GoF movie.

[pauraque_bk]

Yesterday morning noblerot was nice enough to take me to an advance screening of the GoF movie. I'd only had four hours of sleep, so I was somewhat fuzzybrained, but I had a good time anyway. Mostly press people and children who were actually into it and so didn't cry or talk or anything. I've rarely been in such a well-behaved audience!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing it again next week, but here are my first thoughts.



- Very good flick. Much more like Cuarón's vision than Columbus's, though Newell's version is darker and more realistic. Cuarón used a lot of fairy-tale symbolism to get his idea across, which I liked, but also created some distance that isn't present in GoF.

- I'm not a big Steve Kloves fan, but I think this is probably the best screenplay that could be made from this book. They get through about 150 book pages in the first ten minutes, and that's a good thing. As much as I like the actors who play the Dursleys, there is really no reason for them to be in this movie.

- I like that they pared the story down to the main plot (the tournament conspiracy) and one characterization subplot (the Yule Ball). The house-elves, Ludo Bagman's gambling, whatever the hell else was going on in GoF that made the book so long -- none of it was needed. They also made the main plot make some sense, which impressed me. They simplified it, getting rid of Bagman, Bertha Jorkins, Crouch Sr being under Imperius, and most of Sirius's misdirection (though not all -- sorry, but I don't think he needed to be in this movie), and made it seem actually possible that events would unfold the way they did. They also added a lot of hints about what was really going on -- Snape and Myrtle both tell Harry that someone has been making Polyjuice -- which made it seem more fair to Harry (and the audience).

- Steve Kloves still ships Harry/Hermione, but that's very okay with me, since I find the canon ships tiresome. I wonder if he's read HBP yet? Anyway, among other things, Harry and Hermione get to stand on the covered bridge of Remus/Harry ambiguity from PoA. ^_^

- Acting was average all around, I'd say. None of the kids have improved significantly, and although Miranda Richardson and Ralph Fiennes were wonderful, no one stole the movie in the same way David Thewlis did in PoA -- they didn't have time to. The script is pretty demanding of Dan Radcliffe -- he has to do a lot of screaming and crying -- and mostly he's up to it. He had a good moment when he makes it back from the graveyard with Cedric's corpse; he seems believably hysterical and traumatized. I think he does better the higher he has to crank it up, subtle moments aren't as good for him. (Remember the fake crying in PoA? Yeah, that was not good.)

- Neville! Aw, Neville. You get to do things and be useful in this movie! You are also adorable. ♥

- I don't think anything Snape did was particularly like anything he actually does/says in the book, but they're close enough to the same area that it works. You've also got Snape beckoning Harry into a dark storage closet, which is always nice to see. :D

- What's the name of the actor who plays Moody? He did a good job. The Unforgivable Curses scene was great. It preserves what was great about that scene in the book, and makes it even better by having him make the point more subtly -- "What should I make her do next? Throw herself out the window? Drown herself?" This Moody doesn't storm around yelling CONSTANT VIGILANCE! and that works quite well.

- Ralphemort! My Ralphemort! Oh you guys, he was great. You're going to love him, I just know it. (Just don't expect the lengthy Bond-villain exposition about his Evil Plan, because it's not in this movie.)

- Peter dumps fetus!Voldie into that cauldron in an unceremonious and grossed-out way that totally made up for most of his Chapter 1 dialogue not being in the movie.

- The maze/graveyard sequence in general was fantastic; I was savagely impressed. They didn't really pull punches, except maybe a little bit with Peter's hand -- it wasn't immediately obvious that he had cut it off. But Cedric, man? I don't know what I was expecting, but that kid looked dead. The whole thing was scary and realistic and fast -- which was a lot more believable and effective than the leisurely way it all unfolds in the book.

- Michael Gambon has taken Dumbledore in a totally different direction from canon and the previous movies. He seems far more human and emotional, and if you can get over the fact that it's Not Like That in the books, it works for this movie, because it emphasizes that there is no one in control, pulling the strings. Harry is on his own.

- So, did anything about this movie suck? Well, there were a couple of awkwardly timed dialogue moments (unfortunately, Ron's potentially wonderful "Piss off" was one of them) that didn't work, but not too many. There were also a couple of WTF moments, like the inexplicable character of Nigel, who is briefly introduced because he wants Harry's autograph. Were Colin and Dennis unavailable? No comprende. Other than that, this is a good one. More enjoyable than the corresponding book, in my opinion.

Plus millions of other things, but I'll save it for later.

Comments

[ook.livejournal.com]

You've also got Snape beckoning Harry into a dark storage closet, which is always nice to see. :D

AWRIGHT!!!! Between this and Snape smacking/pushing Harry around in study hall...I will consider the price of a ticket to be money well-spent. :)

[pauraque]

Snape gets really physical in that scene! He's smacking and shoving all over the place! Hilarious.

[fuschia.livejournal.com]

Good lord, how can I wait five more days to see the Snarry goodness?! Thanks for the review!

[pauraque]

I'm sure it'll be worth the wait. :)

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

I run screaming from book spoilers, but I've been all over the movie spoilers for GoF, and this is an excellent write up. Just the things I wanted to hear!

[pauraque]

Hurray! I looked at a lot of the stills from the movie before seeing it, but avoided direct discussions of what would happen.

[gaeta.livejournal.com]

Excellent review. You've revived my desire to see GoF. I would have seen it anyway, of course, but I hadn't been particularly looking forward to it. You've made it sound fun.

btw: is it true you're going to be in NYC next week? If you are, I have to be in on the meeting you thing.

[pauraque]

Yes, the rumors are true! I'm going to be seeing GoF with bowdlerized, idlerat, and _hannelore on Friday in NYC, and staying in the city for a few days on either side of that. Whereabouts do you live?

[gaeta.livejournal.com]

We're in N. Jersey, suburban NYC. (We being bethbethbeth and I. Maybe we'll join you guys on Friday night as we've made no specific plans yet to see GoF. We'll get in touch with Jane to get the details.

[scarah2.livejournal.com]

Ralphemmmorrrttt!!!!

[pauraque]

I concur.

[melpemone.livejournal.com]

You've also got Snape beckoning Harry into a dark storage closet, which is always nice to see. :D

THIS IS MY FACE RIGHT NOW:

OMG am so glad I caved and read this because yay! We can't see it here in Australia till the FIRST (::weeps::) and that stings even more now because it sounds fantastic. But thank you anyway!!

[pauraque]

Aw, poor Australians! I hope it'll be worth the wait for you.

[lightpoint.livejournal.com]

Ralpemort!!! *glomps*

[pauraque]

Best. Casting. Ever.

[lightpoint.livejournal.com]

Hells yes!! *glomps Ralphemort, Nagini and all*

[stereosymbiosis.livejournal.com]

I went to comment to this entry, but the only thing I could remember from what you wrote was You've also got Snape beckoning Harry into a dark storage closet, which is always nice to see.

Jesus. Someone is going to have to call the police when I see the movie, because I'm going to go crazy and run up to the screen and lick it, or something.

[pauraque]

I definitely think the film will give Snarryists something to sing about. ^_^

[mysduende.livejournal.com]

Much more like Cuarón's vision than Columbus's, though Newell's version is darker and more realistic. Cuarón used a lot of fairy-tale symbolism to get his idea across, which I liked, but also created some distance that isn't present in GoF.

Well, I would expect GoF would be darker compared to PoA regardless of the director since GoF is the turning point in the book. It's when Harry loses some of his innocence and darkness kicks into full geer by the end of the book. It's a bit hard to compare it to Columbus at all really since he was working with Harry's perception as a child. I enjoyed your review. But I am curious what do you mean by 'created some distance that isn't present in GoF?'

[pauraque]

But I am curious what do you mean by 'created some distance that isn't present in GoF?'

I felt that some of Cuaron's stylistic choices sometimes made the movie feel more whimsical than realistic. Whereas GoF is pretty unflinchingly real, so it's easier to get into the flow of things and forget you're watching a movie.

here via daily snitch

[prettyveela.livejournal.com]

Acting was average all around, I'd say. None of the kids have improved significantly, and although Miranda Richardson and Ralph Fiennes were wonderful, no one stole the movie in the same way David Thewlis did in PoA

Wow you think so? I thought Brendan Gleeson chewed David up and spit him out with her performance as Mad Eye. David was a decent Remus, but Mad Eye's character is chaos in a bottle and Brendan pulled it off.

Re: here via daily snitch

[prettyveela.livejournal.com]

oops, with his performance. *headdesk*

Re: here via daily snitch

[pauraque]

It's hard to compare the two. Remus (in the books) is a subtle characterization that's hard to pin down, and I was deeply impressed by what Thewlis did with it. There was an awkward tenderness between Remus and Harry in the movie that I really enjoyed.

Of course, "stealing the movie" is a very subjective concept. As I said, I definitely think Brendan Gleeson did a good job, but he didn't stand out for me to the same degree.

[noblerot.livejournal.com]

Y'know, the more I think about it, the more I'm finding the film's ending a bit too cuddly and Klovesian. NOT NEWELL'S FAULT. Thanks again for letting me claw you during the Lucius scenes. Because, dude... I might have run amok without Teh Eo anchoring me.

And I need -- need! -- an icon of Lucius' peroxide hair peeking out from under his DE hoodie.

[pauraque]

Yeah, it was like you said, it should have been more like "Oh shit, we're going to war now" rather than Hermione's wistful "Oh dear, now everything will change". It made Hermione look a little thick, if that's her reaction to a classmate being brutally killed by evil wizards! I was okay with the other kids being all cuddly and "Aw, see you next year" but the Trio should have known better. I didn't like that Harry was smiling at that point, it undercut the ending a bit.

It just won't be the same seeing it without you squeezing my hand at the Lucius scenes. :D

[noblerot.livejournal.com]

But you can squeeze Ratty's hand when Peter Pettigrew tosses fetus!Voldie into the roiling drink! It was his finest hour. I think he was very eager to see Ralphemort again. Who can blame him?

*uses peter icon in honour of pauraque's journal*

[slinkhard.livejournal.com]

Ooh, Rot, do a ranting post on it! I love reading people's reviews.

[aubrem.livejournal.com]

LOL. I can just picture you going nuts during the Lucius scenes - a vivid image in my head. And Eo being all nice about it. : )

Do you really see Lucius' hair peeking out of of his DE hood? Oh, I'm looking forward to this movie.

Now I have the same problem as I did with the Star Wars ep 3 movie - the kids want to see it. The graveyard scene is pretty intense though, isn't it?

[noblerot.livejournal.com]

The graveyard scene is pretty intense though, isn't it?

Well, my friends took their kindergarten-age tot and he was fine, but then he started reading HP books when he was 4 and dressed as a dementor for Halloween, so maybe he's not typical. The graveyard scene... yeah. As Eo noted, Cedric looked extremely DEAD. Open, glassy eyes. So. I'd say it depends on the kid and his/her familiarity with the HP ouevre... if he/she knows what's in store, it's probably not as bad.

And YES, Lucius' hair is peeking out from beneath his hood! It's so perfectly ridiculous. It's so perfectly Lucius: Pretty as a flower, with the brain of a twig.

here via d.s.

[allzugern.livejournal.com]

Oooh, good review! I wasn't going to bother to see the movie because the movie trailers they show here make it look like a totally AU HP film. If I can get to a showing of the english version, I think I will give it a try.

[vikingcarrot.livejournal.com]

I am fairly quivering in anticipation of Ralphemort.

How was Karkaroff?

[lovepanic.livejournal.com]

ooooh you've got me so excited! *shivers*

*here via D_S*

[mrs-bombadil.livejournal.com]

Steve Kloves still ships Harry/Hermione, but that's very okay with me, since I find the canon ships tiresome. I wonder if he's read HBP yet?

He read it and liked it so much he said he couldn't stay away and is returning to write that screenplay.

Not to be argumentative, but I don't think he does ship H/Hr. Comparing scripts to the finished movies, it seems the directors are usually the ones who add anything that can be interpreted as H/Hr (touchy-feely in PoA, for example). I think that Kloves just likes Hermione's character a lot.

Thanks for the good write up!

Re: *here via D_S*

[(Anonymous)]

Hi! I really like your review, like other girl said, just the things I wanted to hear. Well, I want to know about any important Ron's line that Kleeves gave Hermione. Kisses.

[l0t0phage.livejournal.com]

OOoooh, thank you for the review!

Hah, when I think we french have to wait until the 30th T___T I want to see it nooow T__T

Can't wait to see the final scene :o

I guess Ron's "piss off" is said like the "shove of Malfoy" with the puppy look from PoA? :/

[green-queen.livejournal.com]

I disagree with you about Sirius in particular, not because he's necessary to the plot but because of the characterisation. They have all of three movies to convince the audience to love Sirius. I reckon Cuaron did a pretty good job in Prisoner of Azkaban, but in order to really drive his death home we needed that building of a relationship between Sirius and Harry in this movie.

I also think that if you've got Gary Oldman, you stick his head in the fire, you don't make him ashes. Complete waste.

[amythis.livejournal.com]

I finally saw it today, which means I finally get to read your well-put review. I'll try not to comment on everything.

- Steve Kloves still ships Harry/Hermione, but that's very okay with me, since I find the canon ships tiresome.

Oh, does he ever! "But, Harry, you'll write, won't you?" Oh well, they're cute together, and I like that WB is going AU on JKR.

The script is pretty demanding of Dan Radcliffe -- he has to do a lot of screaming and crying -- and mostly he's up to it.

Yes, he's finally on a level with the material. He should do well with the very unsubtle ALL-CAPS Movie 5.

- Neville! Aw, Neville. You get to do things and be useful in this movie! You are also adorable.

And, um, I think something happened with Ginny/Neville. (Check out him coming back late, with shoes around his neck.) "I killed Harry Potter!" Great line.

- What's the name of the actor who plays Moody? He did a good job.

Brendan Gleeson. I still would rather watch David Thewlis, but Moody was a hell of a lot more fun than Lockhart, or ugh, Quirrell.

They didn't really pull punches, except maybe a little bit with Peter's hand -- it wasn't immediately obvious that he had cut it off.

Yeah, I'm squeamish but I thought they should've been clearer about that.

- Michael Gambon has taken Dumbledore in a totally different direction from canon and the previous movies. He seems far more human and emotional, and if you can get over the fact that it's Not Like That in the books, it works for this movie, because it emphasizes that there is no one in control, pulling the strings. Harry is on his own.

I like Michael Gambon so much more than Richard Harris. Definitely looking forward to Movie 6. (I think he can pull off the "adventure, the great mistress" line or however it goes.)

(There were also a couple of WTF moments, like the inexplicable character of Nigel, who is briefly introduced because he wants Harry's autograph. Were Colin and Dennis unavailable?

Not as intrusive a random character as the heavy Black kid in Movie 3. But yeah, does Harry need more fanboys?

More enjoyable than the corresponding book, in my opinion.

I definitely still prefer the book. But your opinions are interesting, even when I disagree.