Just saw the new Harry Potter movie

[aspen37]

I just went and saw the movie. I bought the book last year but have not read it. I wanted the movie to be a surprise. I thought the movie great. Now I can read the book.

 

[aspen37]

I just went and saw the movie. I bought the book last year but have not read it. I wanted the movie to be a surprise. I thought the movie great. Now I can read the book.

 

[kbelle8995]

This is a problem with a lot of book adaptations. They decided to change things from the book. They changed things in Harry Potter but it wasn't that bad compared to other book adaptations that have been filmed. Sometimes they change everything except the names of the characters.

I liked this movie a lot actually. It was very good. If you expect a word for word adaptation yes you will be greatly disappointed. I was disappointed in Prisoner of Azcaban I thought they left a lot of important information out. But the discussion of book versus movie is great.

 

[rotlex]

I purposely did not re-read the book before seeing the movie last night. As I watched the movie, bits of the book came back to me, but by having no expectations, I found the movie to be pretty fantastic!

I plan to go back and re-read the book now that i've seen the movie...just to fill in the gaps!

This is my plan as well. My wife and I are going to see it this coming Friday afternoon. I read the book the week it came out, and really only vaguely remember the details. As I can't stand when too many things are changed or left out of a movie from a book, I'm hoping this gives me a "fresh" view of it.

Either way, can't wait!!!!!

 

[simonkodousek]

I've read the book multiple times and the movie didn't even come close. Vital scenes were left out, such as Bill and Fleur's relationship, Lupin and Tonks' relationship, the new minister of magic, etc., etc. I can only hope that the 7th movie(s) do a good enough job of explaining these things so that it makes sense.

My overall score: 2/5

 

[rockundergirl]

it took me half the movie to figure out what "snogging" was... I don't read the books

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

I really enjoyed the movie. There were some great scenes left out that I felt should have been there. But I have to say the majority of the movie was very true to the book. More so than most of the others. My DH though was very annoyed at what was left off. He said the first half of the movie was fantastic, an he could overlook what wasn't there, but the second half changed that. He was very disappointed with the end.

I so agree! I'm a huge fan of the books (even waited with lots of people who could have been my students for the midnight release of Deathly Hallows at our local Boarders), so I usually walk out of the movies disappointed. I have to admit, halfway through the movie I was ok with it. Then the last twenty minutes hit. You know it's bad when my DH (who is only a fan because he was tired of me talking about it all the time and not having a clue) says, "Yeah, they hosed up the end." I knew a lot of what they were cutting out (I really, really missed the scene with the Dursleys, though, and would have enjoyed more of the backstory - don't know how they're going to get around leaving some of it out, actually). But I actually didn't mind the Burrow scene, and I loved the character interaction (which is a good part of why I like the books). But when they change big things, they always loose me. Harry would never have just hidden at the end, they have no clue now what the horcruxes could be, and (as someone else posted) Bill/Fleur and Lupin/Tonks were left out (or mostly - Tonks calling Remus "sweetheart" right before the Burrow went up in smoke isn't enough). I have come to the conclusion that her books are just WAY too complex to ever bring to the screen completely. I'll keep going to see the movies because it's sometimes fun to see the images that have only been in my head as I read (and I do love the trio of actors they have). But they'll never stack up to the books (imo).

 

[bouldertcr]

Yep, I wasn't crazy about the movie. I was really looking forward to this movie because out of all the books in the series this was my favorite. I thought the movie at times was just plain boring. Maybe if I see it again, my opinion may change. I kept looking at my watch to see what time it was throughout the movie and I have never done that before in any of the previous movies even during the Order of the Phoenix. I just wasn't crazy about it. Ugh, I really wanted to love this film but I just didn't.

 

[wildfan1473]

I purposely did not re-read the book before seeing the movie last night. As I watched the movie, bits of the book came back to me, but by having no expectations, I found the movie to be pretty fantastic!

I plan to go back and re-read the book now that i've seen the movie...just to fill in the gaps!

Ditto. I have made it a point in the past to read the books right before seeing the movie, and have been greatly disappointed 3 out of 5 times, POA being the worst. I saw the movie last week, and loved it. I just started reading HPB on Monday again to fill in the blanks, and overall, I'm pretty happy with what they did. I knew they had really tamed down the end, and I thought they did an ok job. In fact, I think this is one of the best adaptations yet, but that is just my opinion. As a previous poster said, her books are just waaayyyyy too complex to make an accurate movie - at least they have broken up DH into 2 movies.

 

[SnackyStacky]

We saw it a few weeks back.

I LOVED it. I read the book SO long ago, that I honestly don't remember ANY of it. And worse, I loaned it out!!! So I wanted to re-read it, but I can't because I don't have it! LOL!

Anyway, looking at it in terms of a self-standing movie - not a piece of a series of films, or a film adaptation of a novel - but just on its own artistic merits, I think it's WONDERFUL.

Those cute kids from the Sorcerer's Stone have truly grown into mature young adults, and really wonderful actors. And a lot of that is because of their resume! Working with some of the reputable actors they've worked with?!?!! DANG!

I really loved it. I do remember, though, that in the books Rowling really explored Voldemort's past. I didn't get that same feeling from the movie. I could be remembering wrong, but I remember so much more than the one or two scenes that were included in the movie.

In any event, I liked it alot!

 

[auroralark]

I also did not reread the book right beforehand (I usually do - I did before Order of the Phoenix and I HATE, HATE HATED that movie) but I once again was not thrilled with this movie. While it was better than OotP, I still thought it felt choppy. I thought too much was cut out. They changed things that didn't need to be changed. However, it wasn't bad. I'd call it okay. I'm not a huge fan of the movies in general. The first two are good, the third has grown on me, but I still don't really care for it, the fourth is pretty good, and I believe I've made my feelings clear on the fifth one!

Honestly, I feel the later books are just too long to be made into decent movies. They just have to cut too much out. I'm glad that book seven is going to be two movies. They couldn't have done it justice otherwise.

 

[eeyorethegreat]

I wasn't disappointed at all. Given the vast scope of the book and the series overall I know that there is no way that a movie in its alloted time can possibly compare in its depth and detail. I also expect there to be "liberties" taken with the story line. I have followed these books and movies (and now the upcoming theme area at Universal) for a very long time and the author has said that nothing gets put in or taken out of the movies that she hasn't first approved. I figure she has got to be the harshest critic when reviewing the screen play and if it passes her inspection, then I can be good with it as well. Sure I would like to have seen more details per the book but I also have to realize it is a different type of media and with that comes differences in presentation. Over the years, I have admittedly become emotionally attached to the characters of this series. Of course I know that they are fictitious but imagination is a wonderful thing and while reading a well written book one can imagine that these characters are real. When this is transferred onto the screen it doesn’t always match with the world that the author has created in our minds. I always realize going into the theater that my experience with the film will be different than the book. I enjoy the books more of course because of the rich details but I also enjoy and appreciate the films for what they are.

 

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