Harry Potter and the Exceedingly Short Running Time
So I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix yesterday. Short review: it was an entertaining film, but a pretty poor adaptation of the book. I don't think director David Yates is to blame, since the visuals and performances are fine. But Michael Goldenberg taking over from Steve Kloves as writer really doesn't seem to have helped things - the film rushes through and skips over scenes from the book far more than the previous films did. It's almost like someone telling you what happened in a book when they can't quite remember it. The fact that the longest book in the series has the shortest running time of all the films so far speaks volumes.
WARNING: SPOILERS!
The opening scene is very naturalistic as Dudders (who looks almost unrecognisable now) taunts Harry in a playground. Then the sky clouds over and the world of magic and menace enters the real world as Dementors attack them. After Harry is expelled from Hogwarts for using a patronus, the Dursleys lock him up yet again (they really don't want to get rid of him for some reason) but he is rescued by wizards led by the real Mad Eye Moody.
They fly to Grimmauld Place where the houses slide open to reveal the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Harry is reunited with his friends (Yates' big addition to the franchise seems to be giving all the boys short hair) and it's fun to see most of the characters from the previous films all in one place, though it's a shame actors such as David Thewlis are given so little to do.
Following his trial at the Ministry of Magic (an impressive location) Harry is allowed to go back to Hogwarts, but all is not well there. Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton, who gets the right mix of fuzziness and pure evil) is the new defence against the dark arts teacher, and she has big plans for the school. In a creepy scene, she tortures Harry while pictures of cute cats meow on her walls.
There's an entertaining montage sequence where Harry teaches his group, Dumbledore's Army, practical magic while Umbridge has signs banning everything placed in the school. When Harry's group is discovered, Dumbledore takes the blame and disappears with style. An even more crowdpleasing scene occurs when Fred and George decide they've had enough of Umbridge and Hogwarts and leave with a spectacular fireworks show.
When Harry's dreams lead him to the ministry in search of a prophecy that Voldemort needs, the film finally kicks into high gear. The showdown between the wizards and Death Eaters is exciting, though Sirius Black's death is as sudden and low key as it was in the book. The duel between Voldy and Dumbledore is amazing.
Many of the problems with the film were also present in the book, which is the least eventful of the series and seems to be just setting the stage for the final confrontation for the most part. However, these problems have been compounded by the relentless streamlining of the plot which has changed many important details from the book and virtually eliminated any scenes that don't directly involve Harry. Many of the characters are unfortunately sidelined, even Ron. Matthew Lewis has a bigger role this time, though, which should please all the Neville fan girls. Nearly all the child actors continue to improve in their roles.
The new characters get better treatment than the existing ensemble, though Helena Bonham Carter has little to do as Bellatrix except chew scenery. Evanna Lynch (who has never acted before) is perfect as Luna Lovegood - it's as if she stepped right off the page.
The special effects are stunning, though still a little cartoony in parts. The diminutive Kreacher is better animated than the giant Grawp.
Overall, it's a fine film if you ignore the book. Though whether the plot is even comprehensible to people who've never read the books I can't say. Hopefully Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be able to find a middle ground between being too faithful to the book (as some accused the first two films of being) and offering a vague synopsis of the book rather than a proper adaptation (as OOTP seems to be doing at times).
I am glad that Harry wasn't quite as whiny in the film as he was in the book, though. It would have been a little too "Anakin" for my liking.
In other news, I went to Star Wars Celebration Europe today. Saw makeup wizard Stuart Freeborn and almost saw Mark Hamill. Some nice collectibles, but otherwise a waste of money.
WARNING: SPOILERS!
The opening scene is very naturalistic as Dudders (who looks almost unrecognisable now) taunts Harry in a playground. Then the sky clouds over and the world of magic and menace enters the real world as Dementors attack them. After Harry is expelled from Hogwarts for using a patronus, the Dursleys lock him up yet again (they really don't want to get rid of him for some reason) but he is rescued by wizards led by the real Mad Eye Moody.
They fly to Grimmauld Place where the houses slide open to reveal the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Harry is reunited with his friends (Yates' big addition to the franchise seems to be giving all the boys short hair) and it's fun to see most of the characters from the previous films all in one place, though it's a shame actors such as David Thewlis are given so little to do.
Following his trial at the Ministry of Magic (an impressive location) Harry is allowed to go back to Hogwarts, but all is not well there. Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton, who gets the right mix of fuzziness and pure evil) is the new defence against the dark arts teacher, and she has big plans for the school. In a creepy scene, she tortures Harry while pictures of cute cats meow on her walls.
There's an entertaining montage sequence where Harry teaches his group, Dumbledore's Army, practical magic while Umbridge has signs banning everything placed in the school. When Harry's group is discovered, Dumbledore takes the blame and disappears with style. An even more crowdpleasing scene occurs when Fred and George decide they've had enough of Umbridge and Hogwarts and leave with a spectacular fireworks show.
When Harry's dreams lead him to the ministry in search of a prophecy that Voldemort needs, the film finally kicks into high gear. The showdown between the wizards and Death Eaters is exciting, though Sirius Black's death is as sudden and low key as it was in the book. The duel between Voldy and Dumbledore is amazing.
Many of the problems with the film were also present in the book, which is the least eventful of the series and seems to be just setting the stage for the final confrontation for the most part. However, these problems have been compounded by the relentless streamlining of the plot which has changed many important details from the book and virtually eliminated any scenes that don't directly involve Harry. Many of the characters are unfortunately sidelined, even Ron. Matthew Lewis has a bigger role this time, though, which should please all the Neville fan girls. Nearly all the child actors continue to improve in their roles.
The new characters get better treatment than the existing ensemble, though Helena Bonham Carter has little to do as Bellatrix except chew scenery. Evanna Lynch (who has never acted before) is perfect as Luna Lovegood - it's as if she stepped right off the page.
The special effects are stunning, though still a little cartoony in parts. The diminutive Kreacher is better animated than the giant Grawp.
Overall, it's a fine film if you ignore the book. Though whether the plot is even comprehensible to people who've never read the books I can't say. Hopefully Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will be able to find a middle ground between being too faithful to the book (as some accused the first two films of being) and offering a vague synopsis of the book rather than a proper adaptation (as OOTP seems to be doing at times).
I am glad that Harry wasn't quite as whiny in the film as he was in the book, though. It would have been a little too "Anakin" for my liking.
In other news, I went to Star Wars Celebration Europe today. Saw makeup wizard Stuart Freeborn and almost saw Mark Hamill. Some nice collectibles, but otherwise a waste of money.
posted by A.S. McDermott at 3:11 PM
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