Tuukka
08-06-2004, 11:58 AM
HP3 finally arrived to Finland and I saw it yesterday. I was quite looking forward to it, actually. The two first movies were 6/10's to me, but I hoped that the new director would finally fullfill the potential of the series.
But unfortunately, that didn't happen.
I did think that Cuaron did an excellent job. The directing was GREATLY improved from the first two. The third film is both more gritty and poetic, and has several great scenes in it. The actors are doing better in the hands of Cuaron and visually the film is a delight. SFX was very impressive this time around, almost flawless. Music also seemed improved.
But none of this helps when the problem is in the books. I just think that Rowling writes weak plots.
I have read the first book in the series, and I liked it better than any of the movies. But the appeal of the book was in the details. The world it created, the characters it introduced. It's a fun and good read. Rowling apparently writes heavily fragmented books, which feel more like collections of mini-stories instead of having a major storyline with strong momentum.
And that's what's killing the films. The momentum is missing. Structurally all Potter movies fail to work. They feel like they just travel aroung, hitting random plot points in random places.
I can see it working on page, but it doesn't work very well on screen. Films need tight structure. They need momentum. They need good pacing. All of this HP movies are missing.
HP does a more succesful job of being streamlined than the first two, but after seeing the film I felt that they should have still cut out 30-40 minutes.
Yes, I was bored.
It tells a lot that during the first 30-40 minutes I REALLY liked the film. It felt like an 8/10. But this was the introductory part. I expected the real meat of the story to set in. But it never came. The film felt like a really long 1st act, just like the previous movies.
On a another note, I've heard many HP-readers complaining that because so much was cut from HP3, it's incomprehensible. I strongly disagree, HP2 was MUCH harder to understand in detail. I actually had to create a thread in this forum after seeing HP2 to understand the film. I didn't see any plot holes in HP3 and it answered all the questions it raised in satisfactory manner.
But I felt that the 3rd act in the film was a total cop-out. Since the main characters can travel in time from now on, I don't see much sense in the future episodes. If Harry get's killed in HP4, I don't care, because I know Dumbledore can go back in time and save him. The time travelling aspect has made the main storyline pretty pointless. Hey, why not travel back in time and save Harry's parents? Better yet, why not go back in time and kill Voldemort when he is still just a baby? All problems solved.
Also, the storylines in each film repeat themselves in very much, both in terms of main storyline and smaller details. It feels like I'm watching the same story again and again.
I believe I'm very much in the minority with my opinion (The theatre gave the biggest applause I've seen since ROTK). And I don't hate HP3, I would give it 6/10 just like the first two movies. But previously I felt that Columbus was the downfall of the series. Now I have realized that it's Rowling.
HP3 is an impressively made film, but the source material simply doesn't strike a chord with me. It could strike a chord if they would adapt the books more and rape the text MUCH harder in order to make coherent narratives.
I imagine that my attitude towards HP3 is exactly how many people feel towards LOTR. I've read the LOTR books many times, so I can appreciate all the small details which feel unnecessary for non-readers. I also consider HP film a good example of why it was good that LOTR movies were adapted so heavily for screen. What works on page doesn't necessarily work on screen.
Oh, and a bit more of action wouldn't hurt either. And I REALLY hope that some day Harry becomes a more active character. He is possibly the most passive "hero" I have ever seen. In HP3 he does save Sirius with his spell, which is cool, but besides that he just seems to always be saved by others. Hermione feels like a much smarter, interesting and active character than Harry. I hope she takes over the series in the film 4... Which of course won't happen.
HP3: 6/10.
But unfortunately, that didn't happen.
I did think that Cuaron did an excellent job. The directing was GREATLY improved from the first two. The third film is both more gritty and poetic, and has several great scenes in it. The actors are doing better in the hands of Cuaron and visually the film is a delight. SFX was very impressive this time around, almost flawless. Music also seemed improved.
But none of this helps when the problem is in the books. I just think that Rowling writes weak plots.
I have read the first book in the series, and I liked it better than any of the movies. But the appeal of the book was in the details. The world it created, the characters it introduced. It's a fun and good read. Rowling apparently writes heavily fragmented books, which feel more like collections of mini-stories instead of having a major storyline with strong momentum.
And that's what's killing the films. The momentum is missing. Structurally all Potter movies fail to work. They feel like they just travel aroung, hitting random plot points in random places.
I can see it working on page, but it doesn't work very well on screen. Films need tight structure. They need momentum. They need good pacing. All of this HP movies are missing.
HP does a more succesful job of being streamlined than the first two, but after seeing the film I felt that they should have still cut out 30-40 minutes.
Yes, I was bored.
It tells a lot that during the first 30-40 minutes I REALLY liked the film. It felt like an 8/10. But this was the introductory part. I expected the real meat of the story to set in. But it never came. The film felt like a really long 1st act, just like the previous movies.
On a another note, I've heard many HP-readers complaining that because so much was cut from HP3, it's incomprehensible. I strongly disagree, HP2 was MUCH harder to understand in detail. I actually had to create a thread in this forum after seeing HP2 to understand the film. I didn't see any plot holes in HP3 and it answered all the questions it raised in satisfactory manner.
But I felt that the 3rd act in the film was a total cop-out. Since the main characters can travel in time from now on, I don't see much sense in the future episodes. If Harry get's killed in HP4, I don't care, because I know Dumbledore can go back in time and save him. The time travelling aspect has made the main storyline pretty pointless. Hey, why not travel back in time and save Harry's parents? Better yet, why not go back in time and kill Voldemort when he is still just a baby? All problems solved.
Also, the storylines in each film repeat themselves in very much, both in terms of main storyline and smaller details. It feels like I'm watching the same story again and again.
I believe I'm very much in the minority with my opinion (The theatre gave the biggest applause I've seen since ROTK). And I don't hate HP3, I would give it 6/10 just like the first two movies. But previously I felt that Columbus was the downfall of the series. Now I have realized that it's Rowling.
HP3 is an impressively made film, but the source material simply doesn't strike a chord with me. It could strike a chord if they would adapt the books more and rape the text MUCH harder in order to make coherent narratives.
I imagine that my attitude towards HP3 is exactly how many people feel towards LOTR. I've read the LOTR books many times, so I can appreciate all the small details which feel unnecessary for non-readers. I also consider HP film a good example of why it was good that LOTR movies were adapted so heavily for screen. What works on page doesn't necessarily work on screen.
Oh, and a bit more of action wouldn't hurt either. And I REALLY hope that some day Harry becomes a more active character. He is possibly the most passive "hero" I have ever seen. In HP3 he does save Sirius with his spell, which is cool, but besides that he just seems to always be saved by others. Hermione feels like a much smarter, interesting and active character than Harry. I hope she takes over the series in the film 4... Which of course won't happen.
HP3: 6/10.