Disclaimer: this is going to be another one of the many Harry Potter fangirl posts about how omigosh Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie opens today that are inundating the blogophsere. Insert insane squeal of joy here.
However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little excited -- which you can probably tell by the amount of Deathly Hallows-related photos I've stuffed this post with. But I am getting a bit of pre-Harry Potter buzz and, honestly, I'm not sure why. Yes, I enjoyed reading the books, although Harry began to grate on me quite a bit as the story went on (and, some would say, on and on and on). The films, however, did not do it for me at all, with the exception of the third, The Prisoner of Azkaban. I think that Azakban was the only movie I liked because director Alfonso Cuaron really tried to make the film his own while staying true to J. K. Rowling's story. For me, the third movie can stand alone as a project executed with artistry in mind.
The rest of the Harry Potter film directors did not, in my opinion, do this. I felt that the first two movies were boring regurgitations of the books. As for the later films, the directors were pretty much doomed to fail from the start because of the sheer amount of information and events that take place in each book. When I watched The Order of the Phoenix and The Half-Blood Prince, I felt that if I hadn't read the book I would have been helplessly lost. From the one review of The Deathly Hallows review that I've read, apparently this problem through the final theatrical rendition of the book.
I'm not sure where the Harry Potter movies went wrong. It's not for lack of resources. Every single film is visually stunning, from the sets to the costumes to the effects. The music is great, and the characters are portrayed by seriously talented actors (I'm very excited that Bill Nighy is joining the cast for the final film!). It's been fun watching the many child actors grow up through the seven books and what will be the respective eight movies, even while I haven't always thought their acting skills are up to snuff. The trailers never fail to get me super psyched. But . . . when it's all put together, something just doesn't work.
Will I see The Deathly Hallows, which is being released in two massive installments? Yes, although perhaps not in the theater. I want it to be good. I really, really do. But I just don't think it's going to happen. I hope I'm proven wrong!
Still, today's Deathly Hallows release really is something of the end of an era. That's obviously especially true for J. K. Rowling and everyone involved with the films. It will be interesting to see what happens with the careers of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, the three actors who starred in the Harry Potter films for the past ten years and who are now stepping into adulthood.
Yay for HP, I’m taking my grandma tomorrow for her birthday. I loved the books, and I actually liked the first few movies better. They were more kid friendly and easy. Like you stated, "As for the later films, the directors were pretty much doomed to fail from the start because of the sheer amount of information and events that take place in each book." Yah, bigtime. When I heard they were going to make the movies, I literally thought, "How is that even possible??"I’ve been reading more interviews with Emma Watson and she seems almost…bitter about it all. She said she knows more about Hermione more than herself.And I’ve come to realize, I have the same hair as Harry Potter. I’m not sure how I feel about that yet. LOL!Appreciate your assessment Beth!
ReplyDeleteI've read the first and last books in the series and seen all the films - some multiple times thanks to ABC Family movie marathons during otherwise option-poor TV weekends. I particularly enjoyed "Goblet of Fire" and "Order of the Phoenix" because of the growth into adulthood we start to see in Harry and his friends. "Half-Blood Prince" to me was one of the harder films to follow; I knew what was supposed to be happening, but even though the plot is crucial to the overall story arc and the film also gives us a little more background into Snape, it still just felt like filler, a way to stretch the suspense out before the final showdown.I'm planning to see the new movie either tomorrow or Wednesday with my dad. I'm looking forward to it; we'll see afterward if it's worth sitting in the theater for two and a half hours to watch.
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