I agree they should have dealt with that in Prisoner, but Harry calls Sirius “Padfoot” in Order, when Umbridge has them in custody and Snape is about to leave, he calls out “He’s got Padfoot! He’s got Padfoot in the place where it’s hidden!”
There were SO many discrepancies in the Order of the Phoenix I couldn’t even begin to list them all. Reading the book after seeing the movie and then seeing the movie again I was really disappointed. I suppose I was expecting it to be treated like LOTR where the script was very faithful. Ironically Rowling approves of the changes to her book. Not to sound like an angry nerd, but she’s been handed a wad of money for the books, the least she can do is put some effort into preserving her own work.
It’s not the little things that bother me, it’s the big, story changing things that I don’t understand. Why would the script writer have Dobby tell Harry about the Room of Requirement and not Neville. Dobby would have been expensive computer animation whereas the correct version would have properly developed the character of Neville. This is the part of the story where Neville steps up to the plate but nobody knows this because the hospital scene was left out so nobody understands his background. Character development is essential to a good story and the characters of Neville and Ginny where altered substantially.
Where on Mugglenet do they discuss the trailer? I could only find where they show it.
thank you, my potter collection is out of reach at the moment and i couldn’t quite remember when it happened, only that it was early on.
Speaking of Order’s sins of omissions, the cutting of Lily from the “Snape’s Worst Memory” scene is utterly egregious – it would’ve been even without the revelations of Book 7, and now that we know exactly what the deal is, this elimination is especially galling. I really can’t believe Rowling approved of that!
eleanorigby, my fellow Lupin fan IIRC, I couldn’t agree with you more about the non-explanation of the Marauders’ identities (and the subsequent lack of connection between James-as-Prongs and Harry’s patronus). That whole generation is so much more interesting to me than Harry’s gang, which I know is screwy and pretty much guarantees I’m always gonna be disappointed in the movies. It’s tough to be a fan of characters who a) aren’t the focus of the books, and b) are even less of a focus in the movies. I just know that the Lupin/Tonks romance will get short shrift in HBP, as will Lupin’s werewolf assignment.
For example, another pointless change in OotP was removing the banter between Tonks/Lupin so that her “Don’t call me Nymphadora!” line was said to Moody, rather than Lupin (whom they totally cut from the scene anyway). A tiny character moment that could’ve meant a lot to many fans and offered a bit of foreshadowing, altered for no reason whatsoever.
Anyway, the missing moment that bugs me most of all is the disappearance of the werewolf prank from the Shrieking Shack scene. I know, I know, it was a very long scene as it is, just dialogue and a possible flashback, and in retrospect we now know that the prank that nearly killed Snape (and possibly put Lupin’s life at risk too) and caused Snape’s Life Debt to James was far less consequential than that stupid Levicorpus spell/Mudblood name-calling in the Big Scheme of Things. Still, I’m grinding my teeth at not having that Shrieking Shack scene in its full glory. One of the best chapters of the HP books, that was. Argh.
choie: Absolutely. The whole POINT of Snape’s Worst Memory is to show his “crush” on Lily, to show her affection for him, which makes her defection to James so horrible for Snape. It explains much of Snape, and adds undertones to James and Lily–something desperately needed if the future films are going to make much sense.
I dread the whole Tonks/Lupin romance. No doubt it will be cut, but it’s one of the most poignant side stories in the books. Rowling has a lot to say about relationships ad acceptance and being different: it’d be nice if that got on the screen.
I tend to fast forward through that bit in the film, because it is so painful. I also have trouble with the dialogue in HP5–so much of it is insipid. Does Harry really need to say, “dad?” when he’s in Snape’s mind? And then to cut the next bit out…shame on the scriptwriter and shame on Rowling for allowing it.
As far as the cut SWM scene goes, I think we can lay blame on director Mike Yates rather than Steve Kloves (the screenwriter). My recollection may be totally off, but I remember before the film was released seeing some production stills of that scene with Lily in them. So I think the scene was written and shot with her, but they were cut.
In the defense of the filmmakers of “Order”…
…the book was a good 800 pages long…there are a lot of things that you are going to need to cut, and also things you need to rearrange a bit.
but overall I agree with what a lot of you are saying. The fact Umbridge sent the Dementors is a huge part of the plot line that was strangely left out, and Snape’s relationship with Lily determines his ENTIRE PERSONALITY, so overall I am quite mad they haven’t hit on this enough.
(Why yes I am a Snape fan why do you ask?)
You’re right Sir T-Cups. I’m sad to say it but having read the books I’ve stopped going to see the films for the story and now just go for the “pretty!”.
Yup. And I use the film sets as the background for my imagination when reading the books. I do this so well (bet most of us do) that sometimes I am puzzled that a certain scene is not in the film (once I do watch it again)!
It works for me, most of the time. The only sour note is AD–I just can’t warm to him. Gandalf the Grey via Ian McClellan in LOTR is a better AD (IOW, has more of a twinkle in his eye). I can’t think who would have nailed it (Peter Ustinov comes to mind), but Gambon is too uneven and mystical. There are no hidden depths–it’s all depths with him and no joy.
Happy Day! A woman after my own heart! We either need to meet, or Mr. Rigby is a lucky guy…
I do the EXACT same thing…
Gambon just didn’t do me well enough…so I often sub him with Sir Ian.
very miffed with the way gambon plays a.d. nearly a completely different character from the a.d. in the books. i’m baffled by it.
In the LOTR the books were so well written that the movies depicted what I imagined in the books. Not so with HP. And I’m disappointed that there isn’t a consistent rendition of Hogwarts I can refer to. I was really hoping for an interactive view of it that I could enter and explore for clarification. For all the money poured into HP they could make the effort to be consistent. I would really like to see a layout of the place before the next 3 movies come out.
I’d like that AND the book, Hogwarts: A History. I’d also like more deleted scenes and something akin to the EE stuff that Jackson did (I never watch the theatrical releases when I watch LOTR).
There is no reason to not do this. The market is there.
I think there is some continuity to Hogwarts despite the changes. Griffindor common room is always the same, as is the “dorm” where the boys sleep. The moving staircases are the same, as is the entrance to AD’s office. The clocktower was an addition (in film 3, I think), and Hagrid’s cabin moved. (well, the whole castle did–to sit atop a bluff).
Nitpicky pet peeve: in film 3, Hermione and Harry hide behind pumpkins–in SPRING. God help us.