The important non-spoiler:
There’s nothing at the end of the credits- no point staying through them (and they last about as long as the movie)
Now that that’s taken care of, I’ll scroll down a ways because from here on out there be unboxed spoilers.
Okey doke, I’ll now resume with, again,
unboxed spoilers.
So what’d you think?
I think that so long as you’ve read the book this is the best of the lot so far. I found myself wishing that they’d done what was once suggested and split the book into two films, but then that would have a delay of several months between the films for the middle of the book and the end. (Out of curiosity, I know several films have been filmed simultaneously with their sequel, but have any ever been released simultaneously with a sequel?)
I’d disagreed with the casting of Imelda Staunton because she’s too pretty and too nice seeming to play the [repeatedly referred to as] frog-like Umbridge, but I withdraw any objections with apologies. She completely steals the film- if anything she’s MORE diabolical in her sweetness than the book’s character. I also liked the actress playing Luna Lovegood- when I read the book I imagined a child version of Jane Horrocks’ Bubbles from AB-FAB and she’s not that, but she quite works.
Things I hated that they omitted:
-Dobby
-the Neville prophecy (though they did mention his parents)
-Kreacher’s “exact words” betrayal
-the screamer to Petunia
-Umbridge admitting she sent the Dementors
-the showdowns between Harry & Draco/everybody & Draco at the end (that’s why I stayed after the credits in hope they’d be there)
-Malfoy Sr.'s arrest (or even the mention of it)
-Snape’s pensieve (though the alternative was okay for what it was)
-how the penniless Weasley twins were financed by Harry (you just suppose they’re on an earstring budget if you haven’t read, if you think of such things at all)
Without having read the book you wouldn’t know about any of the above or about Hagrid’s mother or many other things, but then this is probably the movie where more people than ever before have read the full text before attending. For all the rest of it I thought they did a stellar job.
That said, I’m assuming that Rowling proofs the scripts to make sure that they’re not leaving out anything vital to book VII. That being the case, apparently the Neville alternative to the prophecy isn’t that important.
Since Sirius’s family tree (and the blackened members) was in the movie, and since it was so fleshed out, I’m wondering if that will be a major factor. It’s really not necessary to know that Bellatrix is his cousin (and it wasn’t mentioned that she’s Lucius’s sister-in-law) and there’s a Potter in the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, so perhaps somehow the lineages come into play. (I wonder if the Riddles were connected to the pureblood Blacks?)
Anyway, lots of other things to mention and opine upon but I’ve a feeling this thread will be here for a few days. So what’d you think?
[hijack]I believe Ringu was released in Japan together with its sequel, Rasen. [/hijack]
Best of the films so far in my opinion. I got the very last two tickets at the last late night showing and I’m quite glad I did. Excellent performances all 'round, especially Umbridge. I was a little miffed too at the omission of the howler and there was no mention at all of the locket. Kreacher doesn’t have quite as much a presence and we don’t get a very close look at No.12 Grimmauld Pl., but it was otherwise pretty damn good. The omissions were numerous but tolerable, I thought.
I’ll contribute better after I’ve had a long nap. 
Did this thing open already? I’d expected more buzz on the boards here.
It came out at midnight this morning.
I saw it. I thought the story was told a bit choppily. I thought heavy editing made many bits of dialogue seem full of non-sequiters. I thought the special effects were great and used appropriately. (The first broom ride, however, was done very poorly.) I thought it was good to see a different side of Harry. I thought the trio are shaping up to be pretty good actors. I actually think Ron is the best of the bunch. I find Hermione to be pretty far behind the other two. I thought the girl playing Luna was trying too hard to be Luna. I thought the cinematic imagery (you know… color palate, camera angels and movements, etc.,) was striking and well done, esp. in the opening and climactic scenes. In fact, upon viewing the first few cuts, I thought “am I in the right movie?” I thought Gary Oldman was wasted. I thought “I predict this will recieve 75% good ratings on rotten tomatoes” and I was almost exactly right. I thought the movie was basically good, but serves mostly as an important expository bridge between other more important and exciting movies.
I thought “I’m really, really tired now having come home from a midnight show and I’m going to bed.” And I am.
-FRL-
Random thoughts. . .
I saw the Imax 3D version, and I really wasn’t impressed with the 3D effects. They took away from the scenes in the Department of Mysteries, because there was so much going on that it made the action hard to follow. I think I’ll see it again in a regular theatre.
That said, I think the screenwriter cleaned up a lot of the endless/pointless action from the book in the Dept. of Mysteries and it made a lot more sense on film.
I also loved the overall look and feel of the film.
Actually, I thought the girl playing Luna was absolutely perfect, possibly even toned down a bit from the book.
I thought Umbridge was very well played but all of the other professors and adults in the film basically were reduced to cameos.
I was sorry that they left out so much of Grimmauld Place and thought that the scene where they enter (and the buildings stretch) was really unnecessary and too long.
I really didn’t miss the Quidditch scenes - in previous movies they tended to be a boring show of poor special effects.
What happened to Colin Creevy? Where did this Nigel kid come from?
I think that making Cho the one who betrayed the DA was a good use of film time. It eliminated having to involve another character and made the reason for her and Harry’s breakup simpler and quicker to show.
More thoughts later, as I’m sure this thread will be around for a while.
Colin’s little brother; named Dennis in the books.
He has been growing, while Emma Watson, as his friend Hermione, can now give Jessica Alba a run for her money – that is, in the can’t-say-two-sentences-without-sounding-false department.
From this review: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/10/DDG3IQSIV91.DTL&type=movies
I liked it. I thought they did a much better job of getting a rather large book into movie form than with Goblet of Fire. Some of the changes actually flowed better than the book. I did feel that an extra 15-20 minutes could have really fleshed things out a bit. It would have been nice to see Kreacher’s betrayal, along with many of the things mentioned by Sampiro.
The actress playing Umbridge was very good. I also liked Luna. Tonks need more screen time (she was hot!). I also thought Radcliffe did pretty well. More of Oldman and Rickman would have been enjoyable.
Overall after one viewing it’s either my 2nd or 3rd favorite of the movies.
I was actually pretty disappointed. I understand that some changes need to be made between page and screen, but I thought it was very choppy and rather sloppily put together. Staunton was brilliant as Umbridge, and there were a lot of good things about it, but I left the theater last night feeling pretty pissed. I have a little more perspective after a little sleep, but I really think it would have been better to split the book into two movies. The Weasley twins’ exit from Hogwarts wasn’t anywhere near what it should have been, and I wasn’t even missing Hagrid before he was back. I also felt that a lot of Harry’s angst and fear over having Voldemort in his head was severely underplayed–barely even mentioned, for all the weight it’s given in the book.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still watch it a million and one times when it comes out on DVD, but it’s definitely my least favorite of the movies so far. Not even enough Ron, for crying out loud. 
I’m torn.
The Kid, who hadn’t read the book in a year or so loved it. I finished rereading the book 5 minutes before we left and was kind of meh about it.
We saw it in IMAX 3D and I DID quite enjoy the 3D parts. The prophecies falling, the MoM windows shattering, the kestrals… all cool.
It was very choppy. Some of the modifications, such as the quick comment from Hagrid as to how the Centaurs are not happy, then BAM they take Umbridge? With Grawp standing there too? And they ignore Ron, Hermie, and Harry? Left me bleh. Yet, let’s spend more than a few minutes showing everyone’s Patronus’s (Patronii?). I also really wanted to hear Sirius’s mom.
I did like how they worked Harry going into Snapes memory versus sneaking from the Pensieve.
I’m going again Sunday with my sis who hasn’t read the book since it first came out. Maybe my opinion will change (will have reread Book 6 by then)
You mean the Gaunts, and they would be connected somehow. Sirius tells Harry that all the old pure blood families are related, mentioning that he has familial connections to the Weasleys as well.
I thought they lingered on many of Sirius’ scenes to heighten the emotional impact of his death. Even in OotP, Sirius doesn’t get that much screen time, and his death was only so affecting because we knew how much of a loss for Harry it was. It wasn’t as if we had that much time to get to know Sirius as a character. I liked that the movie took a bit more time to show how strong Harry and Sirius’ bond was while he was still alive.
I would have liked to have seen more of the Department of Mysteries - all the weird crazy fucked up stuff that didn’t make any sense, like the vat of brains - but I can understand why they cut it. It would have seemed a pointless distraction just when the film’s climax was approaching.
Were we in the same theatre? I saw the Imax 3D version, too. I’ll also watch the movie again in a non-3D theatre. I agree that the effects were overloaded, making it difficult to follow the action. Which was a shame, given that this is the first actual Team Voldemort vs. Team Dumbledore wand duel I’ve seen on screen.
At first, I criticized the movie for not showing a final confrontation between Harry and Cho (after Harry discovered that Cho was under Veritaserum). Then I realized, no matter what happened by the end of the movie, Harry still hasn’t changed much. He’s still Harry-Angst-is-my-Middle-Name-and-no-one-understands-me-Potter. (He barely reacted when Dumbledore told him, “I care for you too much”.) It would be in character for him to continue avoiding Cho.*
*I must have read too much fanfiction. Did anyone else think that an ostracized Cho (not just Harry, but everyone else ignored her) would put her in the perfect state of mind to defect and join Voldemort?
Not really. Remember how resistant everyone was to the idea that Draco had become a Death Eater in HBP? And Draco was the most overtly Junior Death Eater at Hogwarts. Apparently high schoolers like Harry and his clique getting involved in major wizarding wars is the exception, not the rule.
Were the fireworks that spelled “poo” left out? I laugh every time I read that passage.
There were fireworks but not those. I’m trying to remember: is the dragon that “eats” Umbridge in the book?
And thanks for asking about Nigel- I thought I just couldn’t remember him.
Did you notice they got kind of lazy all around with the pictures this time? When a portrait is the focus of the scene or directly addressed (like the one of Black’s ancestor in Dumbledore’s office) it moves, but notice that in most scenes when they’re just in the background the pics aren’t alive. Even the newspaper that’s been seen moving a second before doesn’t move when it’s lying on the table.
Of course the exception are the kitties on the plates in Umbridge’s office- I loved that touch (especially the juxtaposition of cute little mewling kittens while a kid scratches a message into his hand).
I wish there’d been more of McGonagall v. Umbridge, because one of my favorite parts of the book was of Minerva essentially telling her off over Harry wanting to be an auror. Minerva had the biggest stones in that novel where Dolores was concerned (and please refresh my memory: wasn’t she at the fight in the Ministry? I could be wrong).
The omission that I’m most surprised by though remains Malfoy’s arrest. In addition to being a great comeuppance (remember how the crowds cheered when Dobby zapped him in CoS? And this is almost better- the most arrogant bastard in the series being taken into custody- it’s like watching that video of Hermann Göring’s arrest) it’s very important for the next book (which must have Felton salivating because Draco’s finally a major player in 1/2 Blood Prince).
Still, all and all I’d give it an A, as it’s obviously meant to be ancillary to the novel more than stand alone, and I’m sure the DVD will have loads of extras.
I wish they hadn’t shown scores of kids having to use those quills. I always thought it was Umbridge’s special punishment for Harry, like, this is what you get if you fuck with the ministry.
And totally unrelated to Potter mythos, I have to admit that whenever Dumbledore was onscreen I was icked out by the notion that “some [much younger] woman just had a baby with him!” (Gambon and his girlfriend, Philippa, have a newborn; he’s 66 and she’s…not. Of course he probably doesn’t wear the beard and robes at home so it may not be as gross.)
In the book, Lee Jordan is forced to use the quill, too.