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the_dala at 12:23am on 01/07/2007
the_dala at 12:23am on 01/07/2007Okay, I remember having warm feelings toward the GoF movie when I first saw it, but seriously - why? I'm thinking now that it sort of sucked. GoF has such a great plot, where so many loose ends tie up into a really satisfying resolution. It's also a great deal longer than the books that came before, but while I understand having to cut a lot of subplots for time (although we do have time for a completely non-canon, pointless, effects-laden dragon chase that doesn't even make SENSE because why would the dragon LEAVE THE EGG IT WAS GUARDING TO CHASE HARRY ALL OVER HOGWARTS), I really feel the film suffers from it. There's so very much left glossed over or unexplained, not to mention forgotten, which makes it less than accessible for anyone who hasn't read the book. Especially the scene where Barty Crouch Jr. is revealed - that's just a big whopping load of whaaaa?
The whole plot just got so simplified that it fell apart. It doesn't really work as an adaptation or as a film in its own right, IMO. I also feel deeply cheated that they cut the whole Dumbledore-Fudge confrontation at the end, which sets the stage for the next tale and is also totally awesome. God, I wanted to see that speech of Dumbledore's onscreen.
Having said that, I still don't like Michael Gambon as Dumbledore. He just strikes all the wrong notes for me - his voice doesn't work, he's not tall enough, and he's just not - Dumbledore-y. I'm not saying Richard Harris was the world's most perfect casting job, even though I love him - he was a bit too stately and lacked most of Dumbledore's whimsy, which might be a fault of the screenwriters as well. But still, I found him a much better fit than Gambon, who I disliked more in GoF than in PoA. I'm feeling a great deal of trepidation about his screentime in OotP and most especially HBP, whenever it comes out. It's funny because it's really the only casting quibble I've had - even when other actors are completely removed from my mental picture of a character (I was so upset at Gary Oldman until I saw the movie) I've been won over by all performances. But Gambon continutes to disappoint me.
One thing I did like - Neville telling Harry about the gillyweed; I prefer that to Dobby having done so, and it was a nice 'fix' considering they dropped the house elf subplot entirely - which I wouldn't miss except it ties so well with the main Moody/Crouch storyline (and also house elves become extremely important in OotP, so it sort of sucks to have them entirely forgotten since CoS). And Ralph Fiennes makes a great, creepy (yet sort of hot) Voldemort - I always raise my eyebrows at Rowling's description of Voldemort's voice as high, which would just not play onscreen. The whole graveyard sequence is pretty well done, actually, except another line or two of dialogue from the ghosts would've helped. And Wormtail wasn't nearly sniveling enough. And of course then they entirely fail to explain the meaning of Priori Incantatem or why it happens - which, again, would've only taken an extra line or three, was it really that difficult?!
...I don't know why I'm getting so worked up over this, nearly two years too late. But now I'm really worried that OotP will suffer many of the same flaws. I'm just going to tell myself that as long as they get the Big Awesome Battle right, I'll be okay.
The whole plot just got so simplified that it fell apart. It doesn't really work as an adaptation or as a film in its own right, IMO. I also feel deeply cheated that they cut the whole Dumbledore-Fudge confrontation at the end, which sets the stage for the next tale and is also totally awesome. God, I wanted to see that speech of Dumbledore's onscreen.
Having said that, I still don't like Michael Gambon as Dumbledore. He just strikes all the wrong notes for me - his voice doesn't work, he's not tall enough, and he's just not - Dumbledore-y. I'm not saying Richard Harris was the world's most perfect casting job, even though I love him - he was a bit too stately and lacked most of Dumbledore's whimsy, which might be a fault of the screenwriters as well. But still, I found him a much better fit than Gambon, who I disliked more in GoF than in PoA. I'm feeling a great deal of trepidation about his screentime in OotP and most especially HBP, whenever it comes out. It's funny because it's really the only casting quibble I've had - even when other actors are completely removed from my mental picture of a character (I was so upset at Gary Oldman until I saw the movie) I've been won over by all performances. But Gambon continutes to disappoint me.
One thing I did like - Neville telling Harry about the gillyweed; I prefer that to Dobby having done so, and it was a nice 'fix' considering they dropped the house elf subplot entirely - which I wouldn't miss except it ties so well with the main Moody/Crouch storyline (and also house elves become extremely important in OotP, so it sort of sucks to have them entirely forgotten since CoS). And Ralph Fiennes makes a great, creepy (yet sort of hot) Voldemort - I always raise my eyebrows at Rowling's description of Voldemort's voice as high, which would just not play onscreen. The whole graveyard sequence is pretty well done, actually, except another line or two of dialogue from the ghosts would've helped. And Wormtail wasn't nearly sniveling enough. And of course then they entirely fail to explain the meaning of Priori Incantatem or why it happens - which, again, would've only taken an extra line or three, was it really that difficult?!
...I don't know why I'm getting so worked up over this, nearly two years too late. But now I'm really worried that OotP will suffer many of the same flaws. I'm just going to tell myself that as long as they get the Big Awesome Battle right, I'll be okay.
disappointed
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