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Eight's Individual Potter Film Reviews
In December I will be reviewing each title individually, hoping that my many opinions on the series will change. I recently re-watched HP 7.2, and my opinions on the rushed opening reversed and the comedy is not as painful as I remembered it from my first viewing. I of course still consider it behind HP 7.1 in quality, but it's definitely up there.
As many of you may already know, I wrote an analysis on the series last year and while it went over well with some, it did not for others. I hope that many of my complaints outlined and touched upon in that blog post will change as I would really, really love to be able to watch every entry in the series in full without being bored, disappointed, etc.
I am creating this thread now so I don't have to create one when I start watching them on my first HDTV next month. I just want to pop that UK box set in right away and start watching and writing.
As many of you may already know, I wrote an analysis on the series last year and while it went over well with some, it did not for others. I hope that many of my complaints outlined and touched upon in that blog post will change as I would really, really love to be able to watch every entry in the series in full without being bored, disappointed, etc.
I am creating this thread now so I don't have to create one when I start watching them on my first HDTV next month. I just want to pop that UK box set in right away and start watching and writing.
Comments
I can tell you now that every single PS/SS complaint I mention in that blog post has been reversed except for the castle's design. It is no longer boring and sluggish to me.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
http://i670.photobucket.com/albums/vv69/KangarooBeStoned/hpblogimgcapt.jpg - All 8, original choices.
Note that I changed the captions ofr DH1 and 2 to the following, respectively: "I open..." and "...at the close."
http://i670.photobucket.com/albums/vv69/KangarooBeStoned/poaedit.png - PoA's changed to reflect this. If you like it more or less than the one in the link above, do tell.
http://i670.photobucket.com/albums/vv69/KangarooBeStoned/ootppics.jpg - Which of the two for OotP presented here look better?
http://i670.photobucket.com/albums/vv69/KangarooBeStoned/gofpics.jpg - Which of the two for GoF presented here look better?
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
A tease:
Three figures stroll through a neighborhood covered in darkness, two of which are wearing long robes and pointy hats. The older gentleman is carrying what appears to be a bundle of blankets in his arms. "There won't be a child in our world who doesn't know his name," remarks the older woman standing next to him. So begins the decade-long journey into the visual world of Harry Potter.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
Go there to get the full effect of the review. I cannot replicate it here.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
:x
"Part 2's score was terrible"
"I'd rather watch Transformers 3 than Part 2"
"I'm dreading Prisoner of Azkaban"
I mean... come on son.
As for PoA, the time travel sequence just kills it for me: it breaks the flow of the film using a plot device that I loathe (any movie with time travel). Now, this is going off my recollection of my last experience, which was in late 2010 when I wrote that analysis on the film series. This may very well change, as my opinion on SS did last year when I watched it again.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
The time travel bits in the book bother me too and is the reason why I don't look on it highly. I am thankful for Rowling destroying the Time Turners in Phoenix.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
CHAPTER ONE: THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS MAGIC
Three figures stroll through a neighborhood covered in darkness, two of which are wearing long robes and pointy hats. The older gentleman is carrying what appears to be a bundle of blankets in his arms. “There won't be a child in our world who doesn't know his name,” remarks the older woman standing next to him. “Until he’s ready,” the older man responds.
So begins the decade-long journey into the visual world of J.K. Rowling’s creation: Harry Potter.
November 16, 2011 marked the tenth anniversary of the genesis of the film series. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was assigned to the renowned family-film director, Christopher Columbus; Warner Bros. thought he would be perfect for the first venture in the series. Although many fans find his vision to be lacking in many areas, he is not as bad as they make him out to be.
Last December I wrote a blog entry entitled “Harry Potter: A Film Analysis” where I was very harsh against Columbus' work in the series compared to the directors who took the reigns as it progressed. Now that the Harry Potter film series has ended, I have decided to revisit them all. Having revisited Stone recently to write this review, my complaints have almost completely reversed.
Christopher Columbus did an exceptional job introducing audiences to the world J.K. Rowling crafted: from the moment Harry learns he’s a wizard to when he realizes that his home is at Hogwarts. When he steps into Diagon Alley, he is amazed by what he sees around him, a world that was foreign to him for a decade. This is the type of magic that Columbus brought to the table that many say is simply not there.
Columbus, with the help of screenwriter Steve Kloves, shows how even those who aren’t unaware of their unique abilities have a difficult time adjusting to their new environment. Comedy is used to great effect to show this: Harry and Ron lose their way in the gigantic castle on their very first day of school; Ron being struck in the head with his broomstick while learning how to properly summon it; Harry, Ron, and Hermione becoming lost in the mass inner workings of the castle, where Hermione demonstrates that her top priorities are her studies, even supplanting death. There are others, naturally.
The film even touches upon serious themes, including fitting in and adjusting to a new place. The character development for the trio is extremely well done when it comes to this. The know-it-all student being mocked is all too familiar with audiences. The fact that Hermione is disliked by Ron initially and they reconcile their differences makes the theme all the sweeter. In regards to Harry adjusting to his foreign place, he has more development in the extended version of the film, where one ghastly omission shows his apparent loneliness: after seeing his parents in the Mirror of Erised, harry opts to sit alone the next morning while other students are enjoying a meal. Harry did not take Dumbledore’s wise words to heart, that “It does not do to dwell on dreams […] and forget to live.”
The detective work between the trio as they try and determine what is going on with key players in the story is very fun to watch. The chemistry between the three is perfect and they act off one another in a very fitting manner. They all play off the red herrings and when they finally figure out what’s going on, one of the key players is absent to help. They must do it themselves and it is a joy to witness them figuring out the answers to the riddles.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone isn’t excellent in every respect, however. The following was stated by me a year ago in reference to the film's overall look: This is still the case and even more evident when you make the upgrade to high definition via Blu-ray. The uneven blacks, the poor definition, and just the overall blandness of the castle’s aesthetics are completely unsatisfying and at times extremely ugly.
Example screenshot
The CGI looks considerably outdated, especially with the troll and the Quidditch players; at times the players look like they came straight out of a Playstation 2 game. They do not hold up at all and that is completely unfortunate.
This is not to say that Stone doesn’t have its moments of visual satisfaction. It may look displeasing a lot of the time to those who want a castle that looks haunting, but there are some genuine moments of visual excitement. One example would be the moment the new Hogwarts students and the audience see the Great Hall for the first time. The best example of Columbus’s visual eye comes when we witness Harry let Hedwig fly in the snowy weather. The camera work flutters just like the owl and it follows it out onto the Hogwarts grounds. It's simply beautiful.
Uncle Vernon is completely incorrect in his assertion that “There’s no such thing as magic.” The series opener is magic, even with its flaws, and it leaves the audience wanting more of Harry's dealings in this exquisite world.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
Anyway I get that we have wildly different opinions and philosophies about virtually everything, and I can learn to be cool with that. Also, sorry for hijacking your thread-- I know you mean very well and wish to contribute to this great forum and I by no means want to impede that, so please do carry on.
Transformers 3 has a plot, but that can be discussed elsewhere.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
There's just one tiny thing, not really a big deal Him sitting alone comes before his scene alone with Dumbledore if I'm not mistaken, so after that, he does forget about it.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
I was not bored once throughout and I enjoyed the experience; having a decent setup with a subwoofer helped immensely. I like many of the shots in the film, particularly the opening and the long take into the greenhouse. The humor still makes me laugh, especially Arthur's "how'd it go?" response after learning his children used the enchanted Anglia. I also really like the horror aspects in regards to the chamber. This is easier to enjoy when you have a sound setup that allows you to hear the words the snake utters. The creepy text on the wall, reflected in the water, is straight out of a horror flick. The music that accompanies those scenes is adequate at establishing that creepy effect.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
So Crucify the ego, before it's far too late, to leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical. And you will come to find that we are all one mind, capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.