I've put off blogging about HP7 because I knew that any post regarding part 1 of the movie would take up a solid chunk of time. Why?
Because, for once, a Harry Potter movie actually merits discussion.
In the end, I think the success of the movie (which I'm seriously hoping knocks Avatar's record right out of the water in short order) is leveraged on one fact: it was a movie made for fans of the book--not a movie based on a book but caught up in its own separate vision, and intended to entertain anyone--whether they've read the book or not.
It was a movie for the die-hards who care about the actual story.
In truth, I really didn't appreciate the writing chops of J.K. Rowling until I walked out of the 4th movie thinking, "The books are more visual than the movies. How is that possible?"
Rowling is amazing. Her books are progressively more captivating. I don't know how it feels to be her and see the movies turn out the way they have. I think I might have killed
someone in their sleep after the 6th movie... Okay, maybe I wouldn't have outright murdered, but there would have certainly been a serious powwow where emotions may have barely been contained below the surface. And maybe there was some sort of "what-the-***-were-you-thinking" chat, given the brilliance of movie 7. I mean seriously, how could there not have been a big sit
down in the wake of that eye sore? The week after Harry Potter 6 came out, it was beat out at the box office by G-Force.
Harry Potter spanked out of the #1 spot a week after it came out by guinea pigs saving the world?
Calamity. Such things should not be. And yet, the movie deserved its rodent smack down. At the time, I was so incensed at the 6th movie, that I gave a sniff of approval and gave those animated guinea pigs a mental high five. I don't know HOW the director wasn't fired. But he wasn't. They gave him another chance (which I would not have done, so it's a good thing I'm not in charge of the world), and THANK GOODNESS they did!
I would have to get really, really nitpicky to point out any failings of the 7th movie. And I'm just not in the mood to be critical (unless you get me started on Ginny, but there isn't much to be done there). For once a movie took a book and accurately depicted it without distracting short cuts.
Praises be!
So if you haven't seen HP 7 yet, know that I highly, highly recommend it.
Highly.
Amen! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt.1 is the best HP movie-book adaptation so far. What a cryin' shame that it's the penultimate movie! I give props to the Prisoner of Azkaban film, but no HP movie before has been so undoubtedly gift wrapped for the book fans - the fans who created the hunger for the movies in the first place! David Yates (director) and Steve Kloves (screenwriter) have finally honored JK Rowling's writing, which created and colored this phenomenal world. They have finally focused on bringing her vision to life, rather than raiding it like brats in a toy store, looking for cool stuff to pillage and call their own. Maybe I sound bitter. Well, after the heavy-handed editing on the Order of the Phoenix film, and the insensitive editing of Half-Blood Prince that treated Dumbledore's death like 'kind of a downer' rather than a huge turn in the plot, and made the identity of the Half-Blood Prince an afterthought at best, yeah, I was furious!
ReplyDeleteSO, my joy is all the more vibrant and leaping within my heart to see David Yates/Steve Kloves finally swallow that big ol' honkin' bite of humble pie (served after HP6 by the fans and by the gerbils of G-Force) and come to their senses.
As Sheralyn happily declared, Yates/Kloves finally trusted in the genius source material and filmed it essentially as is!!! No randomly exploding Burrow, no taking all of Ron's smart lines and giving them to others thereby establishing him as little more than comic relief (Knowles actually gave Ron the role of discovering who R.A.B. was which fell to Harry in the book), no more cheap acting taken as 'good enough'. Yates seems to have cuffed himself to the story and stuck with it, and demanded of "The Trio" performances worthy of the material.
Of course, some details were edited, but deftly so. No significant moments were lost, and Yates again employed well-placed props in certain scenes as a nod to some details he had to cut (ex. the plate for tea by Harry's bed left by Dudley as an awkward show of kindness; the Erumpent Horn that freaked out Hermione as it hung (mislabeled) on the wall of the Lovegood's home; Mrs. Cattermole respresenting all the Half-blood/Muggleborn witches/wizards they helped escape from the ministry; etc.). Yates/Kloves simplified some story connections and moments, but no plot point was cast aside. They have bowed to the book and proceeded with respect and heart - At LAST!
GO SEE HP7 Pt 1!!! If you don't dig it, well, without access to my own wand, I don't know what to do for ya.
Oh, man. I need to see it again. I didn't notice that Dudley left a plate for Harry. I really liked that the director took the time for Hermione and Harry to say goodbye to all they knew in the beginning, though.
ReplyDeleteMan... I need to see it again...
i agree. with all of this. love, jessica
ReplyDelete