Everything I needed to know I learnt from POA

[draco382]

Since other listees have been posting their 
thoughts/reactions/criticism about POA, i couldn't resist adding in 
my own two cents to the convo.  I saw POA on Friday (opening night 
here in the States) and afterwards went out of town, during which 
time i could sit and think about the movie, and avoid the temptation 
to see it once again.

Reading other's criticisms of the film made me think about my 
biggest bug-bear as far as POA was concerned.  When I first read POA 
years ago, here's the clear vision I had in my mind of the big grand-
finale patronus scene across the lake: (keep in mind I had full 
cinematography and camera angles -- the whole works -- planned out 
in my mind)

TimeTurner!Harry sees himself and Sirius across a LARGE LAKE (not a 
little pond) being surrounded by hundred of Dementors which glide ON 
THE GROUND around them slowing draining harry and sirius of power.  
TT!Harry looks around desperately for his "father" to appear when 
suddenly the epiphany strikes him.  The camera then zooms on Harry 
as he bellows "Expecto Patronum" followed with a shot of a dazzling 
white light blasting forth from his wand which forms a large silvery 
stag that proceeds to gallop full force across the lake.  Another 
shot at TT!Harry's astonished, breathless face.  The camera follows 
the beautiful galloping stag as great billowing silver clouds 
surround its hooves (which just skim the surface of the water).  As 
the stag approaches the opposite bank of the lake, it lowers its 
head menacingly and charges the dementors, circling the unconscious 
Harry and Sirius.  The dementors scatter, and the stag canters back 
on the surface of the water to TT!Harry (another shot of his 
breathless face) and apon coming face to face with him, Harry 
reaches out and touches the stag's nose, as it evaporates into a 
beautiful silvery mist.  

That's all I wanted.  I had this vision in my mind ever since I 
first read the books.  Heck, this was the scene that made POA my fav 
of the 5 novels!  But...as anyone who has seen the movie knows, this 
was definetly not what happened.  There was no stag, no lake and no 
nose patting.  For some reason though, when i left the movie theater 
I have to say, I absolutely LOVED the movie and wished that Cuaron 
would direct the next movie too.  Even with all the movies faults 
Cuaron did one thing very well -- he stuck to the SPIRIT of JKR's 
books brilliantly.  There was the perfect amount of bizarre 
irreverence going on in the background of an otherwise serious (no 
pun intended) story that mirrored the tone of the book better than 
Columbus could ever hope to have done.  

So how did POA teach me everything i need to know?  Here it comes:  
The more exacting I am about anything (in other words, the more 
expectations I have) the more likely I am to be disappointed.  
Moral?  You can't always get what you want, but when you think about 
it, maybe what you have isn't so bad afterall.  Cuaron and kloves 
are still not mind readers -- this is just their interpretation.  If 
you really hated this movie, I wouldn't recommend seeing the others -
- cuz I can guarantee you're gonna hate them too.  And as long as 
the films don't make JKR go all JD Salinger on us, I hope they 
continue to improve them and keep making them too.  

just my two cents, 
draco382