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Jun. 4th, 2004 06:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vintage_belleI went to see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban today and OH. EM. EF. GEE! It's so farkin' amazing! The new director, Alfonso Cuaron of Y Tu Mama Tambien fame, truly knew what he was doing when he took up this project. I feel like I must mention: they finally got Harry's hair to be messy! Finally! I was beginning to worry. Honestly, now that they've finally gotten the characters right, I think I might have to kill someone if the actors were replaced. Oh, yes, and the Weasley Twins need more screen time. MORE DAMNIT!!! (The following contains minor spoilers, so I'm putting it under a cut to be safe.) All in all, for the record, this movie is farkin' amazing, if I haven't said that before ^_~
If you ask me, there is really something to be gotten by everyone from the third enstallment of the Harry Potter movies. It is the first film that can, in my opinion, be enjoyed by parents without them feeling like they were obliged to see it because of their children, and enjoyed as a movie in general by all without them being rabid fans of the books. The changes made, both in directoral style and in actors, I find, were for the better all around.
Firstly, Cuaron's style of directing is completely different from Columbus' - and that can be seen right away, even by people who have never seen their other movies. Columbus, when he was directing the movies, did a good job with the first one in
terms of giving the audience a clear picture of the Wizarding world and what could be expected from it. His way of working with children, I think, is what helped the initial development of all characters - particularly students. But many of his
directorial choices didn't make any sense when it came to the films - particularly in the case of the ending of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Frankly, I hated the fight between Harry and the basilisk, nor was I very impressed by Fawkes.
Rather, I was quite disappointed by the phoenix, who did nothing to inspire the grand vision that I associate with the mythical birds. Of course, that was just me, but still - I really didn't like that last fight.
Cauron managed to enfuse this movie with a sense that while Harry is very brave, he is still a child and still needs guidance. He can still be frightened by monsters, like any other, and is not unfallable. (In fact he winds up fainting quite a lot >_>) I honestly don't think that Columbus would have been able to pull off this movie, and I'm glad directors were changed.
I must also say that, as much as I loved Richard Harris, I liked Michael Gambon much better as Albus Dumbledore. Harris' Dumbledore was way too quite and restrained for me, and didn't carry the essence of the mischevous old grandfather that I always imagined Dumbledore to have. Gambon, however, did have that. He was quite serious at the beginning of school feast, but in his next appearances he was exactly like I had imagined Dumbledore - wise and willing to help the causes that he knew was right, while at the same time both upholding and bending the rules.
Despite that I don't think either Gary Oldman (Sirius Black) or David Thewlis (Professor R.J. Lupin) looked like what they were supposed to look like, I couldn't find any flaws, off the cuff, of either of their performances. I wish both had been
a little younger, and I've always imagined Lupin as having long hair tied in a neat pony tail, but I liked them. I only wish that Lupin had been a little more mischevous when it came to his interaction with Snape and the Map. (Speaking of which, what was done with the Maraurder's Map was awesome! I wouldn't now be able to picture it any other way.)
The only thing I really didn't like in the movie was Lupin's Warewolf form. It just ... didn't look scary enough or something - and it was waaaay too skinny. I also wasn't entirely pleased by the lack of Quidditch - I WANTED OLIVER WOOD!!! Not just that, but it would have been awesome to see Harry tossed around by the Whomping Willow and all that.
Buckbeak was gorgeous - I officially want a hippogriff now.
The Twins, for all that their screen time was next to nil, were hilarious and wonderful. They're not only both very nice to look at, but they have (being brothers and twins themselves) the most perfect chemistry between them. They play off each other perfectly as Fred and George, switching off during sentences, and speaking simultaneously when they need a point to be made.
Lastly: the chemistry between Ron and Hermione is soooooooo cute!!! ::squeals:: They are going to be the most adorable couple! And the soundtrack was as good, if not better, than the first two movies. It actually had songs and stuff (I stayed through the credits to hear it >_>) and it was quite lively for all the darkness of the movie.
If you ask me, there is really something to be gotten by everyone from the third enstallment of the Harry Potter movies. It is the first film that can, in my opinion, be enjoyed by parents without them feeling like they were obliged to see it because of their children, and enjoyed as a movie in general by all without them being rabid fans of the books. The changes made, both in directoral style and in actors, I find, were for the better all around.
Firstly, Cuaron's style of directing is completely different from Columbus' - and that can be seen right away, even by people who have never seen their other movies. Columbus, when he was directing the movies, did a good job with the first one in
terms of giving the audience a clear picture of the Wizarding world and what could be expected from it. His way of working with children, I think, is what helped the initial development of all characters - particularly students. But many of his
directorial choices didn't make any sense when it came to the films - particularly in the case of the ending of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Frankly, I hated the fight between Harry and the basilisk, nor was I very impressed by Fawkes.
Rather, I was quite disappointed by the phoenix, who did nothing to inspire the grand vision that I associate with the mythical birds. Of course, that was just me, but still - I really didn't like that last fight.
Cauron managed to enfuse this movie with a sense that while Harry is very brave, he is still a child and still needs guidance. He can still be frightened by monsters, like any other, and is not unfallable. (In fact he winds up fainting quite a lot >_>) I honestly don't think that Columbus would have been able to pull off this movie, and I'm glad directors were changed.
I must also say that, as much as I loved Richard Harris, I liked Michael Gambon much better as Albus Dumbledore. Harris' Dumbledore was way too quite and restrained for me, and didn't carry the essence of the mischevous old grandfather that I always imagined Dumbledore to have. Gambon, however, did have that. He was quite serious at the beginning of school feast, but in his next appearances he was exactly like I had imagined Dumbledore - wise and willing to help the causes that he knew was right, while at the same time both upholding and bending the rules.
Despite that I don't think either Gary Oldman (Sirius Black) or David Thewlis (Professor R.J. Lupin) looked like what they were supposed to look like, I couldn't find any flaws, off the cuff, of either of their performances. I wish both had been
a little younger, and I've always imagined Lupin as having long hair tied in a neat pony tail, but I liked them. I only wish that Lupin had been a little more mischevous when it came to his interaction with Snape and the Map. (Speaking of which, what was done with the Maraurder's Map was awesome! I wouldn't now be able to picture it any other way.)
The only thing I really didn't like in the movie was Lupin's Warewolf form. It just ... didn't look scary enough or something - and it was waaaay too skinny. I also wasn't entirely pleased by the lack of Quidditch - I WANTED OLIVER WOOD!!! Not just that, but it would have been awesome to see Harry tossed around by the Whomping Willow and all that.
Buckbeak was gorgeous - I officially want a hippogriff now.
The Twins, for all that their screen time was next to nil, were hilarious and wonderful. They're not only both very nice to look at, but they have (being brothers and twins themselves) the most perfect chemistry between them. They play off each other perfectly as Fred and George, switching off during sentences, and speaking simultaneously when they need a point to be made.
Lastly: the chemistry between Ron and Hermione is soooooooo cute!!! ::squeals:: They are going to be the most adorable couple! And the soundtrack was as good, if not better, than the first two movies. It actually had songs and stuff (I stayed through the credits to hear it >_>) and it was quite lively for all the darkness of the movie.
