*** Official HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Ernest Rister]

"Bassed on the comments mentioned before me, that it was not clear to me that Emma Thompson's character was a "fraud".

She's not a fraud. Not really, anyway - she just can't control her divination...most of the time, she's blowing hot air, but when the muse hits her, not only is she spot on, but as seen in Order of the Phoenix, she can be vitally important to Harry's struggle.

 

[John_McKittrick]

Overall a wonderful visual movie. But there were serious elements taken out of the book that could have added much more emotionalism to it.

For one thing, I can't believe they didn't film Gryffindor winning the Quittich cup. That was without at doubt the single most emotional experience in the book. It was the happiest day of Harry's life. I understand people are getting tired of the game, but in GoF you won't have any Quittich at all except the world cup. A greater event takes place.

Also, the ending. I'm sorry but Columbus' endings were much better and more grand. Harry flying away with a new Firebolt without any explanation as to why Sirius bought it for him is uncalled for. Someone also mentioned the signed permission slip from Sirius allowing Harry to go to Hogsmeade. Why they didn't include that in the movie is beyond me, especially since so much emphasis is placed on him not being able to go without it.

I'll rank this film as the 2nd best so far with CoS being the better film. I'm counting on GoF to be much better. That is by far the best book in the series so far.

John

 

[Kevin Grey]

Why was any explanation needed? Harry's broomstick was broke and Sirius, his godfather, bought him a new one. It showed that Sirius is out there looking after him. I thought moving the receiving of the broomstick from the middle to the end was a fine change. Agree about the permission slip, though- that should have been mentioned.

The Quidditch cup is a non-issue in the movies. Neither of the two previous movies have mentioned Gryffindor's failure to win the cup nor have the featured more than one match. Consequently there has been no development of Harry's overwhelming desire to win the cup (and Harry's great love of Quidditch at that). To insert it into Azbakan would have required an entire subplot of the competition, Harry's training, etc.

As for endings, I think that Sorceror's Stone's was great but you can only do the whole House Cup, goodbye, etc so many times. I thought Azbakan's ending was far better than Secret's schmaltzy Hagrid slow-clap. With the exception of that godawful final freeze frame- what was Cuaron thinking?

 

[Patrick Sun]

I didn't have a problem with the freeze frame at the end, though it did feel like an homage to other films showing someone's glee in the end.

 

[Sean Laughter]

I have no real ill-feelings towards the first two HP films, I just never thought they were anything special. I've also just started reading the books and am starting on CoS now, so my opinions come across from a non-reader at this point. However, I enjoyed this film much more than the last two. CoS specifically just really dragged for me at the end, the whole sequence in the Chamber and then the overly sentimental final feast.

The visual style of PoA was a welcome change for me. Unfortunately, I was in the very front row when I saw it (theater was packed) and didn't get the best view of it, so the final freeze frame didn't really bother me as I didnt see it very well. I just thought the whole visual style kind of fit with the fact that Harry knows pretty much through the whole movie that Sirius had something to do with his parents' death. So it's kind of like a cloud or darkness over him and the look reflects that. Unlike the first two books where Voldemort pops up at the end and goes "Boo!!! Gotcha!" and no one was the wiser that he was involved until then.

I also almost entertained the thought that John Williams didn't do the score to this one until I saw the credits, since it sounded so different to me from the last two. Again, a welcome change, and quite possibly the first time in a decade I've heard something from Williams that I couldn't immediately peg as being done by him.

I was pleasantly surprised that Hermione had more to do in this one than in the last (as I haven't read the book yet), I was grateful as she and Ron are far me interesting to me than Harry - at least in the films, so maybe that's a reflection on Radcliffe's performance more than the characters.

In any event, I really liked this one more than the first two, and I'll definately see it again - if only to get a better look at the horrid freeze frame at the end everyone is talking about.

As an aside, not really a question specifically about the movie and maybe it's explained in a book I haven't read, but why do people keep having to buy Harry new brooms? He's not a first year anymore so I'm assuming he's allowed to have one, and he has that huge stash of cash at the Gringotts so he's not exactly poor in the wizarding world, so what's up with all the presents and him acting like he'd never be able to afford another broom again after his Nimbus is broken??

 

[Kevin Grey]

Radcliffe is certainly no great thesbian but Harry, for the first few books at least, is a largely passive character. The one thing that you'll find Rowling does as she goes along is do a better job of inernalizing Harry's feelings so the books will certainly give you a far better feeling for Harry than the movies.

Harry does become a bit more proactive in later books and even starts to take a leadership role in Order of the Phoenix, though even that he's sort of forced into. He also becomes much more interesting as hormones combine with feelings of rage and helplessness in the later books.

 

[Ernest Rister]

"...he has that huge stash of cash at the Gringotts so he's not exactly poor in the wizarding world."

To my mind, that's the one loose plot thread that has always bugged me. Harry watches his best friend suffer so much grief because his family is poor (broken wands, hand-me-down clothes that don't fit)...meanwhile, Harry's got a huge vault full of money that he never uses. Harry is a character full of odd contradictions, but his failure to come to the monetary aid of his best friend is the oddest of them all.

 

[Matthew Todd]

I have a plot question sort of related to this. I read the book last week before seeing PoA on Friday, and now I'm wondering who was responsible for slashing the Fat Lady painting? I don't know that this was ever answered in the book or the film.

Maybe I should go back and read the book again.

Matt

 

[Dome Vongvises]

It's no that they're poor so much as they're not as rich as the Malfoys. Well that, and the two adults are supporting a very large family (twins, a girl, Ron, Percy, with I think another brother that's an adult who's probably an independent). It's very subtle in the movies but fairly obvious in the books: the Weasleys are a very proud family. And no matter how much flack they get from others for their economic status, they stick together. This point is much more obvious in book four (this ought to satisfy any questions about Harry and money) and book five (what happens in five is a bit of a surprise). And considering that Harry is like a son to them, I don't think they'd take the money.

 

[Kevin Grey]

Yeah I though I remember reading several times that Harry would loved to have helped the Weasley's financially but he knew they would never accept it. I never thought it was a loose plot thread at all.

 

[Marvin Richardson]

Wow, as someone who has never read the books and didn't care for the first two movies (especially the first one), this one was a revelation. A much more visually stimulating and less by-the-numbers movie than the first two. Of course, how much of that is due to the story they had to work with and not having Columbus as director I don't know. I imagine they are cutting alot from the books, but this movie was paced much better and also wasn't almost three hours long. The first two just felt like they were trying to cram everything possible into the movie.
Wasn't too crazy about Michael Gambon as Dumbledore, but that may just be because Richard Harris was one of the bright spots in the first two, along with Alan Rickman as Professor Snape. I hope he has a larger part in the next films.
And for my money, there was nothing in the first two movies that came close to matching the visual of Harry's first ride on Buckbeak...that was beautiful.
And that is exactly my problem with the first two movies, Columbus has no idea what the word "subtle" means. We didn't need to be told that why Sirius bought the broom for him, and the permission slip? Wouldn't that be more important to the next movie instead of tagging it on at the end of this one? Maybe that's why I dislike Columbus so much...the overly sappy sentimental garbage he's always putting on screen.

 

[Citizen87645]

Saw this last night and the consensus in my group was preference over the previous two.

I have nothing really against Columbus, but agree with others that he is "safe" and "solid" and therefore what the franchise needed for its launch.

I appreciated Cuaron's direction much more (e.g. the handheld work, the scene transitions, etc.) but then also thought there were some rather obvious gaps in the story (e.g how we suddenly find out about Buckbeak's hearing). The werewolf was not exactly what I was hoping for, but respect the creators for doing something a little different.

The freeze frame didn't bother me. It's a cheesy device, but it worked for me.

I didn't read the EW article until after the show, but had glanced at the highlighted quotation regarding the homage to "Y Tu Mama." It was sort of fun trying to find it and my friend made a good guess about it being the Buckbeak execution scene.

Overall this third film felt more "real" to me. The previous films had this shiny veneer to them and reminded me of walking into a constructed environment at Disneyland. I also like the fact this third film captured more of the Dahl-esque influences.

So...whereas I waited for the first two DVDs to show up on previously viewed racks, this third I will consider buying brand new...if the price is right

 

[Jason Harbaugh]

Still haven't read the books but I did enjoy the first two. Not my favorite movies but I liked them. I left PoA enjoying it more than the other 2. The others in my group thought it was the weaker of the two.

I thought that Buckbeak was done very well. Infact everytime he was onscreen I had a big grin on my face. Just too cool. Can't say the same for the werewolf. Just didn't look that well done compared to the rest of the film.

I did get a greater sense of what Hogwart's grounds were like this time. Seeing all of the mountains, the steep hills to the classes with the different ruins. It felt more real than what we were shown in HP1 and 2. I was afraid that the films were going to hit a boring pattern of Harry at home, goes to school, has a quidich (sp) match, does something to save the day, Griffendor (again sp) wins at the end of the year, end of movie.

Loved the cast again, some great work by all and the kids are coming into their own. Only actor I do not like is the guy that plays Malfoy. He is the only one that hasn't grown into his role which is very poorly written as it is, but that could just be how he portrays it. Eitherway I cringe everytime he tries to spit out one of his insults to Potter.

This is a fun series and I hope they can keep it up.

I do have one major complaint, the sound seemed off throughout. Columbus' Potter's were very strong in the sound department, sometimes overbearing, but still strong and matched what was on screen. This one was too quiet. Especially during the final confrontation with those demon things (see I'm so up on my Potter lingo) and he summons the shield thing. It was just very underwhelming and anticlimatic. Poor sound design in my opinion even if it was meant to be quiet there, then it wasn't quiet enough to get that effect. Surely they could have done something there to enhance the shot that isn't a complete copy of what we have seen before. It was like that throughout the entire movie. I'm hoping that it was just the theatre I saw it in, but the trailers sure rocked the house.

 

[Citizen87645]

I was thrown off by the blurriness of that dementor scene. I understood it when from Harry's POV but I didn't quite get it when the shot was OF Harry. For a moment I thought the projector's focus had messed up, until it came back into focus toward the end.

 

[Sean Bryan]

If all you are looking for is an answer to "Hey, why can Harry to to Hogsmeade now?" in the next film, then it would fit better there.

But the next film isn't about Sirius Black. This film was. In this film, we have all of the Wizarding World (including the Hogwarts Professors) being afraid of Black because he is thought of as an evil, escaped betrayer and murderer. It makes for a nice punchline to THIS FILM to have Harry receive the permission slip, as this very plot point was set up earlier in the film. And It also fits the "Hogwarts style", even though he is a wanted man, as long as he is his leagal guardian sure he can be the one to give you permission. Kinda fun, no?

 

[Sean Laughter]

I don't understand this complaint, and a few people have brought it up. I never questioned the hearing and never remember thinking, "When was there a hearing about Buckbeak??" I thought it was pretty clear, from just knowing Malfoy's character if not other clues that there would be some kind of fallout from the incident with Buckbeak.

 

[Marvin Richardson]

 

[John_McKittrick]

Sirius is in the next two books. He's obviously in hiding though.

The whole idea of the 'permission slip' was to set up the fact that Harry had another guardian, one who cared about him. It would be complete sacrilege to include it in the next film. The 'permission slip' was supposed to be part of a note that came with the Firebolt. Read the book.

 

[John_McKittrick]

Edwin,

First of all, PoA is not considered to be the best book. The 4th one, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is.

And the problem was not that the movie was self contained to the book. If you read it you'll find that there wasn't enough and many plot lines are missing. I still consider CoS to be the best so far. I only hope and pray that Goblet of Fire is better than PoA was.

 

[Andres Munoz]

I liked this movie a lot. And I would say a bit more than the first two. The changes were refreshing and it left me wanting more.

One thing though, when I was reading the books, I imagined the dementors differently. Not like skinny grim reapers but like hulking grim reapers. But either way, they were spooky enough.

I really hope they're able to keep the kids for ALL 7 movies. It's going to be very weird seeing other actors playing the central roles. Dumbledore wasn't that big of a change because he's not a key player (like he becomes in Order of the Phoenix). But Harry, Ron and Hermione played by different actors? I really hope that doesn't happen.

Can't wait for Goblet of Fire. That's also the best book IMHO.