Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Bulkington (A) on June 10, 2004 at 07:22:18

In Reply to: Just saw harry Potter posted by Analog Scott on June 06, 2004 at 08:27:11:

And I strongly disagree. This film was vastly superior to the others. I can't speak to its fidelity to the book, and generally I think that's an unfair standard to hold any film adaptation to (with some exceptions or qualifications). The direction and visual style has been sorely missed from this genre of film and, in my opinion, would have served The Lord of the Rings well: much more naturalistic and perspectival; relatively free of cinematic fx bombast; full of clever visual touches (for example, Harry's view of the tree when his glasses had been knocked from his head; the spattering of the camera-lense by snow when the tree shook off winter for spring); the acting was more human, less stilted, and evinced a much better chemistry between the main characters (though I'll admit that Ron got short-changed).... It did feel a bit rushed, a bit compressed at times--probably a casualty of adaptation. But it's the one entry in the series I'd go out of my way to see again.

And the three movies do not take place over a single school term. It was clearly stated in this film that they were beginning a new term--hardly a necessity, since the growth and, ahem, development of the cast pretty well suggests it by itself.

I appreciated the masturbation jokes and the budding adolescent affections as well.

I hope they stick with this director to the end.