saw Order of the Phoenix yesterday (no spoilers)

[radfringe]

It was really good! now I'm trying to patiently wait for the Deathly Hallows to arrive...

[Mist]

1. Yes, it was good, but a bit "jumpy" due to editing, IMO. It wouldn't kill the studio

to put an extra 10 minutes or so in! Otherwise, great visuals, which is something I appreciate about the HP movies. I like to see the books given visual expression. The Ministry of Magic was very well done, and I LOVED Imelda Staunton as Umbitch. The kitty plates were hilarious.

[LWolf]

2. I saw it today, and was, for the most part, unimpressed.

There were some good things, to be sure. The standout, for me, was Loony Luna Lovegood. She was superb.

Trelawney's eviction was pretty effective, too. Her replacement by a centaur didn't make it to the screen, though.

I understand how difficult it is to dilute 870 pages down to the screen, but I was disappointed nonetheless.

Umbridge...what can I say? While she was horrid, she did not have the DEPTH of despicable creepiness she should have. Her bigotry was not highlighted, either.

Too much of the resistance was left out. Peeves. The teachers. More of the twins' pranks that I was looking forward to. The battle to oust Hagrid, and the wounding of McGonigal.

The development of Neville as a strong force, and factor in the upcoming conclusion, was glossed over. Covered, but so briefly as to leave the impression that it wasn't as key as I think it is.

Sirius' personal struggle was almost non-existent.
Malfoy's growth as a bully and future death-eater, nurtured by his role in the "inquisitor squad," was obviously glossed over.

And Dumbledore. In OOtP, and in HBP, Dumbledore's part grows considerably. I've been unhappy with Michael Gambon's Dumbledore since he stepped in after Richard Harris' death. He doesn't have the presence, the power, the something that I'm looking for in Dumbledore. It is more obvious in this film because Dumbledore's power is revealed more in books 5 and 6.

And then, there is the big battle scene at the ministry. First of all, the "possession" of Harry was bizarre, and not consistent with the book. While there were elements of possession, the closest Harry comes is the flashes of rage, especially against Dumbledore in his office. The end of the big battle has him enduring excruciating pain, but not fighting off complete possession, as I read it.

The book reeked with Harry's adolescent, testosterone-driven angst. The movie cut out too many key pieces, yet made sure the first kiss made the final cut. No Ron/Hermoine as prefects, no Firenze, no ousting of Hagrid, no attack on McGonigal, a serious downplaying of O.W.L.S., negligible teacher resistance, not a ghost in site, no Peeves, no traitor friend of Cho, little time and information about the Order itself, very little Tonks, Malfoy, centaur controversy...but we get the kiss. We get Grawp making friends with Hermoine, we get a Linda Blair/exorcist moment that didn't happen.

What can we expect from the film version of HBP? Two hours of Ron "snogging" Lavender, and a 30 second shot of Snape killing Dumbledore?

[Mist]

7. Here's something I missed: the confrontation between Umbridge and McGonnagill when Harry

was getting career advice. I'd really hoped that would make it to the screen.

[LWolf]

8. That, too.

McGonigal does a better job of fighting back in the book; she appears weaker in the movie. Or so it seemed to me.

Again, I can't fault them for leaving some things out. 870 pages worth of story isn't going to make it into one movie.

Still, many of the things left out were what gave it depth, richness, and made the events we blasted through in the film understandable.

I'm wondering how understandable the movie is to people who DIDN'T read the book.

Umbridge is a Voldemort-type character with less genius, and perhaps her background is not as harsh; Rowling hasn't said, as far as I know. Still, she shares with him the lack of empathy, the drive for power, and the enjoyment of others' pain.

Many have noted the fascist political overtones, and a few have connected the ministry and Umbridge with NCLB. While she certainly wasn't pleasant in the movie, she didn't reach the depths on screen she does in the book.

[radfringe]

9. political overtone in the movie

it was a bit subtle, but there's a scene when Harry and Mr. Weasley first go into the Ministry of Magic - on the wall is a large black & white picture of Fudge, it's also shown later when Harry and his friends go there

reminded me of a scene from the movie version of 1984... big brother

[Mist]

10. Yes, I thought that was a well-done "Big Brother-ish" touch! nt

[katsy]

3. It was great. And I have a question about The Prophecy.

Everyone takes "neither can live while the other survives" as referring to HP and V. Two people.

Can it possibly mean neither HP or Neville can live while V survives?

I only ask because while skimming over the HBP (and patiently waiting for Hallows to be released), HP wonders about what his life would have been like if V chose Neville as his nemesis instead of Harry. And then Draco was surprised when he was told that Slughorn invited Neville to lunch on the Hogwarts Express. He wondered why Slughorn would be interested in Neville. Indeed, it's not as though Neville's parents could interest Slughorn. And Ron, Luna & Hermione were at the MOM with Harry and Neville, but they weren't invited to lunch.

Maybe there's more to Neville than I previously thought.

[radfringe]

4. I've thought about that too

but Dumbeldore told Harry that harry's scar indicated Voldemort "marked" him

yet not all "scars" are visible, the fate of Neville's parents has certainly scarred Neville... on the other hand - Neville's parents were tortured into insanity by Belletrix not Voldemort

[katsy]

5. No, not all scars are visible.

And Neville's scars are deep to say the least. At least, that's what I get from his visits with his mom.

But I'm not convinced that Voldemort marking Harry in any way negates this alternate theory. Voldemort was wrong about old magic and he may be wrong to ignore Neville.

Either way, find out soon!


:bounce:

[Marie26]

6. It was good, but very disjointed, IMO

The whole thing felt very rushed, like an abridged novel. The director quickly switched from one scene to another w/almost no transition. And I'm disappointed that they cut out so much from Snape's Worst Memory. Still, it was fun to see the novel brought to life. I especially liked how they concentrated on Harry's inner struggles w/his emotions - this movie was much more introspective & mature than previous ventures.