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I'm going to the 12:10 show tonight with a group of adults that will be dressed as witches and wizards from various houses. Ahhhhh.... the joys of uninhibited goofiness.
Posts: 499 | Registered: Mar 2004
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I'm going tomorrow. I'm going to bring my Harry Potter plastic glasses that I got from the midnight release party of book 6.
Posts: 153 | Registered: Nov 2005
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It's too easy to be Harry. I know he is only supposed to be 14 in this movie, but I still don't see him as much of a hero. My problems come in two forms.
1) He is reactive. This is all part of his character as an extraordinary kid who wants to be ordinary(and still keep the perks of being extraordinary). Harry, as depicted at this time, is still self-involved. He isn't trying to promote anything at Hogwarths. He is just trying to get on. I thought that the scene with the three curses was handled well. In this aspect, Hermoine is much more morally attractive. Heck, the herbologist kid seems much more interesting than Harry.
2) His power is in his genes. He has a small army who spends all of their waking time trying to kill him, and he is going to take the summer off. The bad guy is the baddest bad guy in the history of the bad guys, and yet, a 14 year-old B student can hold him off, without the protection of the scar, on the strength of his inherited talent. *shrugs*
_____
I liked Viktor. He seemed like a more plausible hero. If Harry had half of VIktor's ethic and sense of purpose, we might see something.
I thought the Cho situation was handled well; for the first time, Harry actually felt the consequences of his inaction.
This is the key issue. Harry is placed by external circumstances in all of these situations where he makes courageous gut decisions. He isn't an agent of change. He is just a wily victim of circumstance.
I think that it's weird that nobody thought that Harry killed Cedryk. Two people go in, and one comes out with a trophy and a dead body.
Are the games lethal or not? 'Cause fleur and Viktor should be dead, if so, and if not, Harry should have let Cedryk get eaten by the maze.
I'm worried that this is going to be another story where Harry is the powerful hotshot and Hermione is going to serve as the wise and impotent conscience.(Think Tom Cruise and Demi Moore in A Few Good Men) This happens in real life, but I don't like it there either. Harry has years to grow and space to grow into, I just hope that he grows as opposed to merely gets old.
(It's funny. I think I have similar problems with Harry that I had with Henry from The Time Traveler's Wife.
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I really disliked that book . . . (TTW, that is).
Nathan and I will catch the matinee over the turkey day holidays. The "reviewers" on the radio say the movie is good - but I like hearing from folks here!
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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I enjoyed watching it immensily, I was really tired though and I got in a huge arguement with my friend who saw but dislikes Harry Potter. I confess I was not very articulate.
I wouldn't shy from saying after my first viewing I think the 4th movie is the best yet. I might have a marathon with my brother over the holidays and discover I liked one of the previous movies better, but right now I like 4 the most.
For me one way a movie suceeds is if it makes me feel genuine emotion while watching it or in the aftermath. I confess the ending of the movie made me smile, because I felt happy with how the characters were at the end.
I was suprised to see Daniel Radcliff actually doing some difficult scenes with talent. I remember watching the 3rd movie and thinking "He can show anger because hey what teenager can't? But he does not do a good job of showing sorrow." In the 4th movie I was quite impressed with Harry coming out of the graveyard with Cederic's body.
Ron in the 3rd movie was more whiney than even I could handle. In the 4th movie they tone it down JUST alittle bit but Ron still lacks any courage in the 4th movie. Where is the Ron who sacrificed himself in a deadly chess game in book 1, or was brave enough to disguise himself with polyjuice potion to get information from a Draco Malfoy? It feels like in this 4th movie Ron has no redeeming moments. I did like the scene though where he apologizes to Harry even though Harry is acting a git while doing it.
I wont lie I think Hermione is a very attractive character. Which of course the books and the movies want you to believe. Emma Watson does in my opinion a WONDERFUL job once again. It was believable that Viktor would ask her out to the ball, and yet she still ultimately would have wanted Ron to do it. Possibly my favorite line from the movie was when Hermione says at the end "Things are going to change now, wont they?" and Harry says "Yes, they will." The lines sound kinda dumb on paper but I liked the manner in which they were said ALOT.
I loved Mad Eye Moody's character. He was very enjoyable to watch in an eccentric "I am glad I can see him from my movie seat, but I am glad I am not in the same room as him" kind of way.
Other may feel different but when I saw Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort I really felt I could see Lord Voldemort as he appeared in my mind while reading the books. I loved the snake slits for nostrils, his voice, everything. He only had one scene but it was a good scene. One problem with the movie is that it did not address a sort of inconsistancy. You see Draco's fathter threaten Harry at the beginning of the movie, and you see Lucious (Draco's father) unmasked as a death eater in the graveyard scene. Yet Harry does nothing with this information the rest of the movie. I know how the books handle it, but it seems inconsitant to have a scene where Harry and Dumbledore are in a private room, and to have Harry say nothing about who he saw at the graveyard that night.
I suppose I could go on about every character but that would take forever and I am not that motivated.
I did not like that Draco Malfoy only had one scene in the movie. You see him in the background OCCASIONALLY in the movie, but seeing as he is supposed to be Harry's rival he should have at least been interacting with Harry in some of the other scenes in the movie.
Though I suppose it was not that important but I know I am not alone when I say alot of people wanted to see more quidditch in movie 4 because in movie 3 we didnt get more than a very short scene. But I suppose for the sake of length they didn't do anything but show a match setting up and commencing. But hey its the world cup, THE WORLD CUP, shouldnt we see why people love the game so much?
Overall I loved the 4th movie. When a certain girl I am infatuated with comes back from holidays I plan on seeing it again with her. If you liked the other potter movies you will love this one, if you are indifferent, you might like this one alittle more than previous installments, if you dont like Harry Potter I do not think this movie will change your mind.
Oh lastly I AM SO GLAD they got a Brit to direct this movie. British humor is FAR funnier when a Brit is actually directing the line delivery. I hope this director stays on for the next film.
Posts: 14316 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I wish they had explained how Dumbledore knew to come after Moody and Harry after Harry returned from the graveyard.
Posts: 2867 | Registered: May 2005
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Oh for Pete's sake - not to be mean, but go read the book!
SPOILERS (Possibly)
Lots of people DID think that Harry killed Cedric. It's a lot easier to think Harry is deranged than to believe that Hitler with magical powers has returned from the dead.
And the real MadEye Moody would never have taken Harry away from Dumbledore in that situation.
I think the weakest point of the movie was that it had a lot of plot holes that will make people who haven't read the books very confused. Then again, if you haven't read Harry Potter yet, I think you sort of deserve whatever you get Posts: 471 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote: I just think it would have helped people who haven't read them. And I disagree with this statement:
quote:Then again, if you haven't read Harry Potter yet, I think you sort of deserve whatever you get [Roll Eyes]
I agree. People should be able to go see a movie because it looks interesting regardless of having read anything about it beforehand, and still understand and enjoy it. That's what good cinema IS.
Posts: 1225 | Registered: Feb 2002
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I completely agree that the movie ought to be able to stand on its own, but the intricacies of Rowling's plots make that unlikely. Anyone who expects to be able to understand all of a movie based on a book without having read the book does need to expect not to understand some things. This goes for everything from Emma to The Silence of the Lambs.
I am also honestly puzzled by people who haven't read the books yet and confess to enjoy the movies. Or actually anyone who can read and hasn't read the books; there's no reason why everyone should like Rowling, but being in the middle of a cultural phenomenon and not partaking is odd. Anyone who is waiting for the final book to be published before they start reading is operating on principles I totally get, however.
And yes, it is my standard practice to read the book, if there is one, prior to any movie I see.
Posts: 471 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Rude behavior also "happens a lot" but getting used to it would imply acceptance.
Narnia, I don't know you well at all, but I'm guessing you reacted so negatively because you felt I was being rude, which was not my intention.
Posts: 471 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I think there are some who still think these are children's books, believe it or not. There are also some who won't participate in a cultural phenomenon just because everyone's doing it and they want to be unique. Too bad for them; the books are popular because Rowling is such a good writer - they're funny and moving and keep your interest.
That said, I have been to movies that I didn't even know were based on a book until I saw the credits. (I don't know how that could happen in THIS situation, though.) They should be at least understandable without the book, and perhaps inspire some people to go read it.
Posts: 1522 | Registered: Nov 2005
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Samarkand, I was mostly surprised by what you said, which is why I came off sounding snarky. Sorry about that. It's just that I would be offended if someone called my choices to do or not to do something 'odd' (even if it involved a 'cultural phenomenon.') And I have read the books in question. I guess I'm easily offended, so don't mind me.
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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quote:I think there are some who still think these are children's books, believe it or not. There are also some who won't participate in a cultural phenomenon just because everyone's doing it and they want to be unique. Too bad for them; the books are popular because Rowling is such a good writer - they're funny and moving and keep your interest.
There are also people who just don't like to read. They'd rather go see a movie. I agree with most of you guys above, that folks who haven't read the books should still be able to follow the story as told by the movie. That's the JOB of the movie-maker.
(there are also people who haven't been privy to the hype, believe it or not. Wasn't it here on Hatrack that I heard of the guy walking into the video store to buy "Harry Potter 6" back when the book came out in July?? He honestly thought that the movies came first!)
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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I don't think the books are particularly well written actually, I read them solely for the cultural phenomenon. I love discussing them with people and reading all of the fandom theories and reading all of the fanfic and just generally being part of the fandom, none of which I would really be able to do if the books were splendidly well written.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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With regard to movie adaptations of books, I rarely find that the movie measures up to the book (there are notable exceptions, of course, like Sense and Sensibility, which I think is actually better than the book--not one of the best Austen novels). While this is not my standard practice, I can understand someone wanting to see the movie first, enjoy it, and then read the book and enjoy the story even more (rather than, read the book, love it, see the movie and be disappointed).
I thought this was a very good movie. I still prefer the book, though, as the complete story.
Oh, and I agree with whoever mentioned Daniel Radcliff's acting in the post-graveyard scene. I thought to myself at that point, "Wow, he may grow up to be a decent actor, after all!"
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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Did anybody else leave the movie thinking that Harry's choices were too easy. Granted, the last one, to take on Voldemort wasn't easy, but there wasn't a lot of thought or care behind it, either.
Viktor and Hermoine showed day to day commitment, along with moral fiber. Their's was a slow, solemn choice. They make lifestyle decisions. The only choice like this I remember Harry making was Harry choosing not to spend his life looking in the mirror to see his parents.
quote: I love discussing them with people and reading all of the fandom theories and reading all of the fanfic and just generally being part of the fandom, none of which I would really be able to do if the books were splendidly well written.
Why is that, exactly? I'm just curious, why would the quality of the books' writing have any effect on your ability to discuss them and be part of their fandom?
Posts: 1225 | Registered: Feb 2002
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quote: I love discussing them with people and reading all of the fandom theories and reading all of the fanfic and just generally being part of the fandom, none of which I would really be able to do if the books were splendidly well written.
Why is that, exactly? I'm just curious, why would the quality of the books' writing have any effect on your ability to discuss them and be part of their fandom?
*grins* I was hoping someone would ask me that.
It has nothing to do with discussing them, that I do in a variety of different fandoms. It has to do with fanfic. Harry Potter is the only fandom I've in where I can stand to read fanfiction. The idea of reading OSC fanfic makes me cringe, the first time I heard of someone writing Lois McMaster Bujold fanfic I was just confused. Why? Because both of them are phenomenal authors and the idea of someone mucking around in their worlds writing their characters badly is painful to me. On the other hand, I read way too much Harry Potter fanfic. JKR is not an amazingly good author, so it's not painful to read other people's renditions of her characters. Her writing style is also fairly undistinctive (I'm not sure that's a word, but I'm making into one), this makes it really easy for fanfic to give the impression of being another story in her universe.
Also, JKR has this whole amazingly interesting universe that she doesn't know a thing about. I mean, she knows things that are directly relevant to her story, like the history of Nicholas Flamel but she's not a worldbuilder. She doesn't have the faintest clue what the population of Hogwarts is, which is crucial to knowing the population of the wizarding world, which is crucial to understanding how anything works in it. This leaves all of this space open for the fandom to fill in. I've read an amazing fanfic in which one of Voldemort's tactics is to lay seige to Gringotts and collapse the wizarding money supply. Would that every happen in Harry Potter? Of course not, it just couldn't because of the structure of the story, but that's fine with me because the fanfic was a pleasure to read.
The conflicts in Harry Potter are mostly black and white, despite her attempts to fill in some gray (there is some gray there, just not as much as the real world contains) that allows for amazing fanfics exploring the wizarding sociology.
I would suggest, for further reference on the amazing theories the fandom can generate because JKR hasn't filled them in looking at some of the amazing crazy and fun theories at Red Hen. They're in the left side bar.
Please, if anyone sees anything wrong in this, let me know, I'm working on a major something (essay/ paper, who knows?) about my fanfic theories so disagreements are strongly welcomed.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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There's some really good Lois and Clark fanfic out there (thank you, rivka!) and that's not books...
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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