FILM: PoA Review - MINOR SPOILERS

[Ali]

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--- In HPFGU-Movie at yahoogroups.com, GulPlum <hp at p...> wrote:

>>> I've just got back from one of the first public shows (and most 
of the second) and wanted to share a few views.>>


Wow, Richard! Welcome back. I'd begun to get seriously concerned 
about you.


>> Another persistent presence throughout the film is the Whomping 
Willow. Slightly re-imagined since CoS (and all CGI as far as I 
could tell apart from the roots), its appearance and behaviour 
better meet my expectations; it's at last more "whompy" rather than 
simply bashing away and looks more willowy, for starters! The shots 
of the willow aren't totally spurious>>>

No, they're not. But I couldn't stand the bit with Hermione being 
swirled around by the tree and then picking Harry up to chuck him 
down under the tree. Wonderwoman!Hermione got on my nerves - in the 
books, she doesn't become too perfect until OoP, and even there, she 
nearly fluffs it when she leads Harry and Umbridge into the 
Forbidden Forest.

>>> I *like* the new uniforms. And the fact that the kids spent the 
majority of the screen time in street-clothes isn't really a 
problem, as a significant proportion of the plot happens at night.<<<

I also liked the uniforms (with the exception of the Quidditch 
uniform which I really disliked), and I didn't find the use of 
street clothes jarring, which I had expected to. The issue of 
clothes is an interesting one though. In GoF, Harry is still wearing 
Dudley's cast offs, yet in the film, he has all well fitting modern 
clothing, and it is Ron who has the misfits. Arguably, Harry could 
have bought himself clothes to wear at Hogwarts with his cash, but 
it's an interesting change.

>>>The acting, overall, was significantly superior to the first two 
films. Radcliffe's motor acting has improved immeasurably, but his 
line delivery and emotional "centre" still requires some work.>> 

I tend to agree with this. I suppose the way I now see it (or hope 
it?), is that DR does have talent; it just needs to be fostered a 
bit more. But he did look like *my* Harry this time.

<<<The only actor with more than a tiny handful of lines is, of 
 course, David Thewlis, whom I'd never identified as Lupin, but now 
I'm sold.>>>

I agree, and I think this is perhaps the one area where I really 
disagree with June. Prior to the film, I could not imagine him as 
Lupin, but for me, he did "feel" like the Lupin I love.


>>> Sirius's and Snape's (past) relationship isn't mentioned *at 
all*. Seeing as one of my major gripes with the first movie (and the 
reason I read the book in the first place) is that no attempt is 
made to explain why Snape might hate Harry, I suppose I had no 
reason to expect anything here, but as this is a post-OotP movie, we 
*know* that this relationship comes to the fore and some kind of 
*mention* of it would have been helpful. The loss of 
 the entire Infirmary confrontation with Snape, whilst 
understandable, is a major detriment to the pacing and plotting of 
this film.>>>

I was also very disappointed by this. An extra couple of minutes 
doing the hospital scene would have made the plot hold together much 
better - plus, it's a delicious Snape scene!

 <<<e.g. Ron howling (as seen in the trailer) which actually *works*!
>>>

Contrast that with the ridiculousness of Hermione howling to tempt 
Lupin away from the others, even though we've already been told that 
Werewolves only recognise the howls of their own kind. I suppose 
this is back to my bugbear about Wonderwoman!Hermione. What on earth 
did she think she was doing trying to reason with a Werewolf? Grrrr.

 >>> I'm also grateful that Jim Dale's invented pronunciation of 
 "animagus/animagi" as heard in the U.S. audiobooks has been given 
the short shrift it deserved and the words are pronounced correctly 
(to my mind, at least).>>>

Yes, I'm intrigued as to how they're going to pronounce "Accio" - 
I'm still surprised at how many people have choosen "Ass eo" on the 
Accio.org.uk poll.
 
>>> The Harry we see in this film is more recognisably the one from 
the books. This isn't meek "insult me all you want" Harry, this is 
sharp-witted and barb-mouthed Harry (one of the reasons I like him 
the books and dislike him in the first two movies). His riposte to 
Snape in the hallway should have been joined by more (incidentally, 
having Harry read out the Map's insulting comment was a 
masterstroke.>>>

It was delicious, wasn't it? I think that particular change worked 
better than the original. I do wish that they'd kept in more of the 
Snape/ Harry dialogue. Why have HArry moaning that he'll have 
trouble doing an essay because of Quidditch when he could have kept 
demanding to know where Lupin was? 

>>> Final section of my comments: JKR has been quoted as stating 
that Cuaron has brought to the fore some things which aren't meant 
to be evident until the last two books. To my mind, two things 
spring out: there is absolutely no ambiguity about a Ron-Hermione 
romantic pairing; despite spending quite some time together, the 
only touch between Harry and Hermione is when he shields her from 
Werewolf!Lupin and she buries her head in his chest. However, Ron 
seems to want (and gets) a lot of TLC from her when they come out 
from under the Whomping Willow with his broken leg...<<<

I really do agree with this. I think that the only thing saving the 
Harry/ Hermione ship now is that JKR wasn't necessarily referring to 
that as the foreshadowing of events. Also, the Ron and Hermione 
relationship seen in this film is actually not that dissimilar to 
all the arguing and banter they share in OoP - so perhaps it doesn't 
foreshadow anything.

Ali