[Chefelf]

Jen and I went to see this one on this past Sunday. I've got to say that I was pretty impressed with the movie overall. Like most, I had my reservations about how they would handle the book but I think they did quite a nice job. They left out a lot of stuff but touched on most of the points.

Much like Azkaban, I think the movie was enjoyable but I wonder how comprehensible it would be if you hadn't seen the other movies or (preferably) read the book. The last two movies don't work as well as standalone movies as the first two might have but I think that's probably fine. They take for granted that you are well versed in the universe and don't waste time with needless exposition. That makes for an overall more interesting film.

[Lord Aquaman]

Jen and I went to see this one on this past Sunday. I've got to say that I was pretty impressed with the movie overall. Like most, I had my reservations about how they would handle the book but I think they did quite a nice job. They left out a lot of stuff but touched on most of the points.

Much like Azkaban, I think the movie was enjoyable but I wonder how comprehensible it would be if you hadn't seen the other movies or (preferably) read the book. The last two movies don't work as well as standalone movies as the first two might have but I think that's probably fine. They take for granted that you are well versed in the universe and don't waste time with needless exposition. That makes for an overall more interesting film.

I didn't know you were a Harry Potter follower, Chefelf.

[Mirithorn]

It's probably my favorite movie so far in the series- whatever you call groups of movies. I still complain about it, because some things were ridiculous, but that doesn't mean I didn't like it...

[Otal Nimrodi]

You know, I was thinking about this movie recently.

[civilian_number_two]

Azkaban is the best film so far, but Philosopher's Stone is the best book. Opinion, opinion.

I liked the accomplishment of paring this book down to its core elements, even if that did take out a bit of the character development and a lot of the mystery. Also, way too little of the supporting characters. I liked that Cho turned out to be Scottish; didn't expect that. Maybe I didn't read closely?

I think this film series is dead, since the next book has little driving it and will be virtually unfilmable. Also, unless they're shooting next week, these kids are aging faster than the characters they;re playing. And if they have to replace any of the kid actors, that's pretty muchg suicide.

[Chefelf]

Well, if we can suspend disbelief about their age we'll be all set. Luckily, older people playing younger kids is fairly easy to pull off (remember Head of the Class?).

I do truly admire the way they made the last two films. They really did a great job of capturing the spirit of the books within a very short time.

I think the films work great if you've read the books. They touch on all the highlights of the books. It's like listening to a greatest hits album. The movie was like Goblet of Fire's Greatest Hits. It was pretty cool.

I dunno. I feel like I'm one of the world's only supporters of Order of the Phoenix but I really enjoyed that book. There is a good movie in there somewhere but they'll have to do a little trimming and a lot of work on developing the Ministry-of-Magic-is-Evil plot.

[Revan-47]

Argh!!! i havent read the order of the phoenix! post for spoilers!!!

[Chefelf]

There aren't really any spoilers there. The Ministry of Magic just act like jerks in that book from page 1.

Is it really a spoiler when a books been out for two and a half years?

[jariten]

Much like Azkaban, I think the movie was enjoyable but I wonder how comprehensible it would be if you hadn't seen the other movies or (preferably) read the book

I liked that they didnt make allowances for those who havent bothered with the earlier films. It is the fourth in a series after all.

I liked the film, but for some reason the tasks seemed rushed and lame. The first one was the only one that seemed to hold any real challenge or peril.

The end, where HP brought Cedric back was great. I love how they introduced his father just to crush him 10 minutes later.

Oh, I also love how many UK TV actors they used. Cedrics dad being a good one. Also Bartleby was a hugely popular character on a hugely popular sit com Only Fools and Horses, in case you didnt know:



nothing says 'England' more than that...

[Revan-47]

how was the actor that played voldemort?

[azerty]

There is nothing really clever about this movie, it just feels to me like a cliff-notes version of the book. In fact, the only film of the Potter series that you could actually call entertaining was 'Prisoner of Azkaban'.

"Goblet of Fire" seems as if the director started with an idea of how many minutes he had to work with, and then randomly cut and pasted parts of the book into the script until he had filled his time quota. I wonder if he has actually read the story - judging by the fact that characters refer back to things that we never actually see occur, I would have to say "no". He has done what Columbus did with the first two in the series, but worse. Another abridged reading of the text of the book with accompanying special effects.

The quidditch World Cup? Built up, and then not shown. The important character of Krum, (introduced during the World Cup), is wasted. Harry and Ron's falling out? Quick to start, quick to end, and not really convincing. (In the book, Harry expresses a keen interest to enter - hence Ron's disbelief that Harry did not in fact enter his own name. Here, Harry expresses a desire to NOT compete, which makes the argument lack sense). Etc, etc.

Too bad that Sirius has no part to play, since his character development is crucial to the next story. And Dumbledore - the patient, powerful, amusing, and gentle wizard is abusive, loud, and ineffective. Do we have an emotional attachment to Cedric Diggory? Not really. Do the approaching tasks build suspense? Not really.

Does the director even understand what this story is about? Not really.

The only aspects of the movie that surpass the book are the clues given that imply Moody may not be what he seems. The film audience is given a chance that the reading audience never gets. Interesting - but not interesting enough to save this film. It's really a pretty dreadful effort, overall.

You might hope that the Potter films might encourage people to read the books, but I can see how people might decide that the series is banal rubbish if the movies are the only exposure they get. Too bad.

This post has been edited by azerty: 03 December 2005 - 02:43 AM

[Zatoichi]

I dunno. I feel like I'm one of the world's only supporters of Order of the Phoenix but I really enjoyed that book. There is a good movie in there somewhere but they'll have to do a little trimming and a lot of work on developing the Ministry-of-Magic-is-Evil plot.

Nay, I support the series as well. Even though there are parts of the books I don't like, I think they are all at the very least a decent read. That is more than you get from most books that come out these days. Either that or I am just not finding those other books and am being deprived.

[jariten]

The first couple of books had tight, simple plots that translated pretty well to the screen. Goblet (the film) suffered because, although they were things that were ultimately non-essential to the plot, a lot of what was cut constituted what created a lot of the flavour and atmosphere that made the book what it was. The books just get more and more unweildly from here. Likes been mentioned already, the next one will be a nightmare to get straight, and runs the risk of just being dull as a film.

[civilian_number_two]

The last two books have just been chapters 1 and 2 of a 3-chapter story, with not much to go with on their own. All previous books had had a story of their own to tell, which makes them interesting and filmable. The next two movies, if they're made at all, will be hopeless messes. I hope somehow they prove me wrong.

[Chefelf]

I guess they'll really have to work at making them stand alone. They have had a lot more of a "series" feel to them than the first four books. Maybe I enjoyed them so much because I only started reading them after Half Blood Prince came out so I really didn't have much waiting to do.