Discussion of the day: Harry Potter movies – hit or miss?

So now that Harry Potter is over over (books and movies) what do you think? How did you like the movies – as a whole or each individual? Do you think they served justice to the books? Or could you not be bothered by this whole Harry-hype?

Review: Harry Potter (and the Deathly Hallows)

There are books that entertain you for a little while but are soon forgotten. Other you can’t even get through because they are so dreadful. And then there are books that will follow you all through your life. Be it because they are cherished childhood memories (Little Women, Anne of Green Gables) or because they gave us a first taste of adulthood (Stephen King’s “It”) and finally there are books you might read when you are 15, again when you are 25 and again when you are 35 and each time you find new treasures within the written stories.

For me Harry Potter belongs to the latter – I first read it when I was in my final years of high school and over the course of 10 years eagerly I gobbled up every single of its 7 books on the day they were published.

When the first movie was released in 2001 I was hesitant as of what to make of it – usually movies can never live up to the standard a book sets in terms of story telling and connection (Bridget Jones might be an exception to the rule) and it didn’t make it easier that Harry Potter was one of my all time favourite books. So when I saw “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” I saw most of my worst fears come to life: horrible kid actors that had nothing on the “real” Harry in my books as well as over the top cutting out of great story parts. But I also found some things that were good – most surprisingly when I first saw Professor McGonagall on-screen – played by the magnificent Maggie Smith – I saw my own projection of this figure show up on the screen. And also Professor Snape (the always delightful Alan Rickman) looked very much like I imagined him while reading about him. But while the whole world went bonkers over the movie and its stars, I rather read the books. By the time the final book was published on 21^st July 2007 I might have seen the odd movie but was still adamant of my opinion about the acting qualities of the child actors though slightly more eager to keep my Potter Momentum going therefore watching the movies (as I had read all the books). So I went to see “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” in July 2009 and found myself surprised by the film especially by it’s 3 leads Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. I actually liked the movie very much and even though it wasn’t the book – it was good enough to live in that Potter-Reality just a little longer.

Though as good things always do – they eventually have to end. So it was in a cinema in Berlin on July 12^th 2011 that I watched the midnight screening of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”. It was a bittersweet experience – on the one hand an amazing movie with great action scenes, mostly great acting (I really wish for an Oscar Nomination for Professor Snape) and a gripping story. On the other hand I had to say good-bye not only to a beloved figure that accompanied me throughout 10 years of my life but it also felt a little bit like saying good-bye to childhood.

Of course there were still things I found a little bit irritating – in my opinion Tonks could have been portrayed better and I would have wished for more screen time of the Weasley-Twins. Oh and what was that line from Neville about Luna….

But all in all it was a very satisfying end to an amazing journey and I could and would not imagine anybody else as Harry, Hermione and Ron as Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint!

 

Question of the day: Hobbit – 2 Parts great or not

In honour of Peter Jackson’s Video Blog, I put forward the following questions: We had 2 Harry Potter and the deathly hollows and we will have 2 movies for the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey & There and back again – is that a good thing or not?

Personally I am looking forward to the movies but then again I really don’t want to wait a whole year in order to see the 2nd part.

Discussion of the day: 3d yes or no

I don’t get it at all: why do we have to pay at least 2€ more for something that does not enhance the movies quality, is annoying (especially when you wear glasses underneath it) and as long as you don’t have the perfect seat in the middle of the screen will give you shiteous movie experience. Do you agree or do you actually love 3D Movies?