My comments on CoS (long!)

Mon Mar 3 03:00:37 UTC 2003

--- In HPFGU-Movie at yahoogroups.com, "Richelle Votaw" <rvotaw at i...> 
wrote:
> Since Alora so generously said:
> 
> > Let us know more later about how you liked the movie!
> 
> It is my solemn responsibility to give my long awaited (ha!) 
comments on CoS.  I've now watched it twice, taking notes the second 
time. I expect this will be rather long. :)
> 
> 1. First things first, I liked the way the film started, coming 
down through the clouds and into the window of Harry's room.   
> 
> 2. Harry's expression when Uncle Vernon yelled his name after all 
Hedwig's racket.  Perfect. 
> 
> 3. Harry's hesitation before entering when he sees Aunt Petunia 
working on the pudding.  Like he really wasn't in the mood to get in 
more trouble than he was already in.
> 
> 4. Dudley's deliberate bumping into Harry when he walked past.  
Nice touch, very in character for Dudley.
> 
> 5. Harry's brilliantly delivered "I'll be in my bedroom, making no 
noise and pretending I don't exist." Exquisite.
> 
> 6. The entire Dobby scene in Harry's bedroom.  I really didn't 
expect to like him.  I didn't like him in the book.  But he was so 
much better than certain other CGI characters it was believable.  I 
loved the lamp part, where Dobby's hitting himself with it and 
Harry's trying to wrestle it away from him.  Very realistic.  And the 
wardrobe door coming open while Harry's talking to Uncle Vernon.  
Everything was good.  Except for Harry's lunge at Dobby before he 
runs from the room, it was quite a bit high!
> 
> 7. Uncle Vernon's "I'm so sorry.  It's my nephew . . .  he's 
disturbed . . . "  Great delivery there.
> 
> 8. The pure irony that the locks Uncle Vernon put on Harry's door 
to keep him in the room were what kept him from getting inside in 
time to stop Harry from escaping.
> 
> 9. The Burrow.  Everything about it.  Harry's fascination with 
everything was well done, even though only a short time was devoted 
to it.  Loved Arthur Weasley, especially when he finally noticed 
Harry.  Ginny's reaction to Harry's "Hello."  And Harry's "What did I 
do?"  The only thing I didn't like was Molly's "Only one place we can 
find all of this . . . Diagon Alley."  Sounds like a commercial for 
Diagon Alley.
> 
> 10. Hermione's "Harry!"  "Hagrid!" in Diagon Alley.  Ugh.  It made 
me really want Harry to say "Hermione!  So pleased you remembered my 
name!"
> 
> 11. If everyone was so worried about Harry, as Hermione said, why 
were they all in Flourish and Blotts waiting to see Lockhart?  (To 
borrow a quote from Ron in SS/PS "They need to sort out their 
priorities!")
> 
> 12. Harry's expressions during the Lockhart "speech" in Flourish & 
Blotts were priceless.
> 
> 13. Draco's swift change from big bad bully to silent, meek little 
boy when Lucious appeared was perfect.
> 
> 14. Ugh, Hermione's "Fear of a name increases the fear of the thing 
itself" line was awful.   Since when is Hermione a substitute for 
Dumbledore?  If she'd have been there when he said it, sure, but she 
wasn't.
> 
> 15. The Whomping Willow was great, not as I pictured it, but well 
done still.  I liked Ron's "My wand!  Look at my wand!"  And 
Harry's "Be thankful it's not your neck."  I also love it when the 
car throws them out.  Along with the luggage.
> 
> 16. I actually think they could've done without the Herbology class 
at all.  There was no point at all in Neville fainting, to me this 
scene was the worst in the movie.  No one's fault in particular, it 
just didn't flow, it didn't fit, it wasn't right.  As much as I want 
the movies true to the books, I'd have been perfectly happy with it 
left out.  After Mrs. Norris was petrified and Dumbledore says 
something about a mandrake potion, Harry could've simply 
asked "What's a mandrake?" To which Hermione could've promptly 
responded with an explanation.
> 
> 17. I loved Colin, he was so cute.  Not enough of him, but he was 
cute.
> 
> 18. If it's so easy to immobilize Cornish Pixies, why didn't 
Hermione do it in the first place?  I did like Neville's "Why is it 
always me?" line.
> 
> 19. Mudblood conversation--it was okay once Hermione got past the 
explanation and Hagrid had his turn.  Robbie Coltrane was great 
there, as always.
> 
> 20. What happened to Ron's detention?  They could've at least 
mentioned it in passing.
> 
> 21. The bludger.  Amazing how after Harry caught the Snitch no 
teacher could think to get rid of the Bludger, but Hermione could.
> 
> 22. This is through no fault of Maggie Smith's, I'm crazy about her 
and McGonagall, but what an awful line. "I think he's been 
petrified."  Duh.
> 
> 23. The entire dueling club scene was great, spell problems aside 
(expelliarmus, etc.), Snape was great.  I loved it when he shoved 
Malfoy back out into the duel.
> 
> 24. Hagrid rushing into Dumbledore's office. It would've been 
perfect if they'd left in the deleted scene (which according to the 
BBFC is all of 52 seconds).
> 
> 25. Wingardium Leviosa--I loved Harry's "Ron, maybe I should do it."
> 
> 26. Draco's "I didn't know you could read!" to Goyle/Harry was 
perfect.
> 
> 27. Harry/Goyle's "You're wrong!" to Malfoy's Dumbledore comment, 
followed by "Harry Potter." (as the worst thing that ever happened to 
Hogwart's.)
> 
> 28. The flashback/diary scene, except for the end, with 
Harry's "Hagrid" scream.
> 
> 29. Hagrid walking up behind the trio in time to hear "mad and 
hairy."
> 
> 30. Fred's (or George's) comment about the Hufflepuff team being 
scared that Harry would petrify them.
> 
> 31. The scene in Hagrid's hut, especially Dumbledore looking 
right "through" the cloak at Ron and Harry.
> 
> 32. Ron's "Follow the butterflies" line was priceless.
> 
> 33. The spider scene, I especially liked Harry's "What!?" to Ron as 
he continues to interrupt in the middle of his conversation with 
Aragog.  I also loved Harry's ever polite, though nervous "Well, 
thank you, we'll just go."
> 
> 34. I loved Ron's line "If Hagrid ever gets out of Azkaban, I'll 
kill him!"
> 
> 35. Amusing--Harry's reasoning that Nearly Headless Nick couldn't 
die again, since he's a ghost.  No kidding.
> 
> 36. Harry and Ron running straight to the 2nd floor corridor (where 
the teachers were supposed to be going).  How typical. :)
> 
> 37. Snape's "Your moment has come at last" and McGonagall's "That's 
settled . . . your skills, after all, are legend." Those comments to 
Lockhart were wonderfully delivered.
> 
> 38. Ron's desperate "Ginny!" was well done.
> 
> 39. Also amusing was Lockhart's comment to Harry in his office "My 
dear boy, use your common sense!" (How many times have I thought that 
about my own students?!)
> 
> 40. Moaning Myrtle's "Hello, Harry." in the bathroom.  Loved it.
> 
> 41. Lockhart must not be too bright, after Snape's comment about 
Ron's wand in the Dueling Club he still tries to cast a memory charm 
with it.
> 
> 42. I loved Lockhart's entire (too short!) scene after his memory 
was lost.  "Odd sort of place, isn't it?  Do you live here?"
> 
> 43. Harry had his wand in his left hand when he entered the 
chamber. He's right handed.  
> 
> 44. Riddle.  I loved Riddle.  Well, at least he was appealing to 
look at.  
> 
> 45. The Basilisk was awesome.  However, don't snakes smell with 
their tongues?  Shouldn't the Basilisk have been able to smell Harry 
rather than turn away to follow the sound of the rock? I'm no snake 
expert, though.
> 
> 46. Just a note, how in the world did Harry get down off the top of 
the statue of Slytherin, holding both the sword and the fang and 
being poisoned by the venom from the Basilisk?
> 
> 47. I loved Harry's "Thanks" to Fawkes.  Understatement of the 
year, but I loved it.  It was a very natural thing for a 12 year old 
to say.  (none of this mushy "I would've died if it weren't for you" 
stuff, just a plain and simple "Thanks.")  I also loved Harry's 
line "It's over.  It's just a memory."
> 
> 48. Lockhart's priceless delivery of the line "Amazing, this is 
just like magic!" as they fly out of the chamber.  (Which I might 
add, I simply assumed the order in which they held onto each other 
was by size.  Lockhart first, then Ron, Harry, and Ginny last.
> 
> 49. Harry and Ron's expressions in Dumbledore's office were great.  
They looked like they'd just been caught stealing candy, not saving 
the school. :)
> 
> 50. Why did Ron send Errol to Azkaban?  Why was Errol even there?  
What about the school owls?  It doesn't make sense (not to mention 
it's not in the book, but that's beside the point.)
> 
> 51. Kind of comical, a sword sharp enough to kill a 60 foot 
Basilisk with a single stab, yet Harry easily handles it by the 
blade.  Interesting (i.e. bad directing!).
> 
> 52. The hug/no hug part.  Ron saved it, that's all I'll say.
> 
> 53. Hermione's "Oh, no!" when exams were canceled, very in 
character.
> 
> 54. The applause for Hagrid.  Ugh.  Let me just say, this is Harry 
Potter, not a Walt Disney fairy tale!  I did like the part where 
Crabbe got caught up in it and started to applaud, only to have Draco 
grab him and shove him back down into his seat.  Still, I could've 
thought of a number of ways to end it better!
> 
> 55. Going out the window to end it.  Nice touch, since it started 
that way (going in a window)
> 
> Just a few last comments about the actors, Daniel Radcliffe never 
ceases to amaze me, he was absolutely incredible.  I can see problems 
in SS/PS, even though I thought he did great, but here he was 
brilliant.  Rupert is incredible, especially considering what he had 
to work with.  Emma, well, it's not her fault what lines they gave 
her!
> 
> Richelle

My daughter thought that at the end when the camera was panning 
around the school, Mr. Weasley's car should have flown by. She felt 
that would have been the perfect ending, adding a bit more humor.

Lisa aka Lady Firenze
> 
> 
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