Wednesday, December 14, 2005

The Movie Version is Not So Magical...


I had finally watched 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'. And here is some of my views about the movie. I think that the movie is quite okey but I think everything in the movie is too fast. The return of Voldemort, the Triwizard Tournament! All exciting, but somewhat rushed. I notice that the Harry Potter movies are getting darker and darker... it's more like a triller. I think that the character, Professor Dumbledore is kind of uncalm and aggresive compared to the first movie. In the first movie, he is actually a character that is wise and calm. Dumbledore practically attacks Harry after learning he is the forth champion. Dumbledore acting like a raving lunatic, half ripping off Harry's head when his name pops out of the goblet. His whole character came off as harsh in this film. Totally ridiculious!!! I knew that it's quite impossible to follow the whole story of the book because there's too much details in the book. I personally think that the movie is quite okey. But compared to the first movie, I think that the first one is better. The reason is that the first one is simply more magical. By the way, I think that everything in the movie is too fast. In a word, it felt "rushed". There were too many litlle things that make Harry's world magical that were left out. There is a lot of scenes in the book that had been removed (simply because the books is getting thicker and thicker). And an extra half hour is exactly what was needed. A two and a half hour movie is not enough. The movie was only 2 ½ hours, maybe if they had made it 3 hours, it would have been great.

I think the fact that Harry is already at the Burrow is an unbelievably bad way to start the movie. The movie starts out with Harry being woken up at Ron's on the morning they are going to travel to the World Cup. By the way, where is Winky and Dobby? I thought both of them appear in the book. I loved the action set pieces in this movie...the Dragon challenge was exceptional, and the underwater sequences were perfect, but the maze...It could have been so much scarier. The beasts and creatures that challenge Harry and the others....missing. I expects the four Triwizard Champions to face tougher challenges. There should be magical creatures in the maze. Harry Potter actually faced with a Dementor ( a boggart) and a Blast-Ended Skrewt in the maze. But none of the creatures appeared in the movie. Just a bunch of running, high winds, an imperius Krum and some aggressive roots. It felt like it was over in 5 minutes. No drama, no feeling of danger. There was no point system with the Triwizard Tournament. They just said that Harry was tied for first place. If I had not read the books I would have no idea how he was in first place because scores were not given in the first task and he was second in the second task. Besides that, I'm quite disappointed that they didn't even shown much about the Quidditch World Cup. Where's the Omnioculars? It's like it's done in a hurry. It's just disappointing to anyone who has read the books. But I must say that the visual effects of the movie is brilliant. There a lot of jokes and funny moments that were added into the movie.

There is not enough emotions in Cho crying over Cedric, or Barty Crouch’s “I have no son.” When Dumbledore uses the name of he who should not be named, students don’t shudder. It's like no one is afraid of Lord Voldemort anymore. How can the Patel twins be able to be in the same common room if they are in different houses? Where were the woods Harry and the Weasleys were to hide in when the Death Eaters attacked? The Death Eaters show up but they're not bouncing muggles, they're torching all the camp sites. There is no Winky, no Dobby, no fat lady, no maurader’s map, no blast-ended skrewts, no goblins, no sphinx, no boggarts. There is no Ludo Bagman, no Bertha Jorkins, no Percy, no Mrs. Crouch, no Mrs. Weasley, no Professor Trelawney, no beetle Skeeter, and no Sirius Black and I think that the movie isn't really that magical.......... This movie didn't really capture the total spirit of the book.

There were so many changes from the book that it just didn't make sense. Most everything they cut out is important in the following book, The Order of the Phoenix. I wonder how the next movie will be? Tough job for the next director....
Rating : C+

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

perfect explananation . i solemly agree with you.

k.n.g