The Late Late OotP Review
Sep. 3rd, 2007 11:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snorkackcatcherFinally got to see the OotP film tonight. (I meant to go a couple of weeks ago, but it was The Day The Rains Came Down, and when I arrived at the ticket office they told me that screen was flooded. Yes, I do procrastinate a lot.)
Summary review: Surprisingly good.
I didn't approach the film with with great optimism -- long book into short film rarely goes -- but the adaptation turned out to be rather effective. It helped that the scriptwriter decided to go for an impression of the book rather than following it too closely, mixing and matching lines and shuffling scenes around; that sort of approach can fall flat on its face very easily if done with a tin ear, but here I thought it worked. The 'feel' of the story it told perhaps wasn't quite the same as the one the book told, but it got fairly close.
One thing I particularly liked was the pacing of the scenes. My biggest peeve in the last two films was that everything seemed rushed, the cinematographic equivalent of an actor gabbling their lines. Here Yates seemed to let things proceed at a natural pace, and it worked much better. The scenes were mostly cut down to vignettes, of course, but that's a perfectly valid approach to filming a long book (hey, it worked for Gone With The Wind).
Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson all did pretty well this time, on the whole. Dan Radcliffe still isn't totally convincing, and Emma Watson still isn't at all my idea of Hermione, but they've settled into the roles as they're written now. Hermione still gets given other people's lines too often, and Ron still gets downplayed as comic relief, but the scripts are improving. There were a few eyebrow-raising characterisation moments, of course -- Fay Wray!Hermione ticking off Grawp, for example -- but generally it was OK. Lynch as Luna did well, and I wasn't as thrown by her Irish accent as I thought I might be; Neville was built up well ready for his larger role in coming stories. Ginny was strangely anonymous here -- I can't think of an actual line she had, apart from spellcasting.
Staunton played Umbridge rather nicely -- perhaps not quite the degree of loathsome relish in her actions that I envisage from the books, but not far off, and the little giggles were a nice touch. Bonham Carter's portrayal of Bella was ... well, 'over the top' seems an understatement, she was practically frothing at the mouth. Sirius was corny again, Remus hardly got a look-in. And the big disappointment was again Gambon and Fiennes as Dumbledore and Voldemort -- yes, they're great classic actors, but don't convince here. The former didn't really convey Dumbledore's calmness, authority, or humour; the latter didn't even get close to Voldemort's chilling callousness.
Random good things: Natalia Tena, who sadly did not get the screentime her hotness merits. :) Umbridge turning Fudge's picture face down before preparing to use the Cruciatus curse. The wall of Decrees that Filch put up, and the way they all came crashing down as a result of Fred and George's fireworks. The really neat elision of various book scenes in such a way as to keep the spirit of things -- such as combining the fireworks and flight-to-freedom events, going straight from Harry's snake vision to the Occlumency training, and having Cho be Veritaserumed into betraying the DA. Thestrals actually being included. The Black family tree actually being a tree with portraits. You might add the way all years seemed to be lumped together in classes again, and the suggestion that Luna was in Harry's year -- it's a bit iffy, but I'll consider it artistic licence.
Random oddities: I may have missed it, but I don't think Umbridge actually confessed to sending the Dementors, did she? (One of a number of cases where I'm not sure how much sense the plot would make to someone who hadn't read the book.) Harry's letter from Mafalda Hopkirk which was stamped 'Confidential' on the outside -- but then read itself out loud in front of the Dursleys. The broom flight to 12GP along the Thames past the Houses of Parliament, dodging pleasure boats -- erm, Statute of Secrecy anyone? The backported appearance of Levicorpus as a spell. The blink-and-you-miss-it flashback to MWPP attacking Snape -- hardly worth putting in, as there was no time to show the consequences for Harry's state of mind, and Lily's part in the scene wasn't there. And the strangely perfunctory treatment of Harry/Cho (I can see why it had to be brief, but again if you hadn't read the books it probably came a bit out of left field).
Random annoyances and disappoinments: #1 of course being: WHO THE FRAKKING HELL IS 'NIGEL'? What purpose does he serve that couldn't have been filled by Colin or Dennis Creevey? The strange 'dust trail' version of Apparition used by the DEs, which makes them look like Dementors -- this wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't seen the twins Apparating perfectly normally. Harry not going into CAPSLOCK OF RAGE MODE -- he barely raises his voice all through the film. The duelling in the Ministry -- heavy on flashing lights and other special effects but not all that convincing. Kingsley's costume, which appeared to have been modelled on Nigerian dress or something -- and clearly not Auror clothing, as Dawlish is kitted out in something that might have been borrowed from a country house murder story. And the highly perfunctory treatment of the final 'I am going to tell you everything' scene with Dumbledore and Harry -- a key scene for the whole series in the books, but here more or less unimportant.
Oh, and the first abbreviated note for this review I made on the back of my hand on the bus home was 'BWBB'. Unfortunately, I have no idea what I meant by that. If anyone can suggest a plausible meaning, I'd be grateful. :)
ETA: And I've remembered -- it was the oddity of a few bars of the Ordinary Boys' Boys Will Be Boys apparently playing on the Wizarding Wireless Network in an early scene. Well, well.
Summary review: Surprisingly good.
I didn't approach the film with with great optimism -- long book into short film rarely goes -- but the adaptation turned out to be rather effective. It helped that the scriptwriter decided to go for an impression of the book rather than following it too closely, mixing and matching lines and shuffling scenes around; that sort of approach can fall flat on its face very easily if done with a tin ear, but here I thought it worked. The 'feel' of the story it told perhaps wasn't quite the same as the one the book told, but it got fairly close.
One thing I particularly liked was the pacing of the scenes. My biggest peeve in the last two films was that everything seemed rushed, the cinematographic equivalent of an actor gabbling their lines. Here Yates seemed to let things proceed at a natural pace, and it worked much better. The scenes were mostly cut down to vignettes, of course, but that's a perfectly valid approach to filming a long book (hey, it worked for Gone With The Wind).
Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson all did pretty well this time, on the whole. Dan Radcliffe still isn't totally convincing, and Emma Watson still isn't at all my idea of Hermione, but they've settled into the roles as they're written now. Hermione still gets given other people's lines too often, and Ron still gets downplayed as comic relief, but the scripts are improving. There were a few eyebrow-raising characterisation moments, of course -- Fay Wray!Hermione ticking off Grawp, for example -- but generally it was OK. Lynch as Luna did well, and I wasn't as thrown by her Irish accent as I thought I might be; Neville was built up well ready for his larger role in coming stories. Ginny was strangely anonymous here -- I can't think of an actual line she had, apart from spellcasting.
Staunton played Umbridge rather nicely -- perhaps not quite the degree of loathsome relish in her actions that I envisage from the books, but not far off, and the little giggles were a nice touch. Bonham Carter's portrayal of Bella was ... well, 'over the top' seems an understatement, she was practically frothing at the mouth. Sirius was corny again, Remus hardly got a look-in. And the big disappointment was again Gambon and Fiennes as Dumbledore and Voldemort -- yes, they're great classic actors, but don't convince here. The former didn't really convey Dumbledore's calmness, authority, or humour; the latter didn't even get close to Voldemort's chilling callousness.
Random good things: Natalia Tena, who sadly did not get the screentime her hotness merits. :) Umbridge turning Fudge's picture face down before preparing to use the Cruciatus curse. The wall of Decrees that Filch put up, and the way they all came crashing down as a result of Fred and George's fireworks. The really neat elision of various book scenes in such a way as to keep the spirit of things -- such as combining the fireworks and flight-to-freedom events, going straight from Harry's snake vision to the Occlumency training, and having Cho be Veritaserumed into betraying the DA. Thestrals actually being included. The Black family tree actually being a tree with portraits. You might add the way all years seemed to be lumped together in classes again, and the suggestion that Luna was in Harry's year -- it's a bit iffy, but I'll consider it artistic licence.
Random oddities: I may have missed it, but I don't think Umbridge actually confessed to sending the Dementors, did she? (One of a number of cases where I'm not sure how much sense the plot would make to someone who hadn't read the book.) Harry's letter from Mafalda Hopkirk which was stamped 'Confidential' on the outside -- but then read itself out loud in front of the Dursleys. The broom flight to 12GP along the Thames past the Houses of Parliament, dodging pleasure boats -- erm, Statute of Secrecy anyone? The backported appearance of Levicorpus as a spell. The blink-and-you-miss-it flashback to MWPP attacking Snape -- hardly worth putting in, as there was no time to show the consequences for Harry's state of mind, and Lily's part in the scene wasn't there. And the strangely perfunctory treatment of Harry/Cho (I can see why it had to be brief, but again if you hadn't read the books it probably came a bit out of left field).
Random annoyances and disappoinments: #1 of course being: WHO THE FRAKKING HELL IS 'NIGEL'? What purpose does he serve that couldn't have been filled by Colin or Dennis Creevey? The strange 'dust trail' version of Apparition used by the DEs, which makes them look like Dementors -- this wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't seen the twins Apparating perfectly normally. Harry not going into CAPSLOCK OF RAGE MODE -- he barely raises his voice all through the film. The duelling in the Ministry -- heavy on flashing lights and other special effects but not all that convincing. Kingsley's costume, which appeared to have been modelled on Nigerian dress or something -- and clearly not Auror clothing, as Dawlish is kitted out in something that might have been borrowed from a country house murder story. And the highly perfunctory treatment of the final 'I am going to tell you everything' scene with Dumbledore and Harry -- a key scene for the whole series in the books, but here more or less unimportant.
Oh, and the first abbreviated note for this review I made on the back of my hand on the bus home was 'BWBB'. Unfortunately, I have no idea what I meant by that. If anyone can suggest a plausible meaning, I'd be grateful. :)
ETA: And I've remembered -- it was the oddity of a few bars of the Ordinary Boys' Boys Will Be Boys apparently playing on the Wizarding Wireless Network in an early scene. Well, well.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-09-04 02:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-04 06:31 am (UTC)The Snape's worst memory bit was far too brief. A shame!
no subject
Date: 2007-09-05 12:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-05 12:06 am (UTC)