it.

> Binns is absent from the film, and the scene where we learn the history of
> the Chamber takes place in one of MacGonagall's transfiguration classes.

This was a pity as I loved the image of Binns being stunned at his class
actually taking an interest in what he was saying for once.

> As someone has already mentioned, the bit with Dobby getting the sock at
the
> end is changed. And I didn't catch Lucius saying "Avada" (but will listen
> more closely next time),

I heard it but I'm not sure I would've noticed had I not known to listen out
for it.

> I'm not sure what they were thinking with the whole ending. Hagrid comes
back
> from Azkaban and gets a loving ovation from the whole student population.
As
> someone else wrote, it was pretty cheesy. And when Hermione returns, she
> gives Harry an enthusiastic hug, and then she and Ron do this awkward
"oops,
> can't hug, must shake hands" thing which seems to definitely be setting up
a
> ship. I found it really overdone and distracting. Actually, I pretty much
> disliked the entire final scene.  Plus, I don't think anyone was in their
> pajamas, as they are in the book.

I thought that whole part was utterly dreadful. *So* cheesy, and it makes no
sense. What's with all the applause for Hagrid? I never got the impression
that most of the students felt particularly strongly about him one way or
the other. Hermione's return was completely OTT, the big dramatic pause at
the doorway, the long sprint down the Hall, the hug and non-hug... And it
just went on and on, milking every shot of smiling, tearful kids. Ugh, it
was such a weak ending that it really dented my impression of the whole
film, which I'd enjoyed so much up to that point.

> I also
> found it distracting where, in many spots, the dialogue from the book was
> changed, usually (IMO) to lesser effect. Why fix something that isn't
broken?
> One good example of this is in the scene in the Chamber, I think the
dialogue
> in the book when Harry says that Dumbledore is the greatest wizard ever is
> MUCH more effective than the way it is done in the film. There are LOTS of
> other places where I though they should have stuck with the original
> dialogue, as well. (I also find it a bit scary that I know the dialogue
well
> enough to spot the changes when it's not word for word) <G>.

This was by far my biggest problem with the film. For me the worst was the
change to possibly the most famous quote from the books so far, "It is our
choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilites." I
can't even remember what it was changed to, but it was exactly the same
statement, just re-worded. *Why*?! What on earth is the point in messing
with it? It also bothered me when they kept lines intact but gave them to
different characters than in the books. The only one I remember is that it
was Ron who said, "They were starving him, Mum!" despite the fact that
George was right there beside him and could have said it himself - it was
because it has been used as evidence that George is the good twin that it
particularly stood out to me ;o)

> Also, Moaning Myrtle REALLY annoyed the heck out of me. She wasn't
> how I pictured her at all, and I found her voice really got on my nerves.
But
> then, maybe it's SUPPOSED to do that, so I'm not sure I'm really
criticising
> her performance.

She was one of the highlights for me and I thought her voice was great, but
I'd never been able to form much of an image of her at all in my mind so
that probably makes a difference.

> On the positive side, Arthur wasn't at all how I pictured him but I LOVED
him
> anyway.

Now, Arthur I *do* have a clear picture of, this wasn't it, and I can't seem
to get over that. Somehow it just grates and feels wrong because he's not
the Arthur in my mind. Oh well...

> And Jason Isaacs as Lucius was simply DELICIOUS! Really sneery and
> awful and obviously evil and (will I get flamed for saying?) Dead Sexy.

Ooh yes, he was fabulous.

> Dobby was also not as I'd
> pictured him, but was well done and believable, IMO.

I agree, but his voice just doesn't seem right to me. It's very hard to
place why, but I think perhaps he sounds too confident, not nervous enough.

> And the Basilisk looked
> really good and was TERRIFYING! I jumped out of my seat with a shriek more
> than once. (And the spiders got at least one shriek out of me, as well).

I was a bit disappointed with the Basilisk, actually, I didn't find it scary
at all. And my sister said it looked like the monster from the Chewits
adverts of a few years ago, so obviously that's all I'll be able to think of
now when I see it again ;o) OTOH, I refused to even watch the spiders scene.
Even the small ones made me shudder, the way they move, ugh... So as soon as
that giant leg appeared I looked away and didn't look back until they were
out of the forest. I was very tempted to peek as I wanted to see Ron's
reaction, but I knew that even one glimpse would probably be enough to have
me checking every corner of my room for spiders before going to sleep for
the next week ;o)

One silly little thing that annoyed me was that the Polyjuice Potion wasn't
brewed over a toilet, I'd always thought that was rather ingenious...

I was glad to have read in advance about staying until the end of the
credits, usually I insist on sitting and reading the credits for everything,
films and TV programmes, to the extent that it's become something of a joke
with my family but I think even I might have given up on these, they seemed
to go on for ever!  And for most of them my sister and I were the *only*
people left in the cinema, which I found a bit embarrassing as it was after
11pm by this point and I think the staff wanted to go home... Still, I
thought it was worth it ;o)

Sorry for the random nature of this post, but I couldn't go to bed without
commenting ;o)

    Jodi