His Hitler moustache was very distracting.
I, too, don’t care for how Gambon portrayed Dumbledore. I don’t know if that fault lies with the actor or director (or both). Book Dumbledore is very calm and collected with an underlying sweet sense of humor, wisdom and caring. I felt that with Richard Harris but I certainly don’t with Gambon.
All in all, I was a bit let down with this movie.
Ok, this is a terrible comment, given the complaints about the weakness of female characters…but…
Couldn’t they have gotten someone way prettier to play Fleur? I mean, being incredibly, jaw-droppingly gorgeous was pretty much her main characteristic. That and being really stuck up about how gorgeous she was.
It wasn’t like the actress did such a great job that it was obvious they had to pick her. I kept looking over the other Beauxbatons girls, some of whom were much better candidates to play a Veela descendant.
I would say the pacing was off.
But I still enjoyed it immensely (and Cedric was hot! The whole movie made me feel pretty pervy what with Cedric… and Harry in the bath…and shirtless Ron pulling up the bedsheet)
Just got back from seeing the movie. I thought the editing was sloppy and the changes did bug me a lot at first but the graveyard scene was SPOT ON what I imagined, so I was a pretty happy cupcake after that. I agree the maze was lousy. My companion asked me what was going on and I had to reply, “I have no idea. This isn’t in the book.” I can’t believe I’m typing this but I actually missed the house elf plotline. Hermione’s character in the movie made no sense. “Go to bed”?!?!
The twins have become the book twins and Neville still rocks. I’m glad he’ll have a major part to play in the future. I guess I was too distracted with the plotline changes to focus on Dumbledore.
I enjoyed the movie immensely. The Weird Sisters, the Quidditch Cup, the Hungarian Horntail…there were so many aspects that turned out much better in the movie than in my imagination.
I have to disagree with many of the posters here who wanted to see more of the maze’s complexity. I think they would have been distracting at that point; the movie was barrelling toward the climax too quickly at that point to slow down the maze sequence. The idea that one task would be almost purely psychological with a little magic thrown in (couldn’t Cedric have attacked the hedges back?) is pretty cool to me. After all, the first two are heavily physical but have psychological elements. Magic, in this world, is about both kinds.
My one big problem was the heavy-handed hinting that Moody was the “bad guy” in this year. Come on, you show one guy drinking surreptitiously from a flask three or four times, plus doing really disturbing things to a spider in class (it was a little lighter in the book, I think) and making creepy faces at Barty Crouch, and anyone is going to know that there’s something reeeeally fishy about this guy. In the book, the flask was explained by the idea that he’s kind of a paranoid maverick wizard. (Which is so much cooler.) CONSTANT VIGILANCE!
And two things disturbed me, as a non-lecherous 24-year-old: Hermione’s “Viktor’s more of a physical being” line and the bathroom scene. Myrtle and Harry in the tub was too much. I’m way too old to be forced to think about a giggly ghost getting her jollies over an unclothed 14-year-old Harry. (Or a 16-year-old Daniel Radcliffe, for that matter.) Yeesh. Too old. weeps into Harry Potter pillow
Yes, I have an HP pillow. With his face on it.
Oh, good, I think I don’t need to be ashamed that I found Cedric really hot. Right? Right??!!
Trust me, you don’t. I think Cedric was really hot, too. 
Well, from the book, Cedric was supposed to be fairly good looking… after all he got Cho.
And he’s supposed to be, what, 17? And in real life he’s 19 (through IMDB).
So go ahead ;).
He sure as hell was hot! My friends and I were giggling through out [almost] all of his scenes. I think every girl I’ve spoken to has thought he was really hot.
I’m ambivalent about the HPGOP movie. Overall, I liked its humor and action, but it can’t hold a candle to the POA movie, which was campy and insouciantly reveled in revealing the growing darkness. The POA movie hit the tone of the POA book right on–and for that I was able to forgive it for not explaining things like the Marauder’s Map–while Newell’s interpretation of GOP muddled and in some instances completely missed the tone of the GOP book. I think that the GOP movie continued the darkening tone of POA, but it tried to slow up the darkening pace by focusing on the comedy of bumbling teens. However, the movie’s focus on comedy sacrifices a necessary tension—as Harry gets older, he learns more and more about evil and its consequences.
The film really doesn’t give the sense that the stakes are high for Harry, who fumbles and stumbles around. I didn’t really feel there was a sense of competition since Krum’s and Fleur’s real menace is weakened, and Cedric’s just too nice. The beauty of the books is that they encourage the reader to be an active and use their brains to figure out what’s going on. They also show the complexity of humans and wizards and witches who are more than what they may appear to be. This movie wasn’t subtle enough, but rather beat the audience over the head with information that made it obvious who the villain is at Hogwarts. By the time we get to the death and mayhem with Voldy, Harry looks more world weary and almost bored than frightened. He looked more frightened and invested in things when he was battling the dragon than when he was facing Voldy. Of course, this could be Dan Radcliffe’s wooden performance at fault. Or, maybe Newell’s interpretation intended Harry’s world weariness at the end, but that deviates significantly from the book’s ending horror and pathos.
Oddly, I liked how the movie took liberties with some scenes like the entrance performance of the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students and Harry’s first test with the dragon. The lengthening of the dragon scene and the exaggerated antics of the schools didn’t violate the integrity of the novel, but were just right for a film. I liked its focus on comedy and playing up the confusing angst of teendom that it did, but I think that it suffered from some of the choices it made in terms of the direction of certain actors’ craft and in terms of some of the material presented. I liked how it stressed fostering good communication and goodwill among the different schools and cultures, but the final scene seemed to confuse that message a bit. Harry and Co. were a little too upbeat, and the flying carriage was too reminiscent of a Disney fantasy and therefore inappropriate given the tragic events. It certainly doesn’t set the stage for the rebellious Harry that comes out in OotP.
The funniest scene was where Harry and Ron reconcile, and Ron explains how he was trying to help Harry with the dragons, and Harry told him you’d have to be mental to figure out Ron’s convoluted message delivered by a beleaguered Hermione.
The most endearing scenes were of Neville practicing dancing and then returning late happy. We don’t get to see Neville happy enough so that was nice.
Some of the best crafted comedy scenes were when they’re supposed to be studying, and Snape keeps trying to get Harry and Ron to focus, when Fred asks Angelina to the ball, and when Harry says to Fred and George that they’re not going to let Ron live down having to dance with Prof. McGonnagall.
I liked that Radcliffe and Grint and the Fred and George characters have woken up and seem to be enjoying their roles more and investing more in their crafting of the characters. I really thought that Rupert Grint was a lost cause as Ron, but it looks as if his trademark remark to everything, “Bloody Hell,” has now become a campy saying for him. Dan Radcliffe had a lot more action in this movie, and he stepped up to the plate with that, but he still needs to work on his crying scenes and all the other scenes that aren’t action-related. Emma Watson was okay in this film, but I’ve liked her better in others. Her conflicted performance at the Yule Ball and dealing with Harry and Ron fighting are understandable because she’s a teenager, and that age can be a confusing time, but her jumping around and not focusing as much on her studies or helping Harry learn his commands, were jarring and marred her performance. The Fred and George actors have finally started to hit the right tone for the characters, and they’re set up nicely for OotP. I didn’t like Richard Harris, and I don’t like Michael Gambon as Dumbledore. Harris was too frail, and Gambon is too weird.
One thing that annoyed me, is how Wormtail and Barty Crouch, Jr. make that annoying “Nyah!” sound when they’re frustrated. I feel like both characters are overacting the villain part. If they’d just calm down a bit and play it a bit more subtly, then they’d come across as the scary villans they are.
I didn’t understand the purpose of showing them going to the World Cup if the movie didn’t show a little of the game. Quidditch, particularly played by professional teams, is something that would have been nice to see in this film.
I’ll have to think more about the ladies’ weakened roles in this film. There was so much else bothering me that I hadn’t gotten around to really noticing it.
One suspects there is a missing scene highlighting such a match…
I think the downplaying of female characters is related to the streamlining of the story. The main thread of the plot was lifted out and refitted, and most of the key players in the book were male.
I did notice Fleur was wimpified a bit (although I thought she was startlingly attractive), and for some reason the costume designers put Hermione in Pansy Parkinson’s dress for the Yule Ball. whoops. And of course the plotlines with Mrs. Crouch and Winky the house-elf were snipped.
I thought it was just me, but my friends agreed, and I’m curious about Doper reactions: Cedric’s telling Harry to take a bath to figure out the egg. Gayer than a really gay thing. Yes? Yes.
Other bits I liked:
I didn’t like the Gary-Oldman’s-face-in-the-fire effect – I pictured more of a disembodied head in the smoke rather than in the wood itself.
The KKK hoods were interesting – very frightening, but I’m curious about what the non-American reaction was. For me, it was definitely a visceral “OHMYGOD THEY’RE GOING TO KILL US ALL!”, but I assume that connection isn’t as immediate outside the US. Any comments on the international audience reaction to the hoods?
I haven’t read through any other posts here, so as not to confuse my two gray cells with others better written opinions.
I loved it.
I was a wee bit surprised and disappointed about how fast the movie opened up and blurred by the World Cup. I was looking forward to seeing Ludo Bagman and Fred & George’s wager, but all in all, leaving that in would have dragged the opening out more and flat lined it a bit. Once you lose momentum, it is hard to jump back in the saddle. ( I am wondering if maybe the whole betting scene was filmed and to be used for flashbacks in another film. There has to be a reason why Fred & George nailed that bet …I think they used the time turner thingie.)
I was also disappointed that the Dursley’s didn’t make an appearance, thought I understand why, but damn, I have to say the the actors that play Vernon and Petunia (and dudley) are spot on for their characters and it is such a delight to see them in action. (What fun it must be to play such blockheads.)
Filch stole the few scenes he was in, especially the Running Through the Great Hall scene. Very funny.
Fred & George finally got more gag-time in. They are to the Harry Potter books what the penguins are to Madagascar.
I was really pleased to see the Snape side of how irritating the Dream Team of Potter and Weasley can be and how damn fine of comic timing Alan Rickman has. God, I love that man.
McConigill’s scene of ‘You will have well-behaved frivolity’ was an absolute scream. My girlfriend and I burst out laughing at her outstanding performance of being so uptight.
Moody was wonderful and the scene with him turning Malfoy into a ferret was his best.
Barty Crouch bugged me and I don’t know why. Maybe because he reminded me physically of Hitler or soemthing. But, rereading the book , I see that the actor did nail his By The Book dressing ways.
Am I the only one that thought the Female Giantess (forgot her name) looked like a transvestite?
The entire Graveyard showdown with Voldemort was well done and terrifying. Voldy’s metamorphisis into full form is what will keep my kids from seening the movie until they are 12 or so. Gah that was frightening, as was Voldy’s face.
If I could somehow fob my 5 year old off on a friend today, I would rush out to see a matinee before school lets out.
I’m such a dork and I’m ok with my innerdorkdom.
Just saw it last night. Little irritating 7 year old girl who kept kicking the seat and resting her arms and head on the back of girlfriend’s chair (all the while saying, “Where’s mom with the popcorn? I sure wish mom would come back with some FOOOOOO-OOOOOD… Sure am hungry…”) was a bit annoying, but otherwise I enjoyed it. They definitely left out a lot though. It looks like they left out the whole thing about Mad Eye/Barty Crouch Jr. controlling his dad, which made the whole thing about Barty Crouch Sr. being dead a complete waste. Why was he dead? Why would anybody care? Why did Harry Potter’s scar hurt then?
Hermione wasn’t bothered by Krum at all! In the books she finds his constant presence annoying, but in the movie she was all starry eyed about being asked by Krum. Plus I don’t remember Krum being an idiot in the book like Mad Eye (movie verson) said he was.
Dumbledore seemed a bit more violent. He even grabbed Harry and shook him! I always pictured him as a kindly old man who can become badass in a heartbeat when called for. Here he seemed to be on the breaking point the entire way through. Still, I did like it, although a prancing, dancing Voldemort was a bit less menacing than I had pictured him.
Great, insightful comments here–and they have got me thinking.
I am now wondering if the whole film doesn’t suffer from poor editing?
I am seeing it again this afternoon, so I’ll have a firmer opinion, but think about the almost final scene with Hermione and Harry. She says something mawkish and obvious (intelligent, best of her year Hermione!) about “everything’s changed now, hasn’t it?” Harry looks at her like duh–and says, “yes it has.” or something like it. I loved his pity sarcastic remark, but that’s not my point.
I am wondering if that isn’t the tail end of some other dialogue that was cut?
Also, IMO, the ballroom scene was hacked to bits–it had to have been for Hermione’s lines to make any sense. I am still way bothered by the “off to bed” nonsense from here.
Someone up thread said the pacing was off–and I agree.
There is so much good in the movie-I enjoyed so much of it. But I still come back to “but”… More after my second viewing this afternoon.
The movie is excellent, though I would have lengthened the final duel with Voldemort. In the book, they start to rise off the ground as people start to come out of the magic. When I read the book, I felt very emotional when it says Harry is waiting to see if his mother would come out. When she does come out and talks to him, it really is the emotional high of the series. Then, as a kicker, she tells him one more wants to come out and he talks to his father.
I really feel it went all to quickly without enough emotions.
Having said that, I loved the movie and can’t wait for part 6(though I have a very doomed attitude that Phoenix will be bad).
P.S.
The bird bites.
I agree, I thought the ballroom scene seemed disjointed and suddenly all the students (particularly male ones) could suddenly dance like nobody’s business. I fully expected somekind of Dancing Charm to have been done on the dancers to get the recalcitrant boys into things.
Hermione’s " Off to Bed" was such an odd line. I’m wondering if some editing wasn’t done and fouled that one scene up leaving it a bit of a clunker.
**Fluer ** who was suppose to be this great competitor, really was awash in so many ways.
I liked Michael Gambon as Dumbledore. Sure, I can see Peter O’Toole playing him, but his metiflousness of voice would be so distracting. And I luvs me some Peter O’Toole. I think Gambon was the right choice. Virtually unknown here in the States and he has the wonderful way of darkening his voice for those serious moments.
Rafe Fiennes was very good at Voldemort, but I guess I can still picture Rowan Atkinson doing the part. He would have been brilliant as well.
First of all, I haven’t read the books, so I’m seeing the movies from the perspective of somebody who doesn’t know what’s coming.
I have a few questions.
In Harry’s vision, what was up with the snake? I don’t want to know big spoilers, but it figured pretty predominantly into the visions. Was it an animagus who will be showing up in a later story, or just a really big snake? Voldemort’s familiar?
In watching the first movies (and I did go back and read the first couple books), I’m concerned about the sheer number of witches at the Quiddich World Cup. I hadn’t envisioned there being that many. I’m also concerned with the huge, visible-from-orbit stadium and encampment. I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they’ve got some major magical mojo hiding it, but dude, that sucker was huge… I was okay with the idea of there being a block in London that you can’t get to without magic, but yikes…
Given the level of magic they’ve been using I find it hard to believe that Hermione didn’t know any talioring spells to update Ron’s garb. Granted, if she did know them, she was probably pissed off enough at him to not do it, but somebody should have been able to so something.
Where was Mrs. Weasley?
Dumbledore–was he extracting his memories and storing them in the penseive so he didn’t have them rattling around in his head, or just doing the magic equivalent of typing a few words into the Search box on Google?
AThingWithoutFeathers: “If you haven’t read the book, you get almost no sense of plot, except for the fact that Moody was trying to kill Harry because he was really a spy. But that was so obvious.” um, no. I got that he kept helping Harry because he wanted Harry to get to the GOF, because that was the whole point. Or were you talking about the final scene?
The maze–My roommate pointed out that in the book, Harry used the girl’s wand to send up the red sparks. It would have taken two seconds for him to reach down and pick up her wand and use it, then drop it.
Is it my imagination, or is Hogwart’s doubling in size with every movie? They better cut that out. See above re: huge magical constructions.
Voldemort looked too much like a Star Trek villain for me to take him really seriously.
For the movie in general, the first third seemed to be way preoccupied with twee, over-the-top magical crap that they jammed in because it’s a Harry Potter movie, innit? They’re all taking themselves way too seriously, like they’re making the Best Movies EVER!!! and can do anything they damn well want.
Oh, and another question (more of a WTF, really): The whole driving point of the first part of the last movie was that somebody had escaped from Azkaban, and this had Never Happened Before, so it was a big deal. They get to the end of this movie, find out this guy’s supposed to be in Azkaban, and they’re all, like, “Huh. How about that. Anybody want to go get coffee?”
Where were the animated posters? Where were the Dementors? Are they all so blase that, now that one person’s escaped from Azkaban, they’re all thinking, “Well, nobody can escape from Azkaban Prison. Except, you know, powerful wizards…” :dubious:
I’ve read the books but haven’t seen the movies, but I can answer some of your general questions about the plot.
We learn something big about Nagini in the sixth book that I won’t spoil, but suffice it to say that Nagini is a large snake of above average intelligence, with some interesting poison in its fangs.
Muggle-repelling charms, memory charms, and they put it way out in the middle of nowhere. I’m pretty sure that the stadium was on there for the World Cup, and would be taking down after the tournament.
Clothes are always bought in the books as well. I’d imagine that it would still take some level of talent to create good-looking clothes.
She doesn’t do much in the book, either, except show up as part of “Harry’s family” prior to the Third Task.
In the book, Dumbledore says that he finds that he often has too many thoughts in his head, so he uses the pensieve to store them. On her website, JKR also mentioned that pensieves show the memories exactly as they happened; they’re not subject to the perceptions of whoever’s memory it is.
Did he? I don’t remember that, and I can’t see why it would make a difference whose wand he used.
You mean they never explained this in the movie? It’s a huge plot point! Here’s how it happened(in the books, anyway):
After the fall of Voldemort, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Neville’s parents, are tortured into insanity by several Death Eaters, led by Bellatrix Lestrange. Lestrange is captured several days later, and Crouch Jr. was with her at the time, so he was charged as well. Crouch Sr., who was head of the Dept of Magical Law Enforcement and a rather obsessive enemy of the Dark Arts, was supremely embarrassed to discover that his son was running around with known Death Eaters. He had his son sentenced to life in Azkaban. Crouch Jr.'s mother, though, guilted him into breaking him out, because Crouch Sr. had never been a good father at all, because he spent all his time at work. So Crouch Sr. and Mrs. Crouch went to visit their son in Azkaban with Polyjuice potion. Mrs. Crouch and her son both took polyjuice and exchanged places, so no one would now he was gone. Mrs. Crouch died in Azkaban a few weeks later, and no one discovered the switch as she took polyjuice until she died. Crouch Jr. was imprisoned in the Crouch home until Voldemort and Wormtail showed up to free him.