Just Saw it. It was bad(? or !)

[Steve]

--- In HPFGU-Movie at y..., "vincentjh" <vincentjh at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPFGU-Movie at y..., "Steve" <bboy_mn at y...> wrote:
> > I just returned from the late afternoon matinee (only $5.00).
> > 
> > No serious spoilers here. I really don't talk about the details 
> >of the move; all generalizations.
> > 
> > First I have to respond to the movie complainers.... oh no wait,
> > that's movie critics.
> > 
> > Of course, the movie had it's failing in that they tried to 
> > condense hours and hours and hours of reading into minutes of 
> > movie. The plot moves fast and if you've read the books then the 
> > plot leaps are  huge. 
> > 
> > BUT NONE THE LESS, the movie does hold together on it own merit.
> > 
> > ...edited...
> 
> Steve,

VJH responds with:
> 
> Just a quick note to clarify some points. It's not the length of the 
> movie that bothered me (and some others). The problem is, longer 
> isn't better. There're ways of compressing the plots into the same 
> 160-minute movie without making it seem disconnected. Not being able 
> to do it shows the short-comings of Columbus & Co. But instead of 
> finding ways to compress the storyline and make it accessible to 
> those who havn't read the books, they simply use the length as an 
> excuse. I'd watch a 4-hour movie if things are done well. But with 
> this script and Columbus' direction, I'd say 140-150 minutes are well 
> enough to fit everything (and more) in.
> 
> VJH

A fixed block of movie time is like a glass full of water, you can't
put more in unless some of what is already there falls out. 

You want more time and plot developement at the Weasleys = TIME.

You want more time at the Dursley's to set everything up = TIME.

You want a full fight scene between Arthur and Lucius = TIME.

You want the Death Day party = Time.

You want Ron to have more intelligent screen time = TIME.

You want the emotional intensity of the Chamber scene with Tom Riddle
expanded = TIME.

You want the continuity between scene increased = TIME.

You want secondary characters better developed, like Colin Crevey = TIME.

Now the question is, of what is already there, what are you willing to
throw out, in order to insert all this other plot developement?

This is a movie based on a book that has been read by countless
millions and is familiar to them in great detail. They know the story,
so you can't fool them with standard Hollywood plot compression
tricks. Let's face it, most movies that are based on books, hardly
resemble the books at all. In fact most of those 'based on books'
movies are no more than fanfiction where the writer and director steal
a framework from a book, and write there own unique story that only
vaguely resembles the original. Most of these books that have been
adapted to movies have hardly been read by anyone, so if the story is
totally corrupted, no one knows. Even books by major authors like
Steven King, have not really been read by that many people, relative
to the number who will see a movie based on his book, and not even
remotely close to the number of people who have read the Harry Potter
books. So, in those other cases, if an adaptation of a book is a good
movie, who cares what the original book was about. But lots of Harry
Potter movie viewers do care a great deal about Rowling's books. You
could never get away with that kind of 'Hollywood' adaptation with a
Harry Potter book; never. It just can't be done.

There are only two ways to do expand the plot of a movie like this.
Either leave out more story and develop what you keep in the available
time, or add more time in which to develop what was originally there. 

We could throw out the Weasleys and expand the Dursleys; straight from
the Dursleys to school. We could throw out the Dursleys and expand the
Weasleys; Dobby could appear to Harry at the Weasleys instead. We
could throw both the Dursley's and Weasley's out completely and use
that time to expand developement of the story at the school. We could
throw the Quidditch and Hagrid subplots out completely and rewrite the
story. But what Potter fan is going to stand for that?

Rowling's books are written in a tremendously compact and efficient
style. Big sweeping blocks of plot take place in very few pages. You
just can't adapt writing that detailed and complex unless you are
willing to sacrifice something. Are you willing to throw the entire
story away and let the writer/director create a whole new story based
on this, or do you want to see THE Hary Potter story. You can't have
both. 

I don't want some Harry Potter Hollywood fanfiction version of Harry
Potter. I want THE Harry Potter story, the WHOLE Harry Potter story,
and I want it developed in more detail. That can only be done with
more time. I will agree with you in that this extra time has to be
well spent. But I will not agree with you in that this story could be
told in the limited time frame without some major sacrifies somewhere. 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

bboy_mn