Whimsical Confusion

Rating: Null/10 (4 June 2004)

I saw the film today. What can I say?
Brilliant work on Alfonso's part, as far as the pacing and feel of the film. He cuts out a few things that would definitely have slowed down the plot, and for those who complain about that... well, we can't put EVERYTHING in the books into the movies, people. Get over it. And so overall, the timing was nice. Also, the feel of the movie - dark and a little more disturbing than the first two, which I like. Definitely the reason that POA was my favorite HP book, and I'm glad that it was translated well to screen. And of course, cinematography and special effects just added to it all. Excellent directing, editing, etc. And the music!...
The actors are all wonderful. I know some people were saddened by the lack of gorgeous!Lupin and Sirius... but considering how their lives have gone, who could blame them for not looking like Ewan McGregor? In either case, David Thewlis and Gary Oldman were perfect for their roles, and both put some real honest-to-god feeling into their characters, which was somewhat lacking in other films. They were both convincing as their respective people. And of course, that dynamic trio is back and better than ever! The thirteen-year-old teenage wizards are maturing very nicely with the film, a quality that I admire greatly - they aren't stagnant, they change and become better each time.
Overall, I did love the movie, perhaps more than the first. But I have one major issue with the movie overall: plot points. When I said before that I appreciated what Alfonso cut out to make the movie flow better, I was telling the truth. But what bothers me is that there are certain aspects of the film (details on the Maurauder's Map, Lupin's potion, Sirius and his murders) that are compressed and edited SO much that without having read the books, a viewer would find it difficult to understand some of these intricate details in the plot. So, I suggest the books be read first, if you haven't already (aren't you a little late). But as I've said, the rest is great, right down to the ending credits. 8/10 stars.