So I just got back from watching Prisoner of Azkaban tonight, I wont go into details as I dont think its on general release yet and I dont want to spoil it for anyone.
Its very different, I know the trailers make it look different, darker, and it should, its a darker book… but everything seems rushed, for instance, I think we see Hermione, Harry & Ron in class two, maybe three times in the whole film.
Not sure I liked David Thewlis as Professor Lupin either, I think I pictured someone more ‘manly’ not really the word Im going for, someone with more screen presence I mean. Gary Oldman was good, he kind of reminded me of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. Micheal Gambon did a very good job of taking over from Richard Harris as Dumbledore.
You’ll notice too, that the class sizes seem to have multiplied!
Special effects are excellant, Cuaron did a good job overall.
The Patronus Charm really bugged me though, Im sure you’ll all know what I mean if you have seen the movie. Also, what was with the kids looking like they had stepped out of The Gap or some place similar?
Sorry if Ive spoiled anything in the movie for anyone whos not seen it, I dont think I have mentioned anything that wasnt generally known, therefore Ive not used a spoiler box.
1 - They probably did.
2 - The kids are a little older now and the director wanted them to appear more rebellious and teenager-like (by my calculations, they should be entering the first year of their masters program)…by the fourth movie, Potter should have a full beard, Ronald will have a goatee, Jesus hair and Birkenstocks, Draco will be off on some internship at some prestigeous Wall Street firm that specializes in magical law while Hermione will be wearing all black and “experimenting” a lot.
I think the thing with the clothes just bothered me because its been said that they will have a different director for each new film. If the next director decides to bring back the cloaks and stuff, its just going to mess around with the whole continuity of it all.
Oh ok, Ive just read the book a few days ago again and dont remember this, but thats not to say its not there, Im not doubting you or anything. Its just that when you think back to Philosophers/Sorcerers Stone and we hear of how happy all the wizards were about Voldemorts downfall, Vernon saw a wizard in wizard clothes and thought him weird. And then the Quidditch World Cup, many of the adults wore wizard robes etc. Its like they can wear the clothes if they wish so I guess I just assumed that the only non muggle city in England would be a place where it would be quite ok for the wizards to wear the robes…
Not that I’ve seen the film, but I’ve always read Lupin as being a frail, sad, unintimidating guy. In the books, you always expect him to be more engaged with Harry, but he’s always quiet and sort of distant.
Speaking of consistency, does anyone else find it annoying that all of the boxart/ movie posters have different styles to them? I wish the sequels had gone with the same style the boxart/moive posters to the Sorceror’s Stone had.
Haven’t seen the movie yet (Friday, oh boy!) but I’ve been following the updates on www.mugglenet.com since last summer, so I’ve seen lots of pictures. David Thewlis’ mustache bugs me, and I hope I’ll get over that – he looks like he should be sitting outside the 7-11 with his 1978 El Camino, eating nachos and ogling teenage girls.
Well, Harry and Hermione at least ought to understand Muggle clothing, and might be more comfortable in it (though I would expect Harry to prefer robes), so it’s reasonable they’d dress comfortably for a Hogsmeade weekend. And Ron would at least have the sweaters his mum knits for him, though I don’t know what the pants situation is like. Was anyone else in Muggle garb?
It seems like the only people in the books who wear Muggle clothing poorly are the adults - those are the ones Rowling points out specifically as having trouble. At the end of book 5, Fred and George actually show up looking quite stylish in almost-Muggle clothing (I think their jackets are dragonskin instead of regular leather, but they’re certainly not in robes.) For whatever reason, Muggle clothing seems to be something that the kids get but that the adults really don’t.
I more or less agree, yes hes had a sad, poor, hard life since he became a werewolf. But because hes a werewolf I assumed that he would be a bigger build, I dont suppose that makes much sense, its just how I pictured him. That image was reinforced fo me when he was able to hold back Harry at the end of Book 5, and when he was duelling with the Death Eaters.
Yep, many people, the majority of people in the leaky couldron were wearing normal clothes. Most of the people in and around Hogsmeade were in normal clothes to, if I remember correctly.
This is something else that bugged me about the movie, and its an actual spoiler so…
In the book, when Harry sneaked down to Hogsmeade he used his invisibility cloak, but when they went to the three broomsticks he hid under the table when the teachers came in and started to speak about Sirius, and so Harry found out all about who Sirius actually was.
But in the movie, this scene is changed considerably in that Harry overhears the teachers talking outside the pub, so he puts on his cloak and follows them in. Hermione goes to follow, but cant go into the pub as there are heads hanging in the doorway and they say she cant enter etc. And Harry hears everything by himself under his cloak. That bothers me as it effects every later scene int he following books where the kids are supposed to be in the pub…
I am so very stoked to see this movie that I have to admit that we are actually going away this weekend and I won’t get to see it until the following weekend.
Which sucks.
Because a) I really want to see it b) I want to add my hard earned cash to JK Rowling c) drive my fundaloonie sister in law nuts by raving about the movie in great detail. Everyone has to have a hobby.
Well, Harry isn’t exactly a tough guy, physically, and Lupin DOESN’T manage to restrain Harry for long.
Spoiler for book 5
I wonder if, now that Lupin is the last white-hat Maurader friend of Harry’s father left, if he’ll take a bigger role in Harry’s life now that Sirius is gone. As I said, it always seemed strange to me how distant he was to Harry in PoA, though of course the whole plot of the book relies upon him not revealing his connection till the very end. But even after PoA, Lupin really seems to regard Harry as a pupil rather than a near family member, as Sirius does. And while Sirius was Harry’s official godfather, I would think Lupin would feel as close to Harry as Sirius does. And maybe he does, but he has a hard time showing it, apparently.
[spoiler]The distinction of being “official godfather” suggests to me that Sirius was closer to Harry’s parents than Lupin was. Isn’t Sirius referred to as James Potter’s best friend? Lupin was obviously a close friend too, but not as close as Sirius. We’ve also seen in the books that Sirius is if anything over emotional, so it’s no surprise that he’d display his affection for Harry more obviously.
Besides which, Lupin really was Harry’s professor for a while. He must have tried to maintain a professional attitude and not treat Harry as more than a pupil during that time. It would probably be awkward for both him and Harry if he suddenly started acting differently in book 5. But you’re right, now that Sirius is dead it would seem appropriate for Lupin to try to be more involved, to the extent that his physical condition will allow it.[/spoiler]
I went to the midnight showing. It was good! Much better than the first two, and I did enjoy the first two. There was so much that had to be left out in order to make the movie work, thus necessitating some changes in order to keep the continuity going. That being said, I thought it was just outstanding.
Up until I first saw him in action, I had felt a little unhappy about Thewlis being cast as Lupin. He just was not how I pictured Lupin at all. My opinion changed quickly, to the point that I can’t really imagine anyone else in that role.
The kids are continuing to improve as actors. There was just one bit that I didn’t quite buy:
When Harry found out about Sirius betraying his parents, thus causing their death, and being his godfather, he stormed out of The Leaky Cauldron. Ron and Hermione traced his footprints to a rock where an invisible Harry was perched, kind of sobbing a little. When Hermione pulled off the invisibility cloak, Harry had the same look he had in the first movie when he was angry at the Slytherins during the first Quidditch match. Not convincing. Daniel Radcliffe doesn’t yet know how to portray the combined anger and sorrow that moment contained for Harry.
So yay. It was good. It was worth staying up until 3 a.m. and knowing that I’m probably going to be mega uber bitch today at work.
Just a question - is this movie watchable by someone who isn’t at all into the Harry Potter scene? The movie in-and-of itself looks pretty cool, but I’m worried it’ll require too much back knowledge.
