One more opinion (spoilers)

[juli17 at aol.com]

I just saw POA, and I'd like to add my opinion to several points already 
addressed,
in no particular order.
Daniel's acting: Wonderful! I think he's really grown into the character, and 
his
acting here made me feel I was watching Harry Potter. The only slip up to me
was the crying scene, and it wasn't the muffled crying that bothered me. It 
was
the quick jump to extreme anger and the threat to kill Sirius that didn't 
quite 
come off as genuine. 
Hermoine: I didn't find Hermoine overbearing at all. She seemed right in 
character, and Emma's portrayal has always been spot on to me. IMO,
Hermoine has dramatic flair, and she is quite pushy as we all know <g>
and that's how Emma plays her. Perfectly, in my opinion.
Screentime of Ron vs Hermoine: Yes, Ron had less screentime here,
but I certainly don't see Hermoine taking over the series in any way.
Harry was still the center of the story. And remember, Hermoine missed
a good deal of the action in CoS because she was petrified. I really
think the directors have followed the books fairly closely regarding 
the size of Ron and Hermoine's roles in each story. 
Gambon vs Harris: I think each brings a different strength to Dumbledore.
Harris brought out his warmth and wise twinkle in his eye, and Gambon
brings out his eccentricity and playfulness. As it has worked out, the
two actors embody Dumbledore well at the different times in the saga. 
In the early books Dumbledore was more of a grandfatherly figure to 
Harry, and in the later books he becomes a bit more distant and his
actions and intentions more ambiguous. So Gambon taking over (sad
as the circumstances are) happens at the right time I think.
The new characters: I thought they were all well-cast. Lupin especially.
Like all of us, I form a picture of a character in my mind when I read
a book, but I don't usually set it so deep in stone that I can't revise it
to fit the actor who eventually portrays the character. So far I haven't
had a problem seeing all the actors in the Harry Potter movies as
the characters, and Lupin in no exception. But that's me ;-)
Hogwarts School: I think too that the setting has evolved in this movie
away from the brighter and comforting interior and grassy grounds 
of the first two movies, to the more worn, realistic interior and the 
rougher, hilly exterior grounds we get in POA. Yes, it doesn't look
quite the same, but it does work as a reflection of Harry's growing
maturity and his gradual loss of naivete about the world around him. 
Kind of like he's tossing away the rose-colored view he first had of
the wizarding world--i.e., starting to see that it's not all black & white,
pure evil versus untarnished good, but even wizards come in varying 
shades of gray. (Which will of course will become much more apparent
to him in later books/movies!)
Time-turner sequence: This was the most brilliant part of the film, and
I didn't even notice that clock ticking! I'll have to listen for it next time.
General flow of the movie: I did find a few of the scene transitions to be
a bit choppy, something I didn't notice in the other two (despite CoS
having some slightly tedious stretches). Even with the whomping willow
bits showing the change of seasons, it did seem like the school year 
jumped along in fits and starts this time in comparison. Still, it didn't 
detract from my enjoyment of the movie.
The magic throughout: I agree that the magic was used very effectively
in this movie. It seemed a natural part of the landscape at Hogwarts,
unheeded by the students and teachers. And there were a lot of wonderful
touches, like the giraffe gliding through the portraits, and the portraits 
complaining to Harry about interrupting their sleep (and later to Snape, 
who had a wonderful reaction ;-).
Missing scene: I'm not talking about missing moments from the book that
could or should have been in the movie, but what happened to the scene
with Harry and Hermoine talking in the snow? You know, the one that 
was a publicity print (the one that is my wallpaper right now!). It must have
been cut, because I certainly didn't see it. I guess that will be one cut 
scene that should show up on the DVD release!
Following the book word for word versus a more open interpretation: It 
seems fans will complain equally about either method! As for me, I can
enjoy a movie either way, as I've enjoyed all three movies so far. I 
don't find it at all *necessary* that a movie slavishly copy its source 
material. I guess that's a matter of personal preference.
Reading the book versus not having read the book: I think POA is 
equally enjoyable either way. From previous posts, it seems clear 
those who haven't read the book are able to follow the plot of POA.
Those who have read the book know that some plot points in the
book are missing (as I did), but that doesn't have to detract from
the enjoyment. At least for me it doesn't. So I know that there's even
more to it than is obvious on the screen. I still enjoy the fact that I
get to see so much of POA realized, see the people and places 
of my imagination take shape before me. The parts that didn't make
it to the screen--they're still there, in the book, and in my mind! I can 
fill in the blanks, and I'm not bothered by doing so. Again, that's just 
me. 
Final analysis: POA wasn't perfect. There were some bits that could
have been better, as there were in PS/SS and in CoS. But it was 
darned enjoyable nonetheless. 
The next movie: I already can't wait! Even if it doesn't turn out "perfect"
either, I wouldn't for a second miss Daniel's ever more seamless 
transformation into Harry Potter, and all the other wonderful portrayals
of Hermoine, Ron and the various Weasleys, Snape, Hagrid, and on
and on. (Oh, and Jason Isaacs will be back as the deliciously nasty
Lucius Malfoy, yay!).
So thank you, JK Rowling for the books, and thank you, cast, crew, 
and various directors for the movies that just add delicious icing to the
memorable HP saga. I'm happy that more of both are still to come!
Julie 


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