This is a fun movie even though it suffers from some of the vices of the first movie in the series and not participating in the virtues of the subsequent films.
There are some things that are better in this film than the first. In particular, Daniel Radcliffe evidences enormous improvement as an actor. And because there is less set up in this one than in the first film, they are able to delve more directly into storytelling. And as in the first film, Hogwarts is rendered memorably. Still, the film is in many ways a disappointment. Chris Columbus's direction was as weak in the second as in the first and either he or the film's editor had to take responsibility for the terrible pacing in many of the film's scenes. On every level, all subsequent films would be better directed and edited. One might quibble over the script, but not the direction and editing. Future films would not drag in individual scenes like in this one.
I do, however, have a lot of problem with the script for this film. Any adaptation of a novel by a movie has to make compromises. Still, ultimately the script has to function as an independent entity. The problem here was the abrupt and inelegant shifts from one scene to another, with no foreshadowing of what would come later or thematic repetition. Few parts of the screenplay resonate with other parts of the screenplay. Now, this very possibly is not the fault of the screenwriter. Directors and editors can radically alter screenplays during the course of filming. so unless we could see the original screenplay and to what degree it was preserved in the filming it is hard to blame the screenwriter. We blame the director. If what was filmed was the writer produced, a writer should have been brought in to fix it. I suspect that the director made changes. Who can say for sure. But one thing is for sure: the film has almost no narrative flow. And as an adaptation of a novel is does a poor job of maintaining its key themes.
Luckily, the movies got much, much better. THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN is by any standard a great film, the best directed film in the series, while the later films were buoyed by very substantive stories. The movies are not nearly as good as the books. That is pretty much par for the course. There have been very, very few movies in the history of film that were better than the novels upon which they were based, except in cases where the novels were not very to begin with.
One of the more humorous sidelights of the film was that some Russians took offense at the film, imagining that the elf Dobby was intended to look like Vladimir Putin. Some Russian lawyers for a while even contemplated taking legal action. There appears to be little justification for such an action. Whatever resemblance between Dobby and Putin would be strictly physical and Dobby in no other way would appear to refer to Putin. I personally think the easily offended lawyers needed to bash their heads a few times on their desks as penance for their silliness.
"Harry Potter and the Ultimate Edition Includes."
2009-09-25
- Reviewed By User: APS0UX3R37OQX
The following is on this gift set.....
*Each Ultimate Edition Includes
New 1 hr feature from Creating the World of Harry Potter (an 8- hr documentary that reveals the filmmaking magic behind all 7 years) *Theatrical and Extended Versions of the Films *Over Two Hours of Special Features and *Magical Collectibles.
Excellent fantasy adventure.Can anyone tell me for certain if the new Ultimate Edition releases are Extended versions with extra footage vs the Theatrical releases? Are the original blue ray versions theatrical releases or extended verseions
"The magic continues"
2009-09-13
- Reviewed By User: A3BRKK8VDPO56B
A fantasy that will draw you in to the story. It's fun with just enough mystery and intrigue to keep you interested. It's a great movie to share with the whole family.
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"Review"
"Not bad if you can moderate your expectations"