Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Harry Potter Film Musings and then no more for a while to steal a little from Mixdorf

While Mixdorf took a look at the books, this post will focus on all seven movies. Yes, seven movies, though they are not complete, it is inevitable that they will be.

Year One

The director, appropriately named Chris Columbus, sets out for new territory. Never before has a series of children's fantasy books so quickly been gobbled up and popularised and ALMOST simultaneously made into movies. Never before have actors or producers been this close to the actual writing of the book. Imagine Daniel Radcliffe reading Book Seven...I do not think an actor has ever experienced what he and the other actors and producers must have while awaiting and then reading the final book - absolutely incredible.

Looking back, I do like the first film and I appreciate the touch the director gave it. Wide-eyed, wondrous - youthful adventure, and the first dive into the Potter world on screen. Going to school, friends, and adventure. Though the special effects suffered at times, especially Harry flying on a broom, the sets and lighting were beautiful - I'm just thinking how the tables in the great hall invoked both magic and a certain schoolness.

Through these discussions I am going to briefly track the diminished role of Hagrid and Minerva. Here, in the first movie, DD, Minerva, and Hagrid all seem to have an extra special connection to Harry's beginnings, M and H seem to have an extra deep conection to DD that seems to lighten as the years go by.

I like the first one for its first look at the characters and the world of Harry Potter.


Year Two

Same director but with far lesser results. The directing seemed tired and even sloppy at times, despite a few nice moments of suspense and humor. That combined with a story that, though its implications would be bigger down the road than the first movie, was basically a mirror of book one - the movie had miserable aspirations. Forcing emotion into Hagrid's return at the end was too much for me and though it may have worked better in the books, I still feel the sword and the hat and the phoenix at the end were a bit too convenient. The intensity at times was nice, but it seems the director was already checking out.

M and H still appear to have an important connection to DD, though as mentioned, Hagrid's seemed horribly out of place and forced.

As I've said before, my least favorite of the films so far.


Year Three

Better, bigger book - new director who suddenly makes the grounds of Hogwarts far hillier. Actors becoming better - though I did think Hermione's acting was poorer than Harry and Ron -but mostly this one for me was about DD. At this point it was my favorite Potter film, but this is also when I realized how much I enjoyed the original DD. The original never stood out, but after his death I realized how good he was and how this has become the

greatest tragedy facing this series of films...

The new DD drove me nuts in this film. He seemed to try to distinguish himself so much form the original that he actually distanced himself from the character he was attempting to portray. FOUL!!

M and H defintiely taking a back seat to some of the new arrivals.

Despite the DD issue, I really thought this was a good movie.


Year Four

Hermione's acting much improved and as such, the acting overall among the youngsters was very good all around. It is difficult to compare this movie to the third. I will say that H is doing stuff, but not terribly important stuff and M dances with DD - the last time any real relationship of any depth is noted in the movies.

The Goblet of Fire had some great moments, despite more bad DD. Really fun stuff as well as scary stuff - higher levels of acting that go nicely with the dramatic rise in intensity - that is so quickly undermined right at the very end of the film.

However, this film committs a very great crime. No Dursleys. How could they skip that? Major offense that will forever taint this film.

Year Five

I have only seen it once and everybody and their mother knows the ole longest book, shortest movie equation - as I have said - a very clever film and I cannot wait to see it again. And yes, DD was better.

Without a doubt H and M are dropping out. Sure, in the book Hagrid goes off to the giants and M all along, I suspect keeps the school running, but the DEEP connection that I sensed between those three is disappearing, and fast.

Movie Six

The potential for a "knock your socks off" kind of movie is dangerously high. Fun, high drama, plot development. My concern is, given what we know, I will be interested to witness the death of DD and how Snape is handled. How amazing would it have been, if like The Empire Strikes Back - we as an audience had no clue - anyway - such a great mix of the best Potter Elements in a tighter package should provide for a master film.


Movie Seven

I hope the epilogue is not attempted. There is so much action in this one that I doubt even Bruce Willis could handle it, however, my one concern is the ending. After the book has settled for a bit, and I need to read it again, the ending has to an extent that feel when, for example, all the SImpson characters come out to overthrow the rip - off artist who strode into town to take advantabge of the townsfolk - I hope it doesn't devolve into Death Eaters bumping into each other and tripping while the "townsfolks" are taunting Voldemort at the end, perhaps even a shot of a first year saying, "yeah!" I wonder about a Simpson's moment at the end of the movie. I think the Obi Wan moment could be handled well - though again that'll be up to DD - maybe he will have been recast by then.

By book seven we learn that DD doesn't really talk to too many people, yet M and H never seem hurt by this, as if they have accepted it long ago - I wanted to read a little more about DD M and H - thinking that they had a special connection of sorts - mostly it seems that they were people whom DD trusted, at least to a point.

Anybody like the dementors from Film five better than film three?

Thursday, August 9, 2007


"Go and embrace your liberty and see what wonderful things come of it” - Louisa May Alcott, Little Women