John's spoilerous review
One of the many advantages I have with the Harry Potter movies is that I haven't read the books. This means each movie is a delight to behold, keeps me guessing and surprised and I don't spend the whole 2-3 hours going "Where's that bit? Why have they cut that character?" and then telling people like me to 'read the books because there's more going on'.
What was clear from the movie of OotP, was that the plot clearly couldn't justify 800-odd pages
of book. The plot is simple. The Ministry of Magic decide to surpress growing fears surroundnig Potter and his assertation that Voldemort is back, by cracking down on Hogwarts and Dumbledore. The teenagers fight back in a 'we'll put the show on right here!' style by learning magical defence themselves, which gets them into trouble with a delightfully sadistic Imelda Staunton. Surprise, surprise, the Ministry's being manipulated by the dark lord himself and forces Harry into breaking into the Ministry to steal his own 'prophecy' (more on how awful this is later). This Harry and the Famous Five do, only to end up in a big fight with Rafe Fiennes and defeat Voldemort with the power of love and friendship, a resolution as old as the Care Bears Movie.
So it's clear that Rowling had to invent the Quidditch bits to give Ron something to do and fill out a few hundred pages. In that respect I'm glad they ditched it from the movie as mercifully the movie comes in at only two hours.
However there is something missing here and that's the sense of wonder. When I think back to Azkaban, I think of the magnificent Hippogriff, brilliantly realised by London's Framestore. Or the Cinesite realisation of the underwater scenes in Goblet of Fire. Most of this stuff seemed to be missing in Phoenix, it is only the Ministry of Magic that really made you go 'wow' and then only for a few seconds. When are we going to see an X-Wing style dogfight on broomsticks across the London nightsky?
As for the new characters, well he cops off with Cho Chang only to have the useless girl sell him out (thus one assumes setting up a string of 'trust issues' Harry will have around women who aren't his Mother). Better was Luna Lovegood, a loopy Irish girl who you assume is going to betray the group because she has blonde hair. More Luna please.
Overall 4/5 - not as good as Azkaban or Goblet of Fire, but better than the first two run-arounds. Let's hope something a bit more substantial happens in the next one...
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4 comments:
I reckon that the film is actually better than the book, which is a bit of a slog.
Yes, I think the movie zipped along, which is good.
Yes but the direction was very choppy and the characters very wooden in their acting. Harry is a lot more emotional, which does get annoying in the book, but still, a little bit of emo would have added depth to his teenage angst issues in this movie.
Oh god, we don't need the angst!
Those parts when he's writhing around in his sleep having some terrible wet dream are funny enough.
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