Review!! *Spoiler Alert* yeah I watched it :DD haha repetition for emphasis. I likedliked what David Yates (the director) did with the opening scene; it was so big picture and different from other opening scenes and artsy (a little) and epic;- remember harry playing with his wand under the covers? (okay that sounds wrong) But yeah it was macro to micro when previously it was micro to macro.
The dementor thing was good(: and harry's surprise that mrs figg was a squib was played out fairly well. BUT I was kind of miffed they didn't put dumbledore's howler to petunia in it, though it couldn't have taken more than 3 mins [?] or so to develop that plotline and the connection, because it is so vital that the movie-goer realises that petunia isn't as ignorant or one-sided as she seems. Rawr. I mean if they really didn't have time, they could take away the small "harry being emo" part on the hogwarts express which is so useless. As in we already know harry is angsty and mad and all, you don't have to emphasise it so much; and harry isn't the only one being frustrated either- look at ron and hermione. *end of spoiler*
It's getting late, will probably post more later. (I usually don't keep this promise)
(18 July 2007)
OotP review continued! right lets skip skip skip to the part right at the end- you know when harry asks luna about sirius? and when luna is putting up lost notices? and then luna says something along the lines of- "things you have lost may turn up when you least expect them" ( I forgot the exact quote) but she was saying that as a metaphor to her lost shoes/items but also as a reference to sirius, because harry was, at that point, highly distraught about his death. But but at the end of the 5th book it doesn't play out that way, with luna saying that they (her mother and sirius) were just hidden behind the veil, with an implication that they would return. In both scenes, there are ideas that sirius is still alive in some form, although coming back as the form of a ghost would be highly unlikely, when we see harry talking to nearly headless nick at the end of book 5. In the movie, though, the implication that sirius would return is more certain, possibly to enlighten movie-goers who haven't read the books, but also, could it be a subtle hint as to which character gets a reprieve in book 7? Because if they put this teaser scene in the end, might it be significant in later books/movies? (Pirates of the Caribbean 3, anyone?)
Oh and in the scene where sirius dies, do you remember bellatrix saying 'avada kedavra' and then sirius falls over? If you didn't know what avada kedavra meant (i.e. the unenlightened movie-goer) you wouldn't have known sirius was about to die or have understood the gravity of the situation, but probably when harry starts to yell hysterically you know. But in the time frame between sirius getting hit by the curse and harry yelling, you think sirius was just hit by a normal spell that is reversible, because in movies, (especially fantasy children ones), everything becomes right in the end. I think this is very good for people, because it then encourages them to read the book :D and be enlightened.
I was also quite mad when they didn't blow up the huge ministry of magic statue. After they spent so long doing a pan of it when harry goes for his hearing, you might have thought it would become significant later in the movie, but noooo the blowing up doesn't happen, only the glass tiles shatter and harry gets covered in dust- not as dramatic as I had hoped. I mean the statue is symbolic of racial equality in the books, because the magical beings are all looking adoringly at the wizard in the middle, because some wizards think they are better-off than half-bloods. This would add so much more depth and significance to the movie as this prejudice mirrors the prejudice we have today, and is, in a way, a political comment. *end review*
Oh and in the scene where sirius dies, do you remember bellatrix saying 'avada kedavra' and then sirius falls over? If you didn't know what avada kedavra meant (i.e. the unenlightened movie-goer) you wouldn't have known sirius was about to die or have understood the gravity of the situation, but probably when harry starts to yell hysterically you know. But in the time frame between sirius getting hit by the curse and harry yelling, you think sirius was just hit by a normal spell that is reversible, because in movies, (especially fantasy children ones), everything becomes right in the end. I think this is very good for people, because it then encourages them to read the book :D and be enlightened.
I was also quite mad when they didn't blow up the huge ministry of magic statue. After they spent so long doing a pan of it when harry goes for his hearing, you might have thought it would become significant later in the movie, but noooo the blowing up doesn't happen, only the glass tiles shatter and harry gets covered in dust- not as dramatic as I had hoped. I mean the statue is symbolic of racial equality in the books, because the magical beings are all looking adoringly at the wizard in the middle, because some wizards think they are better-off than half-bloods. This would add so much more depth and significance to the movie as this prejudice mirrors the prejudice we have today, and is, in a way, a political comment. *end review*
