Harry Potter~The Prisoner of Azkaban...Thoughts...Reviews...

[hanaeleh]

Bad, IGWT, bad.

As far as keeping it close to the book- WE LOVE THE BOOK! That's the reason we WANT to see a movie! Harry Potter is not a huge franchise because of a stupid director's interpretation of an already incredible book.

In my opinion, it was too choppy and definitely did not go in-depth enough. Other things I could forgive, but I was annoyed at the total lack of some of the character development. The acting was better, true. The story ITSELF was darker, so I found that this movie actually made light of a dark book. It just left out too much, and I didn't care for how it ended.

This was my favorite book of the series, and I am truly disappointed. I sit here writing this after watching what I had hoped to be a continuation of an already incredible couple of movies and am just plain disappointed. My only hope is that the DVD has an extended version.

[blueheaven]

Just saw it a few hours ago. I happen to think it was the best film yet.

Now, as a film buff and Lit teacher, I've accepted the fact that no film will EVER really capture the written page perfectly. The closest I've ever seen it done was To Kill A Mockingbird(and if anyone mentions Lord of the Rings as being a more accurate transfer, you haven't read the books. PJ did a superb job, but still left out quite a bit). So, when a film does not deliver on everything, I really am not disappointed. I would rather sit back and enjoy the film for what it is.

Also, I am a huge fan of the HP series. Anything that will get kids to read is A-OK in my book. And I think these film do a lot to reinforce that passion.

I thought Oldman did a marvelous job with his part. Forget what he said, it was how he carried the character. I cannot wait to see his next performance. The thing this film did do well was establish Harry as a force to be reckoned with(remember, I'm talking about the films, not the books). In the first two films, he got by on bravery and luck. In this film, we see his aggressive side break free. He really took the character to a whole new level. So, I'd have to say that, as a fan, I really enjoyed this as a film, not necessarily as an adaptation of the written word.