Re: ***SPOILER*** POA Movie: Top 10 things

[snow15145]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Scott Peterson" 
<sfpeterso at y...> wrote:
> *** Please move if this is in the wrong spot ***
> I was able to see "Azkaban" last night.  All I can say is "WOW".  
It 
> was spectacular!
> 
> Here is my list of "Top 10 things I liked about the movie":
> ·	The dementors – These foul creatures actually surpassed my 
> book imagination (an extremely rare feat).  Very scary, a lot of 
> symbolism, and the soul-sucking was out of this world – excellent 
> special effects here!
> ·	Buckbeak – Wow.  Buckbeak had me believing that this wasn't a 
> robot.  The horse-like actions were amazing, and dragging his 
talons 
> through the water?  Again, I can just say wow!
> ·	The score – Scary, funny, and leading us through the 
> adventure. I truly felt like I was right along side Harry during 
the 
> whole movie
> ·	The detail – Hagrid's hut, the 
> ·	Remus Lupin – the acting and dialogue.  Remus stole the show 
> (in my opinion)
> ·	The Whomping Willow – I never pictured the Whomping Willow as 
> a humorous angle, but the vignettes of the Whomping Willow were 
> classic:  the birds, the leaves, and the snow.  This added some 
much 
> needed humor to the movie.
> ·	The Weasley twins – Yay!  They finally had the scene of the 
> Fred and George saying every other word while talking to Harry 
about 
> the Mauraders map.  Too bad we didn't see more of them (movie 
length 
> is to blame).
> ·	The Mauraders map was great – the special effects were truly 
> amazing 
> ·	Hedwig – Wow!  I had read an interview stating that Hedwig 
> was a special owl, but his character was truly amazing on the 
screen.
> ·	 The opening dorm scene, where all of the roommates were 
> taking turns with noise-making treats.  I especially liked the 
steam 
> coming from Harry's ears, and hearing them laugh together.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here is my list of "Top 10 things I didn't like about the movie":
> ·	Hurry, hurry, hurry – Most scenes were just too short.  I 
> know we needed a lot of scenes to make sense of the movie, but it 
> seemed much too rushed.  Columbus did a better job of providing us 
> some breathing room between scenes.  I would rather have another 
half 
> hour of movie, and not feel like I just ran a 100 meter sprint when 
> the movie ended.
> ·	15 minutes of credits – were there outtakes after all those 
> credits?  At 3:00 am, I couldn't wait more than 15 minutes to see 
if 
> there were any outtakes.
> ·	Remus Lupin visual – Remus looked more like a Remus Weasley – 
> a cousin of Molly and Arthur.  His acting was impeccable, but I 
have 
> always pictures someone looking more like Peter O'Toole with 4 days 
> worth of stubble.
> ·	Are the grounds really so vertical?  I guess my book 
> imagination pictures Hogwarts as being flatter.  I always pictured 
> the castle opening up to green lawns, leading to the lake straight 
> ahead, Hagrids hut on the left, and the greenhouses on the right.  
> This had a lot of vertical movement, and a lot more ground than was 
> in my imagination.
> ·	Peter Pettigrew – a fat rat?  Hmmm, this seemed to mock the 
> book.  This was a casting mistake IMHO.  My mind always pictured a 
> Wallace Shawn (Vizzini in "The Princess Bride") look-alike when I 
> imagined Peter.
> ·	OK – I will get flamed for this one, but Daniel Radcliffe 
> didn't act very well.  Emma and Rupert were sensational, but I got 
> nothing from Daniel in this movie.  Yes, Harry has a somewhat 
wooden 
> personality, but I just didn't see the facial anxiety, or any of 
the 
> things that endear us to Mr. Potter (except for the first few 
scenes 
> at the Dudleys).
> ·	The dark forest was the same set in 1, 2, and 3.  Ok, I need 
> to see more of the forest than some mangled tree roots and bare 
> forest floor, surrounded by very tall trees.
> ·	Cornelius Fudge - I never noticed that Cornelius was 
> changed.  I guess I got used to the old Cornelius Fudge – the new 
one 
> isn't so bumbling.
> ·	Dumbledore – I REALLY missed Richard Harris.  Michael Gambon 
> was too comedic, and didn't have the commanding presence of Richard 
> Harris.  And what was with the beard jewelry?

I wish that I could be as eloquent as you have been in your depiction 
but I just cant. I agree with what you have stated so very well. The 
following is just an extremely anxious and upset opinion, from what I 
feel is a very devoted HP fanatic, about expectations from the long 
awaited movie: 
 
Great Fan Fic Movie now where is the real POA Movie?

If you just want to be amused, go see this movie
If you just want to see magic for the sake of seeing magic, go see 
this movie
If you want to see only great special effects, go see this movie
If you like fast, very fast, action packed scenes over and over, go 
see this movie
But
If you want to see a movie "based" on "this" actual book and not what 
is assumed by the director's interpretation, don't go! It's too 
painful
If you expect to see what we've become accustomed to look and feel 
like Hogwart's, don't go! You'll cry
If you expect your favorite character(s) to act in a true three-
dimensional personification of what you read them to be like 
in "this" book, don't go! You'll be sick


Did Alfonso READ the books? If so, how many times? If he did read 
them, were they the same books that JKR wrote? If he had a feel for 
the storyline (the Hogwarts obsession type feeling) he kept it well 
hidden beneath the scores of special effects. Special effects are 
important and can certainly add enjoyment to the movie but they 
should not be a replacement for the much needed dialogue. It was like 
watching film clips spliced together, very choppy. The story was 
empty to anyone who may not have read the books. Did the director 
give everyone some type of pill to speed them up? It was like 
watching everyone in fast motion running through a tunnel vision 
camera. If I hadn't seen the first two very well directed movies 
(that allowed for your own interpretation of them), I would have had 
to question some of the very talented actors portrayals in this one. 
As it is, it was merely very bad directing. 


Snow-who wishes for a time-turner to go back and hire a director who 
feels more for the magic of the books! than for magic itself.