OotP-my review/ spoilers for Potioncat, so if you do not want them, skip til

[justcarol67]

Alla wrote:
<snip> 
 
> I could not be happier that Snape running his mouth at Harry was
brought to bare minimum. YAYAY - poor Harry has enough on his plate,
nice to see that in the movie he does not have to deal with Snape 
that often.
> 
> Rickman did a good job, no question about it and even I laughed 
about his contempt to Umbridge, but I would be so happy if this  would
be the extent Snape appears in book 7. <snip>

Carol responds:

First, my apologies for responding to old posts but I only recently
saw the movie and am still catching up.

I had the opposite reaction (naturally). In the book, Snape made quite
clear exactly what Legilimency and Occlumency are and why Harry needed
to learn Occlumency (the scriptwriter made up some dramatic lines for
him but they have no bearing on either the film or the book), told
Harry to use any spell that occurred to him to defend himself and that
the best way to do it was with his mind, and got angriest when Harry's
memories related to Voldemort ("what are that man and that room doing
in your mind, Potter?") and especially the MoM vision, which Snape
himself breaks off. Also, Snape faintly praises Harry on one or two
occasions and hints that *he* can lie to the Dark Lord with detection,
a very important point that does not come through in the film.

Snape's opposition to Umbridge and his role in sending the Order to
the MoM are also underplayed and his skill in Legilimency is not even
hinted at. I would have loved to see the scene between the colly
snarky Snape ("Speaking of dogs, you were seen...") vs. defensive,
hot-headed, name-calling, defensive Black with his sneering (and
unmerited) "Snivellus." Instead, we see godfather Sirius presented as
a much more endearing figure than he is in the book and no clear
reason for the intensified animosity between Snape and Harry that
we'll need in HBP (and DH).

Like it or not, Snape is central to the HP story and his relationship
with Harry is also central. In fact, there would have been no Chosen
One if it weren't for Snape (and Wormtail). He's much more central
than, say McGonagall or even Sirius Black (who nevertheless played a
role in the creation of the Chosen One). I'd say more, but some
posters may not have read DH.

BTW, I don't recall clearly whether the film makes it clear that love
for his godfather saves Harry from LV's possession. I thought it was
more like love of his friends and family in general. Then, again, I've
only seen it once and that scene went by quickly.

BTW, I hope that if the movies are remade ten or twenty years from
now, the moviemakers will get more things right (and possibly the cast
can be digitally prevented from aging too rapidly, including the
adults). Much as I enjoy watching Rickman!Snape, who has the voice and
gestures and facial expressions down pat, he was always too old for
the part, as are Oldman and David Thewlis and whoever plays James as
an adult. And Robert Hardy is some thirty years too old to play Fudge,
IMO. He looks his age (eighty something?) in this film, as he didn't
so much in PoA.

Carol, futilely wishing that someone would invent a reverse-aging
process for ordinary Muggles, including but not restricted to actors