CoS SPOILER: My Very long Review

[draco382]

Spoilers...
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Hello all,
just emerging from lurkdom to post my two cents on CoS, having seen 
it twice this weekend. (which is apparently nothing compared to some 
of the others!)  

Good Bits:

Did anyone else absolutely love the whole Diary scene?  I have to 
say, Columbus's directly definetly left quite a lot to be desired, 
but I particulary loved the way this one scene was done.  Very 
creepy to start out with, with the diary flipping itself and 
displaying "june 13, 1950" and then with the sucking in of 
Harry...etc.  Wow...sepia for everything else and Harry in 
color...very nice touch indeed.  

And of course, Tom Riddle.  Christian Coulson was absolutely spiffy, 
although I somehow always pictured him as being somewhat light-
hearted when Harry first meets him, and slowly becoming more and 
more psychotic as the conversation between him and Harry 
progresses.  well, that didn't REALLY happen, but i'll still take 
what I got in the movie, and oh yes: please sir, may I have some 
more!!??

Quidditch was really great!!  A little sudden...that was a quick 
segway from the library to the quidditch pitch.  Nice FX and the 
scene where Harry is on the ground post-arm break dodging the 
bludger (which comes close to hitting some rather sensitive places!) 
is a good touch.  When everyone is huddled around Harry and 
Lockhart, there are some good reactions from everyone.  What a funny 
scene.

Crabbe and Goyle:  Hey, those kids are good!  Well, we didn't 
actually get to hear their voices, but I thought they did a great 
job as Harry and Ron acting like Crabbe and Goyle.  and Draco was 
pretty darn funny...who knew!

Not-So-Great Bits:

Well, as much as i hate to admit it...I just really didn't dig 
Daniel Radcliffe that much in this film.  Hey, don't get me 
wrong...I think he's a wonderful actor, which is why I feel like he 
just didn't shine as much as he could have.  I might be one of the 
only people that actually liked his acting MORE in PS/SS!  Oh 
Daniel...why oh why have they limited your "surprised reactions" to 
the terribly over-used phrase "Hold on..."???  You have such range!  
Harry himself is a very complex character, and maybe somewhat hard 
to translate into celluloid, but I felt like he came off very two-
dimensional.  As someone (i'm sorry, i've forgotten who) very 
observantly said, he is either very naive or extremely brilliant.  
Where's the angst over which house he should really be in??  Where's 
the desperation in the final Chamber scene??  (i wouldnt' have 
minded if they put in that line where he's scrambling aimlessly 
saying "help me...help me...Please help me!"  --(COS pg 235))  Not 
enough of a "human touch" in a character that is all-too-human...so 
much so, that I sometimes forget Harry (the canon version) is a 
fictional character!!   

Why no Street-Smart!Ron?  I think i pretty much mirror what everyone 
else is saying about Ron not having ANY of his lines from the book.  
The chemistry between the trio was just not there for this 
reason...all I got was UselessSidekick!Ron.  However, I don't blame 
Rupert Grint for this...I just don't think he was given enough 
material.  I just hope Cuaron can resurrect Ron by the third 
film...I love this character and his positive aspects are just as 
important as his faults.  (in the same vein...Hermione was just a 
bit too perfect...where is her bookish naivette?)

Yup, that Hagrid-love at the end was a bit much.  I left before that 
scene the second time around, and liked the movie a lot more...

eeshh...spent a little too much time on the bad points.  All in all, 
it was a good film though.  I'm sorry if i've repeated everyone 
else's comments...like I said, I just wanted to "put my hand in" so 
to speak.  erm...can't wait till PoA -- The Movie!  (hehe)

~draco382