Prisoner of Azkaban review

[jerseydevil]

I just went to the 12:01am showing. Did anyone else go to that showing? In the theater - these guy went up to the front and did a wizards duel skit. It's always best to go to the 12:01am showings.

There were things I didn't like - but then the ending I thought was awesome. I felt somethings in the middle were rushed too much and then they didn't have much about the Devinations teacher - which was disappointing. Only her wackiness - but not how she was not really respected by anyone - not even the teachers.

[sirigorn]

I'm going tonight... my parents won't let me see a 12:01 showing of anything, no matter how much I want to. I did get the 5th book at midnight... well, to get back on topic, I can't wait til 7:30!! All the reviews I've read about it make it out to be really good, better then the first two.

[Lizra]

I guess I'll drag my kids to see it next week or something. I'm so much more excited about reading the next book, I can't seem to get too worked up over the movie! :p

[Radagast The Brown]

Prisioner of Azkabvan will be out in a week here... I don't know when I go to watch it, hopefully next week.
The trailers look promising, so I guess I'll be disappointed in the end. As usual. *sigh*

[eowyngirl14]

okay the movie as a whole was okay i guess, but i do have some major issues with it.

1. there were giraffes wandering around half the pictures on the wall, whats up with that?

2. the demenotrs were flying?! they are suppsoed to glide in a mystical way, not fly like something out of a horror movie

3. peter pedigrew was too rat like for my tastes, and i would have liked him to be a little more pitifull and more human, less rat.

4. Lupid was just plain stupid looking, and hes supposed to see a glowing orb as the balrog, not a moon and clouds, that was a little too obvious for my liking.

5. Lupin as a warewolf was even wore than Lupin as a man, it was all slimy and snake like, not at all like a wolf.

6. the dialougue wasnt that good, there were no good lines that i remember. i wish there was more talking and more explaining things.

7. the weasly twins had yellow hair! whats up with that? but i did like how they gave hairy the mauraders map.

8. the womping willow seems to have a problem with POPPING any bluebirds that get too close for comfort!

9. harry was either fainting crying or tripping every other scene. hes turning into Frodo! j/k

10. i wish there was more interaction between Harry and Sirius, and more beteen Harry, Ron and Hermione, their friendship didnt really show as much in this movie.
And more quidditch!

[ethuiliel]

Mostly I liked it, and the credits were really cool...basically tied with the RotK ones.
However, I had one major problem...the werewolf was NOT a werewolf. I don't know what it was, but it looked NOTHING like a werewolf!!!

[HOBBIT]

it was ok .

i'm sorry, but it did not meet my expectations.

a good movie, but not a great one.

Too short (20 shorter than last one) - way too rushed.

They left out A TON of details and a great majority of the school year, going to hogsmeade (that was in there, but not nearly as much), quidditch - only one game!

Completely left out:
house cup
other quidditch games
introduction of seeker cho-chang (that was book 3, right?.. i dont believe she was in all other ones)


they don't explain the whole mooney, wormtail, padfoot, prongs thing

I didn't like them leaving out christmas etc and just having the broom show up suddenly at the very end and him zoom away and then end.


Many things left out, not in movie enough, or not thoroughly explained.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed this film very much and i was like half alseep, but I just feel much was left out (see above post)

[sirigorn]

Whoohoo! I just came from the theater. Well, maybe just isn't the right word... it ended two hours ago!

Well, it was good, but there were a lot of things that annoyed me.

1) BIG number one! Werewolf!Lupin. Looked like a kinda furry man hunched over. Aren't werewolves supposed to look like wolves, only with very subtle differnces? I was sooo disappointed. But eowyngirl14, I did like human!Lupin. He's poor, he's not supposed to have nice clothes or anything. But his boggart did annoy me.

2) The Shrieking Shack scene. Okay, so I realize they had to cut a lot of it out, but that was really too much. It was so rushed, even I had trouble following it, and I'm a HUGE Potter fan. There was almost no backstory.

3) The dementors do NOT fly!! They stay on the ground. I cannot begin to tell you how much that annoys me.

4) They didn't mention anything about Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot or Prongs. Other than on the Marauder's Map.

5) Harry saw "Peter Pettigrew" on the map. That is NOT
supposed to happen. Lupin is supposed to see it, not Harry.

6) Peter Pettigrew didn't look human enough to me. I'm sorry, but I did not like how he was portrayed.

7) Quidditch. What happened to the Quidditch Cup? Again, too much cutting.

8) No Christmas, no Firebolt til the end, not enough fighting about Scabbers and Crookshanks.

9) Nothing to really do with the movie itself, but when I left the theater, I found out that for two of the people I went with, one counted all the lights along the aisle, and the other fell asleep. Before the movie, he spilled his icee on my shirt. Now it is pink. Well, it's better than what it was before I washed it off (dark purple).

On a lighter note, things I liked:

1) The Marauder's map. That was sooo cool!! I loved the little footprints. And the credits were awesome.

2) The Ron/Hermione parts. I'm an avid R/Hr shipper, don't mind me.

3) The time travel. That was awesome. And I loved Ron's line when they got back: "How'd you get there, from there?"

4) The boggart (minus Lupin's). Snape looked halarious in Neville's Gran's clothes!! And the roller skating spider was priceless. And another of Ron's lines I loved (even though it has nada to do with the boggart) "The spiders!! The wanted me to tap dance!" or something to that effect.

5) Buckbeak. He was cool. Nothing much more to say.

6) Stan Shunpike, the shrunken head, and the rest of the Knight Bus scene. It was awesome! (Yes, I like that word, why do you ask?)

7) The new and improved courtyard. Better than in the first two movies. Well, actually I really liked the entire castle better.

8) Hermione beating up Malfoy. You go girl!!

9) The Dursley scene. Hehehe, Aunt Marge was a ballon!

10) Dumbledore.

11) The snowball scene, with Malfoy. I was laughing so hard!!

And all these aren't really in order, just in the order I thought of them.

Go see it, all of you who haven't!!

~Siri~

[Lizra]

Well that's a little upbeat! I better read the book again, real quick! ;)

[eowyngirl14]

3) The dementors do NOT fly!! They stay on the ground. I cannot begin to tell you how much that annoys me.



omg! this pissed me off soooooo much! everytime they flew i was like practically shouting DEMENTORS DONT FLY!!!


did anyone else notice the bothersome girrafes in all the pictures on the castle walls?

yes i love that line! 'The spiders! they want me to tap dance!'
think that is their revenge because they know in the next movie one of their kind will be put under the crusious curce and forced to tapdance by Moody??:D

[jerseydevil]

I agree - they didn't say anything about the marauder's map and who it had belonged it. It was so important to Harry because it had been his fathers - they had completely left that out.

I did not like dumbeldore. He was dumbed down. Come on - he stood there absentmindedly hitting Ron's foot. Cheap cliched laugh, however very UNLIKE Dumbledore though.

I saw i twice - so I liked it better the second time.

By the way - what is up with the pumpkins at Hagrids when it's spring time.

As I said in my first post - I thought too much of the middle of the movie was rushed over without too much explanation of important parts.

Since the next book is about twice the size - if they try to fit that into a single 2 hour 19 minute movie - there will be hardly any of the book in there.

[Khamûl]

I liked the movie. It did seem a bit hurried in parts though. Maybe they'll put out an Azkaban Extended Edition. ;) The acting and casting was spot-on. The effects were great too. I loved the darker look of the movie, but I'm surprised that they got away with a PG rating on this movie -- some of that stuff was pretty freaky. I'll be really surprised if they don't get a PG-13 for Goblet of Fire, considering all the stuff that goes on at the end. The music was also some of the best I've heard from John Williams in a while. Overall, I enjoyed it.

[sirigorn]

I did notice the giraffes. And talking about paintings, why did they change the Fat Lady? I though she was better before!!

And Dumbledore was strange. I mean, I don't think he would hit Ron's injured foot, like JD said.

The music was great, Khamul. Hehehe, I entered contest where the winners get the soundtrack. I don't think I'll win, but it would be awesome if I did. I know I got all the answers right. (It was a trivia thing)

I would be very disappointed if the third didn't have a PG-13 rating. Some of that stuff in there is really scary.

~Siri~

[eowyngirl14]

I would be very disappointed if the third didn't have a PG-13 rating. Some of that stuff in there is really scary.

you mean the fourth? cause the third had a PG rating, i think....

[sirigorn]

Yeah, that's what I meant. *blushes*

There was something else that annoyed me.... but I forgot what it was. :(

~Siri~

[Lady Ravyn]

saw it yesterday, and i'm generally pleased. despite the flying dementors (which were kind of dissappointing- did they look like ballons with black cheese-cloth thrown over them to anyone else?), the odd dumbledore (just not as good as richard harris, but i knew that would happen), and the love-thing going on with ron and hermione (which annoys the CRAP out of me! i didn't get that out of the books, did you? i mean, yeah, ron had a crush from afar on hermione, but they're making such a huge deal of it! :rolleyes: ) . all in all, i thought it was better than the first two which were a little too juvenile-ish for my tastes.

and giraffes? where were they? i missed them :( ;)

[sirigorn]

The giraffes were in the paintings. You know when the Fat Lady ran away becuaes Sirius messed up the painting? In the background, there was a giraffe moving around. I know it was there other times, but I can't remember when they were.

And yes, that is what the dementors looked like.

I liked the Ron/Hermione stuff. But that might just be becuase I think they're perfect for each other, and they have got to get together, and as I mentioned above, I'm an avid R/Hr shipper.

~Siri~

[Fimbrethil]

Let me just start off this post by saying that I love JKR's work and practically worship her for her skills as a writer. But I hated almost everything about this movie.

1)The acting in the movie sucked! Remus...okay but they could have gotten someone better. And Sirius? Not at all what I expected and I hated it. But the actors that played those two characters did the best wiht what they were offered and aren't responisble for the crapyness of the movie, it's the casitng directors fault.
2) The werewolf. Enough said.
3) The fact that in the first 5 min. of the stupid movie they covered about 6 chapters.
4) For some odd reason when Harry first sees Sirius as a dog, Sirius decides to growl at him.
5) Sirius as the dog was way to small.
6) Dementors flying....why?
7) Lupin's bogart....it made me angery.
8) The fact that they never had exams and they were NEVER even mentioned.
9)It ended (or seemed to) right smack in the middle of their third year.
10) The relationship between Sirius and Harry always seemed like brother, brother to me, but at close to the end of the movie when Harry and he were talking Sirius treats him as if he were his son and they have known and loved each other all their lives.
11) Harry didn't see Sirius at the (one and only and way to short and very inaccurate) quidditch match, he saw a badly shaped cloud. I say it was inaccurate because when Harry went up into the clouds he would have passed out from lack of oxygen way before the demedy-whats-its effected him. And before that he would have gotten a killer nose bleed form the pressure change.
12) The lake would not have frozen from the demndy-whats-its.
13) The maurders map would have been way smaller. And Harry never saw Peter's feet! (you know what I mean.)
14) Where the heck was Oliver!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????
15) The complete lack of Cho and Pig. Pig isn't all that important but, Cho Chang is a very important perosn in the next two books.
16) Yes Harry, you conjured a very pretty stag, now class, can you tell me what significance that has? No, becasue the stupid script writers thought that everyone would know.
17) Nothing was ever explained about Lupin taking his potion! Yet when he is turning into a werewolf the scirpt writers find it necsaccary to give Sirius the following line "My dear friend, Reamus, you haven't taken your potion tonight have you?"
18) Ahh, yes Harry that is a very nice new broom you have there. Didn't know that they existed did you? No, becasue you never got a chance to see them in Diagon Alley. What are they called again Dean? I didn't catch your line saying "Wow! A Firebolt! It's the fastest broom ever!" because you weren't even on screen.
19) Simply amazing the way it's explained about the three friends becoming unregistered Animangi to help the fourth friend, really informative on all the nice little sub-plots JKR had going also. Loved the informitive nature of the movie all togother really. (Please take the time to realize that that was very dry sarcasim.)
20) Certianly not last nor least, is the way Harry gets off the Hogwarts train with a letter from his convicted murderer of a Godfather and gives the Durselys this information and it's the only thing that even gives him a semblance of a life. This obviously isn't important enough to include in the movie.

They've pushed a lot of this into the Fourth movie which is going to make a hell of a long movie if they aren't careful. There were some things I did like but not enough to include them in this post. All in all I hated it and personally if the same person directs the next movie I won't be going to see. I'd liek to know what JKR was thinking when she allowed them to release this "movie".
Edit: What were the heads for? When were they ever mentioned being in the Knight Bus? And since when have shrunken heads become deacoratiosn in the Leaky Cauldron?

[Rhëtit]

Oliver Wood was the biggest blow for me, the very POINT of the Harry Potter movies is to stare at Sean Biggerstaff. The quidditch was a very important part of the book, and almost all of it was cut out. AND PLUS WE DIDN'T GET TO STARE AT SEAN BIGGERSTAFF FOR TWO HOURS!

[HOBBIT]

Was it just me or did the dementors seem very ringwraithesq?


Also, it seemed like all the events took place over several days - not a school year.

They went to a few classes, but no changing seasons, only one quidditch game, no mention of exams OR the end of the school year.

Stupid ending.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by HOBBIT
Was it just me or did the dementors seem very ringwraithesq?

Wel I stated to someone that the way the Dementors were portrayed is the way the Ringwraiths in the sucky Lord of the Rings movies should have been portrayed. More pyschologically terrifying - than physical. When the lake froze or when the ice was shown forming on things - I noticed many people cringing and hiding. In the lord of the Rings - I saw none of that reaction toward the Ringwraiths.


They went to a few classes, but no changing seasons, only one quidditch game, no mention of exams OR the end of the school year.

There were changing seasons - short ones. The tree would brush off the leaves or snow - Hedwig was used to introduced winter.

I think there are problems with the movies - but nothing compared to the attrocities committed in Lord of the Rings.

[Fimbrethil]

I liked the Ringwraiths in LOTR. I thought they did a good job on those. Big, scary, don't mess with me kind of thing. But the way the demndy-whats-its were done they looked kind of...hollow or that there was nothing on under there hoods. Oh, and I have something I don't like about the demndy-whats-its, why did they nearly suck Sirius soul out? I'm also confused about how they managed to do this wihtout lowering there hoods. And why did Sirius astop breathing when they took his soul out? You don't die...oyu just are. IF that makes any sense.
I said before that I didn't like the scene between Harry and Siruis when Sirius is about to escape becasue I didn't think it portaryed there relationship very well...well I still think that of it but it they do the other movies with he and Harry having the same kind of relationship then it'll be okay. It was touching and that scene is the only scene (besides Hermione hitting Malfoy) that I really almost liked.
And why has Malfoy suddenly turned into a snivleing little brat? He was always mean and never very nice nor did he have a butt load of courage but he was never a wimpering little wuss. Just htought I'd that.

[Rhëtit]

I absolutly HATED the way that they portrayed the werewolf. In the book, they tell the differences between the actual wolf and the werewolf and nowhere does it mention that the werewolf was bipedal. I thought it was completly ridiculous. Another thing, they most certainly did not explain the animagus thing well enough. This was a movie for people who've already read the book. If you hadn't read it, you wouldn't know what the hell was going on. Plus, WHERE WAS SEAN BIGGERSTAFF??? Where were the quidditch games? There aren't going to be any in the next movie because of the Triwizard Tournament, so we should have been able to stare at Oliver Wood as much as possib-er, I mean, watched the riveting sport of quidditch as much as possible.

[Lizra]

Heh! Enough complaints....I beginning to look forward to "the show"! At least I can rest easy tonight, knowing it isn't as HORRIBLE as the LoTR "atrocities" :D heh!

[Fimbrethil]

No, it wasn't as horrible as the stuff PJ did to LOTR but that is not enough complaining! I will always hate that movie. And I will never stop compalining about it. Besides no one's answered my question.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Fimbrethil
I liked the Ringwraiths in LOTR. I thought they did a good job on those. Big, scary, don't mess with me kind of thing.
They weren't supposed to be big and scary in that way - they were supposed to be pyschologically terrifying. Where you cring before you even know they are there. The movies never gave you that feeling at all - unlike the dementors at least or Jaws.

[eowyngirl14]

what was your question?

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Fimbrethil
And why has Malfoy suddenly turned into a snivleing little brat? He was always mean and never very nice nor did he have a butt load of courage but he was never a wimpering little wuss. Just htought I'd that.
I don't get that either - he ne would never have cried or looked weak in front of his cronies. I just don't get what they did to Malfoy's character in there.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by eowyngirl14
what was your question?
I think it was who he should replace Lurtz with on the "Vs" thread - since I complained he was included - when he isn't a character from the book. :) I haven't been able to think of BOOK charater to go against Draco though.

I just came up with one - Sandyman. :)

[Treehobbit]

It was pretty bad! I mean the first two were way better. Dudes, ya know Peter Jackson needs to direct these movies?

[HOBBIT]

I saw it a second time and now I rememer the quick season changes - and when it is snowing in the movie he knocks over a bunch of christmas carolers.

But still, the quick changing seasons do not really fit well into the story.

At the beginning of the year there is the boggart and lupin saying "well i guess ill have to teach you" and then AFTER the snow - which would be months later is harry getting his first lesson from him.

[parker1cincy]

I liked it however I felt it was very rused in the middle and they didn't get all the much needed information that's in the books.

[Fimbrethil]

You know, Harry knocking over all those carolers and leaving feet prints(?) would have casue a mass panic. Everyone would have thought it was Sirius.
Where is Ron's new cutesy owl? I liked him.

[Lizra]

His owl reminded me of that kid that was always taking the pictures...Creevey? Both bumbling over acheivers...and cute. :)

[Khamûl]

I must buy this soundtrack. I love the music for the Knight Bus, which someone described as a "schizophrenic Cantina Band". :D The soft theme that is most noticeable when Lupin is talking to Harry on the bridge is gorgeous in an "Across the Stars" way with a hint of "Braveheart" due to the instrumentation. The music in the Renaissance style is brilliant. One of the great things is the wide variety of genres and styles present. And Williams doesn't beat you over the head with what is the most recognizable Harry Potter theme, which is a good thing. Oh yeah, his setting Macbeth to music is great. Anyway, carry on about the evils of the movie. I just had to get that out of my system. :p

[parker1cincy]

Did you know that on the DVD of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban don't expect many deleted scenes (according to Entertainment Weekly). It says that at 2 hours, 21 minutes, Azkaban is the shortest Potter flick yet, despite springing from the longest book of the three-and the cutting happened before a frame of film was shot.

[Fimbrethil]

I will be getting the soudtrack too. I liked the music and that was a very good thing they did with it.
I'm still confused about the shrunken heads though.
What do expect from a movie that cuts out half of the information in the book?

[Millane]

Originally posted by jerseydevil
They weren't supposed to be big and scary in that way - they were supposed to be pyschologically terrifying. Where you cring before you even know they are there. The movies never gave you that feeling at all - unlike the dementors at least or Jaws. I disagree, the psychological aspect of the Ringwraiths was portrayed in the movies, frodo wasnt constipated that was fear;) i loved the way the Ringwraiths were portrayed, they were leaders aswell they didnt just ride around M-e looking for people to mind ****...
im going to see it tommorrer (yes backwards australia is finally getting it:rolleyes: ) im really interested with what this new director will be like, and with a name like Alfonso im expecting a triumph... personally while i have only seen a couple of (un-enticing) pictures of Lupin, i think Gary Oldman as Sirius looks awesome, he has acting ability hopefully it works
:p

[The Gaffer]

I saw it at the weekend. It's my favourite of the three so far (though that might be down to being aff ma pus when I saw it).

The bus was great, and the time thing worked really nicely. They didn't try to overdo it.

Nice, seamless transition to Michael Gambon as Dumbledore

On the down side:
- The kids' acting remains pretty dire, especially Ron. He makes the Double Deckers seem like Richardson and Gielgud. Hermione's probably the best.
- The transition from "Sirius the baddie" to "Sirius the surrogate parent" was clumsy and nonsensical.

Other than that, jolly good fun. Even better seeing it with Dutch subtitles. Can't remember any of them, but they have different names for lots of the characters, presumably to get onomatopoeic and cultural references across. :o

[Daughter of Elros]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Fimbrethil
[1)The acting in the movie sucked! Remus...okay but they could have gotten someone better. And Sirius?

what are you on!? they were brilliant! the acting was superb. Their only faults are being over the age of 40 when remus and sirius are only 33 (Snape as well) in the third book.

5) Sirius as the dog was way to small.

Is your dog a small elephant then?


13) The maurders map would have been way smaller.
yeah.

uh huh. hogwarts on an indexcard. suuuure.

14) Where the heck was Oliver!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????
This I agree on. No olly! for him I mourn

truthfully, some of your opinions are pissing me off- but your sarcasm is rather amusing. :)

All in all I hated it and personally if the same person directs the next movie I won't be going to see. I'd liek to know what JKR was thinking when she allowed them to release this "movie".

oh, grow up- was better than the first two under chris columbus! also- Is JKR's fav, movie (her website)

in response to the second bit- Alfonso Cuaron is a brilliant, man, but he will rather unfortunately not be directing teh fourth movie (wehich is already filming and being directed by Mike Newell. good luck to you, mr. Newell.)

[sirigorn]

Well, Cuaron did say he might be coming back for a later one, Daughter of Elros. And when you told Fimbrethil to grow up and what you said about being pissed off- that pissed me off. People are entitled to their own opinins, and please don't say that. Disagreeing is fine, as long as you don't get mean. Sorry, I'm a mod on another site, my modliness is showing through. I don't want to be mean either, but please stay nice.

I'm tired to complaining about he movie! What did you like? Am I the only one who said a lot of what they liked about it?

~Siri~

[Daisy Baggins]

I found the movie to be disappointing. Cuaron left so much out of the movie that it would be hard or impossible for someone who hadn't read the books to make sense of a lot of things. Cuaron also seemed more interested in how Harry, Ron, and Hermione were growing up and interacting with each than showing the magical world of Harry Potter. Harry Potter without the magic is not very interesting.

P.S. They announced six months or more ago that Sean Biggerstaff would not be in this movie, but they never said why he was left out. :(

[Tessar]

Hummm I liked it.

I felt that all the actors, except for Ron's father and the new Dumbledor, were all very strong.

A few bits where there should've been more 'emotion' from the actors, but all and all a good job on everyone's part I thought.

I loved the Dementors. They were 'well done' rip offs of the nazgul.

[Rhëtit]

Seeeeeeeeeeaaaan!!! I missed Oliver Wood more than anything. But I completly agree with Daisy Baggins. They certainly didn't explain the animagus thing very well... That greatly upset me. And I thought that the dementors were just supposed to you...glide. These were flying like kites!

[HOBBIT]

Well - I think the movies are pretty much made for the enjoyment of the fans.

Yes the book are much better, but it can't be helped.


The movie was true to the book - just it didn't include all the book and left out A LOT.

If it had like every scene in and every detail in (like HP 1 and 2), it would have been like 4-5 hours.

We should expect seeing more details get cut from the movies - they probably don't want each movie to be too long and the books just get progressively longer (and the movies seem to be getting shorter).

[Fimbrethil]

Originally posted by Daughter of Elros
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Fimbrethil
[1)The acting in the movie sucked! Remus...okay but they could have gotten someone better. And Sirius?

what are you on!? they were brilliant! the acting was superb. Their only faults are being over the age of 40 when remus and sirius are only 33 (Snape as well) in the third book.

5) Sirius as the dog was way to small.

Is your dog a small elephant then?


13) The maurders map would have been way smaller.
yeah.

uh huh. hogwarts on an indexcard. suuuure.

14) Where the heck was Oliver!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????
This I agree on. No olly! for him I mourn

truthfully, some of your opinions are pissing me off- but your sarcasm is rather amusing. :)

All in all I hated it and personally if the same person directs the next movie I won't be going to see. I'd liek to know what JKR was thinking when she allowed them to release this "movie".

oh, grow up- was better than the first two under chris columbus! also- Is JKR's fav, movie (her website)

in response to the second bit- Alfonso Cuaron is a brilliant, man, but he will rather unfortunately not be directing teh fourth movie (wehich is already filming and being directed by Mike Newell. good luck to you, mr. Newell.)

Well, it's a relief that someone different is doing it then. And if you remember in the book they described Sirius as the sive of a bear almost. And I'm terribly sorry if it was JKR's fav movie and I thought it was crap. And the maruaders map was never described as being page upon page it wasn't an index card either.
If you had bothered to read or to post the rest of number one then you would have realized that I wan't really putting the actors down! Go back and read the rest of it. I do thank you for liking my sarcasim however.
I am the one who needs to grow up am I? Funny...seeing as you're the one attacking my oppions and my veiw on things. You don't hear me saying that you are a complete and total wack job for liking the movie or anyone else who liked it for that matter. I have not said anyhting of the sort only told them and you what I think. Now it's my turn t obe pissed becasue you are being ignorarnt and an idiot for basically telling I shouldn't express how I feel about somthting and the person who directs it. And I personnally loved the first two. Now, I'm not calling you a wack job (once again) for liking them am I? Now, Daughter of Elros, who needs to grow up? Next time you attack someones oppion like that, think twice about waht you say and how oyu say it!

[Fimbrethil]

I'm sorry DOE. I take back the way I said htose things but not what I said. I was angery at the time and hadn't read Sirigorn's post berating you yet. Thank you Sirigorn.

I did like the music and Buckbeak. He was cool. While alot of stuff was messed up I htink most of it was the script writers fault so now I will (pnce again) complement the actors.
Though I didn't like who they cast as Remus and Sirius and I htink they could have gotten someone better those two did a spectaulare job with what they were offered to work with. I did like some of the funny lines that were put in there that wenr't in the book.

Does that make anyone happy?

[Rhëtit]

There are some other things that they left out that I missed, other than Sean Biggerstaff (*sniffle*), I didn't think that they gave Sir Cadogan a big enough part and that was one of my favorite parts of the book, he was hilarious! They really glazed over way too much of it, and I was highly dissapointed when I went to see it with Fimbrethil, she can account for all of my swearing as I watched it. Another thing...WHERE WAS OLIVER WOOD?? He had such a major part, and I missed him so...::breaks down crying::

[gimli7410]

im glad i didnt payfor that movie,what a peice of ****, the whole scenery was changedso it was hard togetfamiliar with, didnt stick to wel to the book,it was really rushed at the begining and the middle and it finally sloweddonw abit at the end which is the onlypart i liked.i always saw lupin as abit olderlooking,moreworn out, kinda like a young albert einstein. i didnt know dementors could fly either:rolleyes:. some things i liked was that dumbledorewas pretty good but i still think richard harris is better, he looked more wiser and was a bit slower, and the hippogriff was good. over allthough i didnt enjoy it

edit:as you can tell my spacebar is ****ed up. sorry

[Fimbrethil]

I have a question. Marge flew outside when she was inflated didn't she? I remember that part. Good hting no ever looks out their windows in Little Whinging huh? Hmmm...I've covered most of what I didn't like.
Some of the lines were funny though. They were appealing to a younger audience I think. Maybe that's just me. and yes Rhetit didn't like it. She was very very angery when we left the theater.

[sun-star]

Well, I finally saw it and I actually liked it. I was expecting to hate it after everything I'd read about it (and after the disasters of the first two films), but this one was a lot better. Hogwarts looks a lot better, IMO, and the child actors have improved. Lupin and Sirius were great (though Timothy Spall wasn't as good as he usually is) and I liked new Dumbledore too. I loved the Marauder's Map and all the 'arty' bits - the clock tower, all the landscape shots, the way the seasons changed etc.

So overall, pretty good. Though the werewolf looked weird - and there wasn't enough about James! For me the whole book is about the friendship between the Marauders and its legacy for Harry, and they didn't explain enough about that. But that might just be because I'm obsessed with James ;)

And I loved the music! Especially Lupin's jazz :D

[old scholar]

i feel very dissapionted with the movie and feel that to much backstory about james´s gang was left out and for people who have not read the book it makes no sense whatsoever . I hope that the fourth movie does not turn out to be so horrendous and actually explains the story. i did not like the new Dumbledore. he seemd so aloof to the situation and i believe that the new actor has changed the character from the first two movies for the worse

[Fimbrethil]

At the end of the movie when Dumbldore's supposed to have to Sirius and then he comes in and is tlaking to Harry and co. has he talked to Sirius yet? He seemed clueless and that he suddenly knew what was going on just becasue Harry and co. shouted that the man was inocent.

Perhaps it's just my imagination.

How are they going to do the next movie with the amount of information that was left out in htis one?

In the Sheirking Shack when Harry and co. are talking with Srius and co. and half of Sirius's shirt is open....waht in the world does he have on his chest and arms? They looked like tatoos! And just so you don't think I'm bonkers if any of you missed that...Rhetit saw it too! She won't be here for two weeks...she's gone to nature camp. But does anyone else knwo what they are?

[Linaewen]

I saw the movie today (Public Holiday :D) and in general I really liked it. The main issue I have with it (apart from the character portrayals of, say, Lupin etc) is the lack of substance to the storyline. They DID skip way too much detail, I know my friends were confused, especially the one who hadn't read the books beforehand.

My complaints are mostly in line with those which others have posted- about the Dementors, Sirius snarling at Harry (What the?) and Lupin (and that totally subtle Moon boggart). Lupin was ok, but I think they could've cast a better person. Lupin is my favourite character. :p

[sirigorn]

I did see the tattoos or whatever they are. And I'm just as confused as you are, Fimbrethil.

[Beruthiel's cat]

I saw the movie yesterday with two friends -- one who is not familiar with Harry Potter apart from the movies (she hasn't read the books) and one who is a Harry Potter fanatic (read the books and seen the movies numerous times -- nearly a Snape fan-girl...)

I am in the middle. I've read all the books and seen all the movies, but I'm no expert.

Anyway, the friend who isn't as familiar with HP enjoyed the movie very much. She thought it was very good and atmospheric and enjoyed the effects, scenery and the way the plot unfolded. It was not really confusing to her and she didn't feel disappointed.

The other friend liked it but felt there were too many ommisions from the book. She felt that several characters were short-changed, wasn't sure she liked the new Dumbledore and was sorry more couldn't have been done to make it more like the book.

I thought the music was outstanding, I loved the map, and like the brooding moodiness of the setting (although the grounds have certainly changed a great deal from the first two films). I also liked Lupin and Sirius and though Thewlis and Oldman gave wonderful performances.

Yes, the young actors are growing up. (Goodness, Neville!! Look at you!!!) But people do grow and change. That is to be expected. I think they all did a fine job.

My biggest problem is how Crookshanks' role was given short-shrift. He was very important in the book, and in the movie was only used as a point of contention between Ron and Hermione. Of course, I'm a bit sensitive about how cats are treated, being far to fanatical about them for my own good, I suppose...

But that was my biggest problem. I wanted to see Crookshanks, tail held high, leading them to the tunnel under the Whomping Willow!!!

[Fimbrethil]

Yeah...that part bugged me to. In my oppion they didn't get the point of Ron and Hermione being at each other across enough. Here's my interpertation of it: "Hey! Your cat ate my rat!"
"He did not and you can't prove it!"
"Yeah well I'm still mad at you!"
"OK then."
Hagrid: "Look a rat! Hey! It's Scabbers!"

The biggest problem with that is they seem to over exaggert the fact that those two are in "love". They never really clashed like they were supposed to in this movie but they have in the past.

[AntiXZer01]

I will start by saying that overall I liked this movie. There were some high, and low points to this movie. I however have not read a single Harry Potter book so I am not completely sure what was left out!? About the story all I can say is that it seemed rather short and unlike the usual Harry Potter style. The whole beggining seemed unnecessary due to the rest of the film. Allow me to explain, in the first and second film you see Harry at home with his aunt and uncle and then a resonable speed of transition to Hogwarts. A stop at the train station, Daigon Ally(sorry i don't know the spelling), and other places. After this Harry is at Hogwarts school, misheif happens, Harry saves the day, plays some quiddich, and then finally goes back home. In this film it was more like a story of a day. The first at home scenes did not transition well, and suddenly Harry was at school fighting Dementors, and Werewolves, and Prisoner Dogs! Immediatly after that Harry is forzen on the screen for an ending! After not reading the books im not sure what was left out but I am very sure that too much was left out!!! To be honest I am a student of film and would rather sit there four hours to see a good Harry Potter film than a quick two hour cutting room rough draft! This is my problem with the main theme, the theme of removing too much from book to film and not making an effective story!
Yet there were some good things I think, I very much like the darker more adult feel to the Harry Potter film. The first two seemed a little too Junior High for my taste. This one was dark and sinister. I very much like the Dementors(yes the first thing i thought of was The Witchking and Nazgul) but they looked pretty evil on their own. I also liked the marauders map it was a pretty cool little trinket. The special effects such as the Bogart(again not sure of the spelling) were pretty nice, changing form to Alan Rickman, spiders with skates, and the full moon!
Another aspect I liked very much about the film is something I hope to see in the future films as well, as much of the same cast as possible! Understandably Dumbeldore had to be changed due to an untimely death, but if Radcliffe, Grint, or Watson leave the project I will not see another film. I think the casting of Sirius Black and Professor Lupin. I think that Gary Oldman should have had more parts and is an excellent actor in any film he is in.
All in all I was entertained by this film, I understand there must be changes from book to film and so I try not to judge to harshly. That is my two cents and im sticking to it.

[Fimbrethil]

I htink that the first two movies were supposed to feel a little junior highish. You know? Because Harry was only what? 11 and 12? So they've all really grown up in respect to the movie and real life.

[azalea]

Originally posted by Beruthiel's cat
-- nearly a Snape fan-girl...)



So I'm not the only one! Boy, did Alan Rickman look good!:cool: (The guy who played Lupin wasn't too bad, either!)

I have never read the books (although I always intended to at some point), nor did I see the first two movies, but my mother-in-law wanted to see it, so we went. I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Maybe now I know how those people who hadn't read LotR felt after seeing the FotR. :D )

From the perspective of a virtual Potter newbie (I was familiar with some stuff because of my husband's brother and sister being fans, and from poking my head in this forum occasionally), I thought it was fantastic: the acting, the scenery, the effects, all of it! I will definately be reading the books now as soon as I can get my hands on the first one. I hadn't seen the first two movies because they did seem to be kind of "kid movies," plus I had wanted to read the books first. But I'm glad I saw this one.

I'm sure there's a lot I didn't fully "get" because of omissions from the book, but I didn't really notice. And I loved Dumbledore, myself, not having seen Harris play him.

I guess you might be seeing more of me in this forum now that I'll be reading the books, and you can laugh and point at all of my newbie questions.;)

[Beruthiel's cat]

Originally posted by azalea
So I'm not the only one! Boy, did Alan Rickman look good!:cool: (The guy who played Lupin wasn't too bad, either!)

I have never read the books (although I always intended to at some point), nor did I see the first two movies, but my mother-in-law wanted to see it, so we went. I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Maybe now I know how those people who hadn't read LotR felt after seeing the FotR. :D )...

I guess you might be seeing more of me in this forum now that I'll be reading the books, and you can laugh and point at all of my newbie questions.;)

The other friend I went with hadn't read any of the books and she wasn't confused, either, and didn't feel like she had missed anything.

I like Alan Rickman, too, but not to the extent my friend Kathie does. He's a very good actor and perfect for Snape.

I hope we do see more of you here, Azalea!!

[mithrand1r]

I liked the movie, though it did seem a bit rushed in the middle with probably some glossing over done (compared to the book).

I never read the book and only saw all three Potter films this past weekend.

The films are enjoyable. I will probable read the books now to see what I have missed.

One error (not related to plot) I noticed in the 3rd film: Harry's scar (AKA Mark of Zorro ;)) moved from one side of his forehead to the other. (occured during the part where Lupin was trying to teach the ridiculous spell, where Snape is dressed in Grandma's clothing)

Probably flipped the film at this point.

The jousting game ("quidditch" sp?) reminded me of SW:ROTJ scout bikes.

While HP is not the same as LOTR it is enjoyable in its own right. (as a movie anyway :))

[cee2lee2]

Finally saw The Prisoner of Azkaban last Friday with my hubbie. (It was raining out so we could go....hubbie won't go to the movies if it's nice out and he can go outside to play :D )

He has never read the books and I've read them several times. He thought the movie was just fine but I was somewhat disappointed over how much was left out. He did find parts of it confusing until I explained some of the stuff that was left out. He thought the shift from Sirius wanting to kill Harry to Sirius as Harry's friend/godfather/protector was not well explained. He thought the dementors were just a rip-off of the Nazgul, but based on the description in the books, what else could they look like? I was just rolling my eyes at them flying.

My problem was that I had just finished reading the book again. So much was left out, which others have already mentioned, and parts of it felt quite rushed. And some of the changes seemed pointless. (Why have Harry sneak into the 3 Broomsticks by himself?) If I think of it just as a movie, and not as an adaption of a book involving characters I'm quite fond of, then I'm not so disappointed.

[IronParrot]

Wrote a review a while back but never posted it here.

Link (http://www.ualberta.ca/~ntam/2004_06_01_archive.html#108699743993631495)

Excerpts (didn't bother retagging the links and italics, though - it's more readable on the original page):

The Philosopher's Stone was a screen test: the characters were cast, the sets were built, and we saw the definition of some design conventions that would guide how J.K. Rowling's imagination would look on film. The Chamber of Secrets was a exercise in refining the execution, with more attention to visual effects and cinematography, and served as a vehicle for Chris Columbus to develop as a director. But now, at long last, we have Alfonso Cuaron's The Prisoner of Azkaban: the first real Harry Potter movie.

For the first time, we have a Harry Potter film that not only feels complete, but achieves what made the books the phenomenon they are - a balance of gleeful entertainment and meticulous artistry. Steve Kloves' adaptation of Rowling's third novel cuts its losses and accepts that some things only work on paper - something that he did to a lesser extent with the first two films - but the big difference is what Cuaron did and Columbus did not, which is recognize there is a lot of unfulfilled cinematic potential lying in the fact that conversely, some things only work on film. Azkaban actively takes advantage of cinema as a medium of expression, and adds a whole new dimension of what the magic of Potter is all about: imagination.

Take, for example, the way the cutting room tackles the passage of time. Because the Potter novels each last a full academic year in what can be perceived as a rather serial fashion, jumping from summer vacation to the first day of school to Halloween to Christmas, there are some inherent pacing issues to resolve. While the first two films negotiate this with jump-cuts that drop requisite visual clues like holiday decorations and the presence or absence of snow, the seasonal transitions in Azkaban are demarcated by a recurring visual gag involving the Whomping Willow, The effect is not only charming, but also serves the literary function of reminding the audience that the Willow is there, and acting as a framework for structural coherence.

...

That is what sets The Prisoner of Azkaban apart: its embrace of the medium of cinema defines a magical tone and atmosphere that its predecessors did not possess. Because of this, it stands out as an independent work of art in its own right, instead of relying entirely on Rowling's contributions alone. The Marauder's Map is far more than just a leaf of parchment with moving labeled dots on it; it unfolds in all manner of directions like Hogwarts itself, movements are traced with tiny pattering footprints, and the labels themselves are stylized to fit a medieval aesthetic. The Invisibility Cloak is no longer just a close-up of Harry traipsing around under a semi-transparent cloak; it does not stop him from leaving revealing footprints in the snow. The climax is bookended by shots that pass out of Hogwarts and back in through the gears of a large and very symbolic clock, and its initiation - when Hermione activates the Time Turner - is without question the single best moment I have seen in any film this year, a shot that trumps its counterparts in even the most legendary movies that involve the manipulation of time.

...

What holds the film back is the difficulty of reconciling a consistent linear structure and pace with the complexity of Rowling's book. In The Prisoner of Azkaban in particular, Rowling constructs her plots very much in the style of Agatha Christie, dropping seemingly unrelated clues to a grand and sinister mystery for ninety percent of a work, then tying them all together in a singular denouement that answers every lingering question in one fell swoop. Even the 1974 film of Christie's Murder on the Orient Express discovered that with so many interrelated clues, the adaptation process that leads to a coherent screenplay is a game of pick-up-sticks. The remedy that screenwriter Kloves tries this time around, which peels off a few of the outer layers of the mystery and spreads the rest of it out so as to achieve a relatively even distribution of clues and solutions, is an improvement upon the last two films in the sense that the adaptation work seems considered right from pre-production and not in the cutting room; however, the consequence is a barrage of abrupt revelations and name-dropping that would be an information glut for all but those who have a thorough memory of the original work.

...

The biggest omission in the film is a critical one, and sorely missed, which is that the identities of Mooney (sic), Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are never revealed, and Remus Lupin never explains how it is he knows how to operate the Marauder's Map, even though Snape's implicit line about Harry getting it "straight from the manufacturers" (in a perfectly executed staging of the scene where Snape catches the boy wizard out of bed at night) remains intact. It would have taken a minute - just one question from our dear inquiring Harry, and an answer in return. It is only excusably problematic that the details of how the whole matter of betrayal and the Secret Keeper charm are never explained, but an understanding of the roles of Lupin, Pettigrew and Black in relation to James Potter is key to what Azkaban contributes to the grander saga, which is an introduction to the dynamic of the parental generation, as well as a clue to the form of either Potter's Patronus.

It should be emphasized that we do see individual scenes that go into the various relationships with the elder Potter on a one-on-one level. A delightful chat between Lupin and Harry about the latter's parents whilst all the other students are at Hogsmeade, a scene not in the book, may well be what Rowling referred to as the unintended clue to Book Six. Still, it would have been nice to see such a vital clue tie it all together. As it stands, the fact that Lupin could read the Marauder's Map at all is a plot hole; and while tackling the Shrieking Shack as a ten-minute dialogue sequence would not have been feasible, whittling it down does make it look like Harry trusts Black's side of the story far too quickly.

These complaints aside, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is in every way a superior film compared to its two precursors, and the first one that is not only highly watchable, but a lot of fun. No longer does it feel like the whole affair probably looks a lot better on set than it does on screen; and finally, we see some literacy in the language that is unique to cinema. While The Chamber of Secrets was developing this communicative aptitude with key scenes like Tom Riddle's diary and the fight with the Basilisk, now we have an entire movie that does J.K. Rowling justice, a movie that captures the dark, yet lively spirit of Harry Potter from beginning to end. It could have been longer without penalty, but that does not stop it from already being a must-see for veteran Potterheads and non-fans alike.