Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban ****SPOILERS****

[Desiree]

I figured it's about time we can do an in depth discussion of the movie!

Overall I really loved this movie! I do miss the fact that alot of key points were left out. Here's a few that I wished were mentioned..

When Harry received the new Firebolt. In the book, he received that about mid-term and there was alot of confusion as to who sent it to him.

Also, I wish in the movie they would have explained the Stag more and the reason it was conjured!

I can only hope that there will be alot of deleted scenes on the DVD. All and all, I have to say that I wish that Cuaron could go back and redo the first two movies! You can just tell that his directing style is diffrent, but all the same just awesome!

 

[snoopy]

I think we all agree that the omission of the details of the map and the stag were glaring.

A few other comments:

The scene where Lupin is telling Harry that he knew his parents made me cry. Yes, I'm a big HP geek, but that scene was so moving to me. Thewlis is a marvelous choice for the role of Lupin, and Daniel Radcliffe has grown SO MUCH as an actor and its really evident in that scene.

Snape as a woman was perfectly executed. The entire boggart scene, for that matter.

The 3 turns was visually amazing, and both the hippogriff and the dementors were exactly as I imagined. In fact, the entire movie was visually how I have imagined all the books to look. This director certainly captured the story from a visual standpoint.

Michael Gambon as Dumbledore and Gary Oldman as Sirius: good actors, wrong roles. Its all in the voice for me, neither has the right "voice" to play the characters they played.

Overall, an amazing movie. Two very big thumbs up -- we're going back to see it again in a couple of weeks and am looking forward to gaining more observations.

I disagree that Cuaron should go back and direct the first two. The first two books weren't as "grown up" as the third. I think Columbus did a fine job with the first two, in fact, I thought they were both magical, particularly Sorcorer's Stone. The 3rd book dictated different direction, and Cuaron nailed it. Good selection of directors throughout the series thus far, and a new director is working on GOF (not remembering his name right now). I hope he'll be as good as the last two.

 

[jeleebeene]

I love talking about this movie....it was so hard for me at first after I saw it last night, though. There was so much left out that I wish had been included - but, can't include everything in a film, now can you???

Snoopy - you are not alone. I, too, cried with the scene of Lupin and Harry talking about his parents. Harry's facial expressions were priceless - he didn't need words, his face said it all. Daniel has grown into such a good actor - I think we can expect great things from him in the future!

I also took the part with Harry crying (after hearing about Black being his godfather and betraying his parents). I visualized him as angry in the book (which he was in the movie), but the hurt he felt really came out in the movie.

Dh was most disturbed by the omission regarding the map and the Stag - that was something major.

For me, it was the elimination of the Firebolt and the Quidditch match. I was so looking forward to that...alas, maybe in the next film.

Ok, did anyone else notice this - during the Quidditch match in the rain, the closeups of Harry flying with the goggles on. It took me another look to even realize it was him!!! I just can't get over how handsome he is becoming....I guess I still have this picture of a little boy in my mind, but he is not that 11 year old face we fell in love with 3 1/2 years ago (was 2001 really that long ago??). Even Neville - wow - he looked completely different! Just think what changes we will encounter next year for the movie!!

3 thumbs up!!! (I'll just borrow one of DH's thumbs for now,hehe)

 

[stinkerbelle]

Yeah I found the spoilers thread!

I think, if you hadn't read the book, the time turner might have been kinda lost on people. Just a few mentions of Hermione showing up 2 seconds after the fact for a few classes and the one mention of her having a double course load - no metion of the MOUNTAINS of homework she had - which was prevelant in the book.

Again - the firebolt - well executed in the movie, but better in the book. (And where was WOOD?!?! Come on - I missed Oliver!) Remember how nutty he was in the book when Harry got the firebolt?

At the Quidditch match - Harry WAS looking quite the hottie! But here's my issue - Daniel was 'cute' in HP1/HP2..now he's going through adolesence. Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings) was a MUCH cuter kid then teen IMO...I Just hope this doesn't happen to Daniel.

The ending - very well played out IMO - however, where was Snape?

We didn't see alot of the supporting characters beyond the Harry/Hermione/Ron...not much with Hagrid/McGarnogal/Snape IMO. But Lupin was great...the boggart scene was well done...but I though Harry never was supposed to have a go at all at the boggart in class? ah well...

One last thing...the sets were VERY different. What was up with that big clock? (I know 'time' is a big part of this movie) but still, the sets - where the school was, the great hall, their dormitories...all so different in this movie. Took me a few minutes to get over it.

This was the first time I'd seen a Harry Potter movie AFTER reading the book (the first 2 - I had nothing to base it on) I still enjoyed the book...but I kept thinking of what was 'glazed over' or 'left out'...but, that's what you get when a book is turned into a movie.

Goblet of Fire is going to be a tough one I think...WAY too much info in that book.

I WILL be seeing it again soon...DH wants to see it. he hasn't read the books at all - be interested to see what he thinks.

 

[Gupsmom]

Woo Hoo...I can talk about the 2 scenes that I could only mention in the other thread!!

the scene of Lupin and Harry talking about his parents.

Lupin was Awesome!! The scene captured how Lupin was fatherly to Harry in this book. It was the perrfect set up to the scene where Lupin gets angry at Harry for putting his own life at risk. In that scene you really understand how Harry had such a great respect for Lupin and how bad Harry felt that he let him down. Both scenes were done so well.

The ending - very well played out IMO - however, where was Snape?

YES!! This bothered me. I loved the movie but they took too much out...esp at the end. It was a bit anti-climatic and it didn't have to be. The end of the book has everyone together and it takes some explaining to get Snape to understand that they should let Sirius escape. We learn so much more about the origin of Snape's anger (aside from just needing to be convinced that Sirius didn't set up Harry's parents) and they didn't do anything to set that up in this movie. I thought this scene in the book was the most dissappointing ommision in the movie.

I'm not thrilled about the actor for Sirius either. It's not that he was bad but he wasn't at all how I pictured him. he's such a stron gpressence (esp in later books) and I have trouble seeing this Sirius breaking rules or standing up for anyone.

Also: The firebolt should have come mid-term and it should have been mysterious. I do wish they had taken the time to explain the map and, especially, the signifigance of the Stag.

Overall....I enjoyed the movie. 2 1/2 hours flew by. I look foward to going and seeing it again after I re-read book 3. There were enough gaps that I'm very excited to go back and read the book again.

Jess

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

Was anybody else really moved my the chemistry between the kids? They were so sweet. For example, when they thought Buckbeak was killed, Hermione wrapped herself around Ron and then Harry put his arms around her, too....OMG, that was adorable! I hate to admit this, but that made my tear up. And when Harry heard that Sirius betrayed his parents and he went off crying, it was so sweet how Hermione went to him...and toward the end when Harry was talking about living with Sirius, the look of happiness and pure friend-like love and support on Hermione's face was incredibly sincere. I was so moved by the love that was obvious between the kids that I couldn't help but to wonder if they have a very good friendship in real life.

Another thing I loved about this film was the scenery. Wow! The Hogwarts grounds certainly is a beautiful place! Showing the grounds and the scenery really added to the mystical feel to the movie and I for one really appreciated it.

Also, I liked that this movie was more thematic. Obviously, time and change were the primary themes. We see the clock, the seasons change, and of course Hermione's time gadget. The first two movies didn't really seem to embrace a theme like this one did, and I think the theme helped give the movie a greater flow.

I've said this before: I really, really, really liked Professor Lupin. At first I was upset because he didn't look all tattered like the book described...but the more he interacted with the kids, the more I absolutely loved him...they couldn't have cast Lupin better. At first, I was uncomfortable with Sirius...he seemed too wild and I couldn't see him becoming a Godfather to Harry...then the final scenes happened and I very much liked him and I'm looking forward to seeing how his relationship with Harry develops in next movie.

I loved Prof Trelawny, too. I wish we would have seen more of her. The scene where she got possessed nearly made me jump out of my skin! That was terrific! I loved it!

And I've said this before....I didn't like the dementors. These creatures are about the most evil and horrifying things I've ever heard of....yet they didn't look nearly as I imaged in the movie. They looked like dummys with black sheets over their heads....they were just too fake, although I think if they looked too scarey, it might have been too much for the smaller kids.

And I don't recall from the books that dementors were capable of flight....did I miss something?

I would have liked to see more of Prof McGonagal, Snape, and Hagred. I actually learned to deal with the new Dumbledore, although he's not as good as the first one, he's ok.

They really needed to explain who created the map, and they needed to explain the significance of the stag. I'm assuming that will be covered in movie four, though. I sure hope Goblets of Fire is at least three hours long (I'm sure people wouldn't mind if there were an intermission)...and I hope the new director maintains the artsy standards that Alfonso C developed. I liked what he did a lot. I really wish he would have stayed on for the next film.

I have every intention of seeing this movie at LEAST 20 more times while it's in the theater...it was THAT good. Thank God I have a 12 year old daughter I can blame it on!

 

[Grog]

I sure hope Goblets of Fire is at least three hours long (I'm sure people wouldn't mind if there were an intermission)...

It has to be in order to do GoF justice. The book was so much longer than the first three that I don't see how they can make it a 2½ hour movie without chopping too much out of it. I for one have no problem with an intermission, but the theaters probably won't go for it as movies that long mean they can't have as many showings in a day.