GoF movie premiere half-rant.
Yes, I watched it on day one (i.e. yesterday, 00:01), because I'm obsessed like that. I was... surprised, both for the good and the bad. I've seen a lot of dissapointed bitching about the movie, and while I have to concede many points those people are making, there are also a lot of good moments, and even some great ones.
Disjointedness was my first impression and it was actually one thing that didn't surprise me at all. I mean GoF is full of action, and the book is about 800 pages strong. How is one supposed to put that into approx. 2.5 hours' time? Exactly, one isn't. This movie should have been at least half an hour longer imo. The way it is, you get the impression of sitting in a race car with images flying past in quick succession - the film moves much too fast, for one thing.
Missing Plot Points
For another, there are many plot points that are simply left out, and others that are only so vaguely hinted at that anyone not privy to canon has no chance in hell of understanding them.
- Rita Skeeter's animagus form... adios.
- the Longbottoms: get mentioned in half a sentence, I'm sure no one who hasn't read GoF caught that one.
- Dumbledore sends Snape spying again... adios. (Man, that would have taken two additional minutes, no more!!)
- No Dobby or Winky or S.P.E.W. (I can't say I'm too unhappy about that)
- Weasley's Wizard Weezes/Prize money... adios.
- Blast-ended Skrewts and Sphinx... adios. (okay, I guess that was necessary)
- Barty Crouch, the elder... in one scene he's sort of weird, a little out of it. However, he's supposed to be under Imperius, and that's really hard to catch.
- Barty Jr's backstory... adios. I'm not even sure whether Azkaban gets mentioned at all, except for the DADA lesson.
- Sirius Black... adios. Okay, you know me, so I don't even pretend to be disappointed about this part. He gets to spout enough generalised nonsense in the five minutes he's actually in the movie. Face-wise. And it amuses me greatly that his penmanship looks a lot like Tom Riddle's in CoS.
- Priori Incantatem... check.
- Explanation for Priori Incantatem... adios.
- The obligatory Dursleys scene... adios, and good riddance.
Fneh. Too much left out, and I'm not even talking Snape here... though I will, most certainly.
Unexpected Comic Relief
Two words: Argus Filch. He gets one scene, and after the first 'wtf' reaction I actually had to laugh.
Minerva McGonagall - she's absolutely. Herself. Very very well done, that one... the dancing lesson? Lol!
SNAPE
What is it with you guys, why do all his scenes get cut out and/or assigned to other characters? I want to see Snape's Dark Mark, it's his to show, goddammit.
Then of course, the Pensieve scene. So Snape was a Death Eater? Oh, well. No reason for Harry to try and talk about it to Dumbledore, is it? I mean, surely more than half the staff are Death Eaters, ex or otherwise? Could the one complex character in the whole series possibly be raped more? *glowers*
For about half an hour I wasn't even sure whether he'd get to speak at all in the movie. Sure, he's decorative, we all know that, but WTF! Alan's a great actor, so WB can ruddy well give him something to actually act! The part is complex, but those movie guys manage to mangle it beyond recognition, and despite Snape being a bloody main character! I have a rather dreary outlook on OotP...
Also, too little Snape/Karkaroff interaction. The whole Yule scene outside gets kicked out, for instance. And wasn't there a scene featuring Snape, Snape's nightshirt, the marauders' map, Harry and Barty Crouch? No? Must be hallucinating then...
There are actually only two significant scenes featuring Snape. In the first one he gets to butt Harry over the head... why? I mean, the scene is hilarious, but Snape didn't do anything of the kind in GoF. Well, I'm not complaining too loudly because Alan is a god in that one. In the second scene he threatens Harry with Veritaserum, letting himself be mouthed off at by him after being overheard with Karkaroff (Dark Mark blah blah blah...). Polyjuice Potion gets mentioned, as does theft and Gillyweed. The whole thing is completely context-free, and about twelve dozens of plot points stuffed into barely three minutes filming time...
Fazit: Dear Warner Bros, if you continue the Snape-rape at that rate, HBP will be a very short movie indeed.
4V4D4 K3D4VR4, SuXx0rZ!
The Boys
Much as I hate what they did to Snape AGAIN, I have to admit they did a wonderful job on Neville. He gets a profile here, and it's about time. The dancing lessons and Neville practising in the dorm room... really, really nice. Also, he gets to tip Harry off on the Gilly-weed. Well done!
Ron's really well done as well- he acts the perfect canon!prat and his jealousy is really adorable. ("Hermione. You're a girl... right?")
The twins kick ass, and about high time they get a significant role, too. THings have to be prepared for OotP, don't they?
All in all, the school atmosphere is really well done, especially the fact that we get this more every-day feeling. The Great Hall isn't as over proportioned as it was in PoA, and camera shots are generally less wide than they were before. I like it.
Dumbledore
Well, WTF?!? Dumbledore isn't supposed to act frustrated, scared, or anything of the sort. He's supposed to be weird, seemingly a bit deranged, and omniscient... I really don't like the characterisation here... not at all.
And now I need to gather my thoughts for the last character... He'll get a whole separate entry, that one............
Disjointedness was my first impression and it was actually one thing that didn't surprise me at all. I mean GoF is full of action, and the book is about 800 pages strong. How is one supposed to put that into approx. 2.5 hours' time? Exactly, one isn't. This movie should have been at least half an hour longer imo. The way it is, you get the impression of sitting in a race car with images flying past in quick succession - the film moves much too fast, for one thing.
Missing Plot Points
For another, there are many plot points that are simply left out, and others that are only so vaguely hinted at that anyone not privy to canon has no chance in hell of understanding them.
- Rita Skeeter's animagus form... adios.
- the Longbottoms: get mentioned in half a sentence, I'm sure no one who hasn't read GoF caught that one.
- Dumbledore sends Snape spying again... adios. (Man, that would have taken two additional minutes, no more!!)
- No Dobby or Winky or S.P.E.W. (I can't say I'm too unhappy about that)
- Weasley's Wizard Weezes/Prize money... adios.
- Blast-ended Skrewts and Sphinx... adios. (okay, I guess that was necessary)
- Barty Crouch, the elder... in one scene he's sort of weird, a little out of it. However, he's supposed to be under Imperius, and that's really hard to catch.
- Barty Jr's backstory... adios. I'm not even sure whether Azkaban gets mentioned at all, except for the DADA lesson.
- Sirius Black... adios. Okay, you know me, so I don't even pretend to be disappointed about this part. He gets to spout enough generalised nonsense in the five minutes he's actually in the movie. Face-wise. And it amuses me greatly that his penmanship looks a lot like Tom Riddle's in CoS.
- Priori Incantatem... check.
- Explanation for Priori Incantatem... adios.
- The obligatory Dursleys scene... adios, and good riddance.
Fneh. Too much left out, and I'm not even talking Snape here... though I will, most certainly.
Unexpected Comic Relief
Two words: Argus Filch. He gets one scene, and after the first 'wtf' reaction I actually had to laugh.
Minerva McGonagall - she's absolutely. Herself. Very very well done, that one... the dancing lesson? Lol!
SNAPE
What is it with you guys, why do all his scenes get cut out and/or assigned to other characters? I want to see Snape's Dark Mark, it's his to show, goddammit.
Then of course, the Pensieve scene. So Snape was a Death Eater? Oh, well. No reason for Harry to try and talk about it to Dumbledore, is it? I mean, surely more than half the staff are Death Eaters, ex or otherwise? Could the one complex character in the whole series possibly be raped more? *glowers*
For about half an hour I wasn't even sure whether he'd get to speak at all in the movie. Sure, he's decorative, we all know that, but WTF! Alan's a great actor, so WB can ruddy well give him something to actually act! The part is complex, but those movie guys manage to mangle it beyond recognition, and despite Snape being a bloody main character! I have a rather dreary outlook on OotP...
Also, too little Snape/Karkaroff interaction. The whole Yule scene outside gets kicked out, for instance. And wasn't there a scene featuring Snape, Snape's nightshirt, the marauders' map, Harry and Barty Crouch? No? Must be hallucinating then...
There are actually only two significant scenes featuring Snape. In the first one he gets to butt Harry over the head... why? I mean, the scene is hilarious, but Snape didn't do anything of the kind in GoF. Well, I'm not complaining too loudly because Alan is a god in that one. In the second scene he threatens Harry with Veritaserum, letting himself be mouthed off at by him after being overheard with Karkaroff (Dark Mark blah blah blah...). Polyjuice Potion gets mentioned, as does theft and Gillyweed. The whole thing is completely context-free, and about twelve dozens of plot points stuffed into barely three minutes filming time...
Fazit: Dear Warner Bros, if you continue the Snape-rape at that rate, HBP will be a very short movie indeed.
4V4D4 K3D4VR4, SuXx0rZ!
The Boys
Much as I hate what they did to Snape AGAIN, I have to admit they did a wonderful job on Neville. He gets a profile here, and it's about time. The dancing lessons and Neville practising in the dorm room... really, really nice. Also, he gets to tip Harry off on the Gilly-weed. Well done!
Ron's really well done as well- he acts the perfect canon!prat and his jealousy is really adorable. ("Hermione. You're a girl... right?")
The twins kick ass, and about high time they get a significant role, too. THings have to be prepared for OotP, don't they?
All in all, the school atmosphere is really well done, especially the fact that we get this more every-day feeling. The Great Hall isn't as over proportioned as it was in PoA, and camera shots are generally less wide than they were before. I like it.
Dumbledore
Well, WTF?!? Dumbledore isn't supposed to act frustrated, scared, or anything of the sort. He's supposed to be weird, seemingly a bit deranged, and omniscient... I really don't like the characterisation here... not at all.
And now I need to gather my thoughts for the last character... He'll get a whole separate entry, that one............