OotP--The Movie!

[mysid]

I finally made it to see OotP. I've been reading it to my children in preparation, and we're almost done. We arrived an hour early at the theater to snag good seats, so my hubby wisely suggested that I bring the book with us. We ended up being the first ones in, and the theater staff cleaning up after the previous showing seemed to get a kick out of me reading the second to last chapter to my kids while we waited for the movie to begin.

I'm very glad that I had read it to them before we went. K and P are only seven, and I was worried that the movie would be too frightening. P did cower a bit during the dementor attack (hid inside his hooded sweatshirt and peeked out), but I whispered a reminder that Harry would be fine. From that point on, he didn't seem frightened even once. K usually pesters me with "Why....?" every five minutes during a movie, but she got all of her questions out during our reading.

Does anyone still need this spoiler protected? Probably not, but just to be on the safe side...

Overall, I liked it. They did an excellent job condensing a very long book into movie-length. The entire sequence of educational decrees going up on the wall interspersed with D.A. meetings made neat work of the middle of the book. Also, good use of Daily Prophet headlines. (Very retro.)

Luna was wonderful. The girl who played her was perfect in the part. I did appreciate that Luna's little scene with Harry and the thestrals nipped Harry's moody emo-teenagerness in the bud; she saved us much suffering through caps lock-Harry. (Unfortunately, she came off so quirky-sweet that I foresee a veritable tsunami of Harry/Luna fics about to crash down upon us.)

Neville really came into his own this time around, didn't he? It was good to see. He even got a few of Ron's lines. (ex. In the book, it's Ron who points out that Harry's name is on a prophecy; in the movie, it's Neville. It's not important who says it, but it was obviously done to give him a line in the scene.) I loved that it was Neville who convinces Harry that they should all go to London together; it's as much Neville's fight as it is Harry's.

I was dreading that we might get hit over the head with hints of Remus/Tonks, so I was relieved to be spared. Missing out on seeing Remus/Sirius's joint Christmas gift to Harry was a small price to pay for being spared a theoretical Remus/Tonks snuggling on the sofa drinking Christmas eggnog. But why didn't Remus get to be part of the "rescue party" who save Harry from Privet Drive? That was just blatently unfair to poor Remus.

Regulus? They included the Black family tree and no mention of Regulus? Idiots.

My one pet peeve in the movie--"James." In the book, Sirius never calls Harry "James," nor, despite Molly's accusations, does he act like he thinks Harry is James. So for the movie makers to have Sirius misspeak in that way--and at that moment is just plain wrong. Horrendously wrong.

Did you notice? In the movie, Bellatrix hits Sirius not with a Stunning Spell, but with the Killing Curse. It may not be canonically correct, but it's a more dignified death than being "done in by drapery."

Oh, and I loved that when Voldy tried to use the shattered glass against Dumbledore and Harry, Dumbledore de-evolved (if you will) the glass into sand. It looked cool, and it was a nifty reminder that Dumbledore used to be a transfiguration teacher.

PS--Almost forgot to mention: Bellatrix liiicking the Dark Mark on her arm. It really captures the idea of her obsessive devotion to Lord Snake-eyes, doesn't it. (And puts me in mind of all those fics in which Bella loves making her lord happy--very happy.)

Comments

[rwday.livejournal.com]

Yes, the no Regulus thing was odd - especially if RAB from the locket is Regulus, which I think it must be.

I actually hated that they had Bella use Avada Kedavra - it took away any ambiguity about whether Sirius was really dead (which I suppose was the point - JKR's answer to the 'Bring back Black' crowd) and also took away a lot of what I considered the tragedy of his death. In canon, it appears that he was just stunned and fell through the Veil and is trapped there - I consider that far worse than a clean death through AK.

Plus, it irked me that if the Death Eaters are going to be using the Killing Curse, why not use it on everyone? The only time I heard the words 'Avada Kedavra' in that scene was Bellatrix to Sirius. You'd think the DEs would want to kill as many Order members as possible.

So for the movie makers to have Sirius misspeak in that way--and at that moment is just plain wrong. Horrendously wrong.

I didn't really interpret that as Sirius mixing up Harry and James in any meaningful way. Sirius was under stress, dueling as he probably hadn't since Voldemort's last rise when it would have been James by his side. It was a slip of the tongue, similar to what most parents have done in calling their kids by the wrong names. I've called my son by my brother's name, my daughter by the names of all three of her half-sisters. It doesn't mean I'm seriously confused about their identities.

I have to agree

[disby.livejournal.com]

Names can be pretty confusing sometimes, especially at the time when one is too much into the situation....it doesn't mean mistaken identities!
I was wondering about the usage of AK as the cause of death up until I reached the point where Luna tells Harry "What we've lost find their way back to us mysteriously..." or something like that. Was that purely the screenplay talking or is Ms.Rowling trying to give us an obvious hint?!

Re: Getting back what we've lost

[mysid.livejournal.com]

I interpretted Luna's comment about getting back what we've lost as meaning that Harry will be reunited with Sirius (and James and Lily) in death. Being reunited with his parents is what he desires most (so says the Mirror of Erised), and death is the only way that's going to happen.

Re: Getting back what we've lost

[disby.livejournal.com]

Bright little ray of sunshine, aren't you?! Go on and burst my bubble:(

Just a little ray of sunshine

[mysid.livejournal.com]

Sirius coming back from the veil--that's what fanfic is for.

[mysid.livejournal.com]

I didn't really interpret that as Sirius mixing up Harry and James in any meaningful way.

If this were real life, I'd agree; I call my kids by each other's names all the time, but this isn't real life. They deliberately wrote that slip of the tongue into the movie script although there was no similar slip anywhere in the novel. I can only interpret that the screenwriters agreed with Molly that Sirius sometimes forgot that Harry wasn't James. I, however, do not agree and resent that they wrote it in.

And yes, Regulus is RAB. Of that, I am 100% certain.

[secretsolitaire.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I loved that when Voldy tried to use the shattered glass against Dumbledore and Harry, Dumbledore de-evolved (if you will) the glass into sand. It looked cool, and it was a nifty reminder that Dumbledore used to be a transfiguration teacher.

Hmm, this is a cool observation! Action scenes tend to blur together for me, so I'm glad you pointed this out.

It may not be canonically correct, but it's a more dignified death than being "done in by drapery."

This is a good point!

Also, I agree with you re: Sirius calling Harry James. That just rubbed me the wrong way.

[kawaii-tenshi27.livejournal.com]

The movies, in general, kind of hurt my soul, or, rather, the hole where my soul once was, but they all have their moments. I liked the development of Neville, and I liked Luna (I didn't think she really fit the book character, but I thought she was fantastic anyway, and was perfect in her own way - it's not necessary to be exactly like the book, as long as it works). I hated Umbridge - by which I mean I thought she was great - though I admit I'm biased, as I've liked Imelda Staunton for ages. And, oh! the brief moments of Sirius and Remus! ::cackles:: They were few and far between, but lovely anyway! I still don't approve of the movie version of Remus, but Gary Oldman makes me a happy me, just as he always does.