Magic...but at what Cost?

Rating: Null/10 (17 November 2001)

When a book, especially a magical hit like Harry Potter, is transformed into a movie there is bound to be few kinks. Most of the time, the kinks lie in the script. What do you cut and what do you leave in? Most book to movie adaptations follow a simple rule.
There is no way you can make the entire book into a screenplay, you would end up with a 8 hour film. So you cut plot points and lesser story lines and concentrate on the main theme. Now Harry Potter took the other route. They made the entire book into a movie and pared it down to two and a half hours. And the movie suffered.
Instead of concentrating on main points (mythology, relationships, character development, etc.) and making them solid, they touched upon every little aspect only slightly. The result was a rushed movie with no pay off. They left scenes in that, had nothing to do with the story or plot and cut scenes that should build relationships and background so we care about the characters. I was crushed when I read that Ron had to sacrifice himself for the others, in the movie, with no emotional tie to Ron I thought "That's too bad." That's not the writing, but the direction. For example, they left a 5 minuet scene in about Norbert, Hargrid's Dragon. It had nothing to do with the over all story...it was so rushed it didn't even explain the strange obsession Hagrid has with Magical Creatures. The scene stayed in, but a 2nd and 3rd Quidditch match was cut. It appeared to this hopeful movie patron that the powers that be (Chris Columbus and crew) made an 8 hour movie. Then cut it down to make the fans of the book happy. But the result is a rushed story where we don't see the wonderful relationship of Ron, Harry and Hermione. A story where we don't see the relationship with Hagrid and the 3 students. A story where we learn in the last 20 minuets that "You Know Who" only fears Dumbledore (McGonagall , played wonderfully by Maggie Smith, explains it in one line and then moves on) A story where I was not afraid of the villain or what he could do. Everything that makes Harry Potter, Harry Potter was gone. I would have loved to have seen the fatherly admiration and duty Dumbledore has for Harry. I would love to have seen the previous visits to Hagrid's cottage. I would have loved to have seen Harry and Ron go through the stress of school. I would have loved to have seen the small sections in the book that made Harry Potter a magical reality where I as 22 year old still wish I had an owl, a wand and invitation to Hogwarts. Where was the character development that made the world fall in love Harry, Ron, Hermione and the others? Who were the ghosts? Who gave the cloak to Harry? Why was Dumbledore called out of town? Where was the mythology of wizards and witches? Where was the 2nd and 3rd Quidditch match? Did we know that Harry gave up the last match that would win his house the cup to find the Stone? What was the significance of the puzzles guarding the stone and who put them there? Where was Snape's loathing and personal grudge against Harry and his family? Was Ron poor (an aspect that made me love Ron even more)? Who were the teachers? What is the deal with Neville Longbottom? Where was the perfectly constructed web that J.K. Rowling created with mythology, wonder, intrigue and fantasy? I didn't even get the sense that Hogwarts was a school. All these wonderful elements of the book could have been in a 2 and half hour movie but they decided to leave a scene with Dragon and others. Those of you who read the book could answer these questions. They were my favorite parts because they dealt with the characters and relationships. I didn't care about the characters as much because there wasn't enough about them to care bout. Everyone from Snape to Quirrel to Draco even to the Dursley's. Now, it may be hard to believe but I did enjoy myself, because I was able to fill in the blanks in the movie with pages from the book. I enjoyed it as a movie, but it's hard not to think about what it could have been. The performances were brilliant. Daniel Radcliff was charming, sweet and carried all that weight that Harry should. Hermione Granger, whose role could very easily have been over the top, was a perfect mix of cockiness and longing to be part of the group. Robbie Coltrane was everything that Hagrid should be and more. I could go on and write about everyone but you get the idea, the casting and performances were perfect. Overall, it was rushed. No moment was complete. No idea was finished. When I read the first book, I fell in love with the world of Harry Potter. When I saw the movie, I enjoyed it, but missed the things that made fall in love the little boy who lived in the cupboard under the stairs in the first place.