Also remember that the screenwriters can’t get to work until the book is finished, you can’t start casting (for the new characters) until the book is finished, you don’t know what sets you will need until the book is finished, etc. Prep work for film 6 could have been started two years ago.
Maybe I can’t count, but if there are two more books to go, and it’s about 2 years between each book, how does that make 2010?
And I understand they couldn’t have done all 7 at once, but they could probably knock out 2 at once for the last couple of movies. Especially for this one and the next one. I don’t see any reason not to have filmed them both at the same time. With post production work the next one might not have come out until next year, but that’s better than waiting an additional 2 years. Aside from the age of the actors, I presume that it’s also more difficult to make sure all the other actors come back to play thier roles.
Simple mental arithmetic. Release date for the movie from book 5: 11 July 2007.
Planned release date for the movie from Book 6 (see imdb.com): November 2008.
Ah…thanks Arnold. I was going by the release dates of the movies from each other
[ul]
1.Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
2.Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
3.Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
4.Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
5.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2008)
[/ul]
I only looked at the last one (GoF) so just assumed that they were all spaced two years apart. Looks like they haven’t been real consistent in the timing, so that’s probably why I think there’s been longer between them than there actually has. 5 books in 6 years isn’t bad actually.
Yes, lately they have been alternating between end-of-year releases and summer releases.
Release dates are:
Movie 1 November 2001
Movie 2 November 2002
Movie 3 June 2004
Movie 4 November 2005
Movie 5 July 2007
Movie 6 November 2008 (announced)
so I guess:
Movie 7 June or JUly 2010
Sorry for the bump, but I just saw it last night and I have these vital insights to share with you:
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I want a roomful of kitty plates! Which is odd, because when I got home from the movie, the real-life constant meowing of two hungry cats got on my nerves real fast.
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Tonks was all wrong. She was conventionally hot, but needed to be a lot quirkier, and making faces at the dinner table just doesn’t cut it.
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Luna wasn’t quirky enough either, IMO, but I did like her odd voice. In the end, I think she did a fine job.
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Bellatrix Lestrange! I’m ashamed to like her so much when I know she’s one of the bad guys. I loved how she could go from looking crazed and almost animal-like one moment to beautiful and frightening the next.
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Not nearly enough Snape. What the hell do they think I’m going to see these movies for?
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Overall, there were a lot of things about this movie that got on my nerves. I felt like there were too many extreme close ups, Emma Watson sucked, and I could barely look at the screen during the fight in the Ministry. It was like: FLASH of bright white magic!, DARK Ministry, FLASH! etc. I also felt that if I hadn’t just finished book 7, I wouldn’t have known what the hell was going on.
Anyway, I think lots of things could have been better, but as a whole the movie was…sufficient. I’m really looking forward to the next two! As I had just finished book 7, the Fred and George part near about made me cry. I love those boys.
I’ll admit, I didn’t read a lot of this thread, but early on there are A LOT of people saying that this was one of the best films, this discourages me.
I didn’t read a lot of the books, finally I gave up and read books 5 + 6 because I enjoyed the movies so much. I went to see OotP last week in theaters and was very disappointed (having read the book beforehand).
I have not read book 7, and I have general gist of what happens, but have avoided spoilers. I am now considering not bothering to read the book. I know it seems Philistine-ey of me but these days I’d rather see a really good movie than read a very good book. There are plenty of really good books I could devote my time and money for, and a dwindling amount of movies I enjoy.
Thoughts?
Haven’t read yet (doing movies first) so I have no idea what will happen with Cho, but I actually thought at the time, “Well, there goes Cho, they know better than that!”
Enjoyed the movie.
Gangrape by a herd of centaurs not good enough for you? It’s what centaurs traditionally do to human women when they’re…horsing around.
I like the movie, it hit all the high points of the book and seemed a lot shorter than it actually was, which is usually a good sign.
I just saw the movie last night. I thought they did as good a job as possible compressing an 865-page book into a movie, but having read the book, I can’t help but feel a little sad at all the elements that movie-only watchers (including, regretfully, my own children - they refuse to read any book longer than 100 pages, give or take) miss.
The battle in the ministry was spectacular, but felt rushed, I so wanted more. It scares me to imagine how badly the climactic battles of books 6 and, especially, 7 will translate to screen. In addition, the actor playing Dumbledore doesn’t project “power” at all. From the books, I pictured his entrance into the fray as…imposing, awesome. In the movie, he just seemed old. And the big shattering glass scene (in the lobby, not the prophecy room) was just unnecessary cinematic hyperbole.
The actresses playing Umbridge, Luna and Bellatrix were amazing. I especially liked Bellatrix’s cackle, so much like a classic “wicked witch”!
The movie’s attempt to reproduce the spirit of the McGonagall-Umbridge huffing match that was presented in the book’s “Career Advice” chapter fell flat IMHO, but I did appreciate that the director (or is that the screenwriter’s job?) recognized that as a great scene from the book that was worth somehow keeping while cutting out the non-cinegenic aspects of Hogwarts academic routine.
Book 7 plot point spoiler-boxed ahead:
This is the second movie in which a role filled by Dobby in the book was transferred to Neville. I’m guessing that Dobby’s rescue of Harry et al and death in book 7 will just be completely eliminated, because Neville is too important to the final battle to take his place there.
I’d rank this movie second-to-worst, ahead only of Goblet of Fire.
Well duh, it’s Helena Bonham Carter. She doesn’t get enough work if you ask me. My wife thought it was a little odd for her to be in the same movie as Emma Thompson, seeing as how Kenneth Branagh dumped Emma for Helena. (Come to think of it, he was in the second movie, although the exes hadn’t appeared yet.)
Thinking a little bit more about the movie, and about comments from dopers that have read the book, I have to say that I thought the initial battle in the Ministry prophecy room was just done poorly. I guess I have a problem with these kids being able to stand up at all to the adults that are so much more advanced in Magic. Obviously the “turn into mist” thing must be a fairly common spell, as the OoTP guys were doing the same thing at the end. To me the kids should have had their asses handed to them…which from what I understand is closer to what happened in the book. I can sort of see in fights like in GoF where it was just streangth vs streangth in the last battle between Harry and V. But in the Ministry fight, there was more skill than brute streangth involved. Eh…another reason not to think about these movies too much.
I know one thing…Alan Rickman can penetrate me any time he wants. 
I’m sorry, what an awful thing to say. But Alan, I’m not kidding!
If I recall correctly, the kids managed to take on the adults because the adults weren’t expecting them to be capable of much magic. Once they realized that the kids were capable they stepped things up a bit and that’s about when the Order showed up and took over the fight.
No, it wasn’t enough for me, because at the end we see the news article of her, alive and well, being removed from the school.
She should have been killed. It just seems like what the centaurs would have done. I mean…what? Attack her and make a ruckus and then…gently return her to the school? WTF.
And on the subject of centaurs (and other mythical beings), are they completely invisible to muggles? Or are they just confined to this small little corner of the world?
And if the latter, why? The centaurs seem pretty tempermental and independent. Some wizards say “hey you guys, you’re confined to this 15 square mile area!” “Oh, ok then!”?
The turning-into-mist thing that the Death Eaters were doing… that was not in the book, am I correct? In fact, as a general rule, wizards can’t fly.
With one notable exception.
Apparently, it’s somewhat voluntary.
I think that was just a cinematic device for Apparition, the wizard form of driving where you disappear yourself through the ether or something and end up in another place. In once piece, if you’re lucky.
Just out of random curiosity, anyone have any idea what the kids are getting paid for the roles?
Not enough to go all Lohan, I hope!