Film ► Harry Potter

[Elysium]

Yeah, the first book is difficult to get into after you've read the series before. Not because it's not still a great book, but because it's more of a basic setup for everything that comes later. PoA is really where the series takes off, imo. OotP is my favorite book (and the worst of the movies...), then Deathly Hallows. Of the DH films, I thought DH part 2 was awful, but I loved part 1, especially the way they visualized the tale of the three brothers.

 

[Max]

Order of the Phoenix was definitely the most disappointing film. My favorite book is probably either 6 or 7, although I also really enjoy 4 (moreso than I did when it first came out).

 

[Dreaded_Desire62]

It was pretty sad that Severus Snape died. I knew he was a good guy ever since the first movie. I am glad that Harry gave his son Snape's name as a middle name, Albus Severus Potter.

I am still wondering if Albus is going to go with Slitheran.

 

[redcrown]

I theorize DH pt1 was David Yates's best HP film because he doesn't know how to convey closeness, warmth, and familiarity within the characters. Part 1 was all about tension, resentment, and struggle for HRH, which he knows how to make best whether he knows it or not.

 

[VoidGear.]

It was pretty sad that Severus Snape died. I knew he was a good guy ever since the first movie. I am glad that Harry gave his son Snape's name as a middle name, Albus Severus Potter.

I am still wondering if Albus is going to go with Slitheran.

I honestly don't understand why people consider Severus Snape a good guy.
Yes, he worked for the good side, but that doesn't change the fact that he tortured the students outside of Slytherin, and especially Harry and Hermione, just because they breathed the wrong way.

It's the same with James Potter. Yes, he tried to save his family, he worked for the order, blabla, but he was still an abusive child who took joy in bullying people, even using spells like levicorpus on them (or at least Snape, if not others), and never had the guts to try and apologize for it.

I dunno, I just find it super hard to see them as good people.

 

[Elysium]

I was going to respond to Dreaded_Desire62 about that, too, but I thought about it and I guess it comes down to the fact that Snape is more good than he is bad by the time he dies--as far as helping the world be free of a xenophobic maniac, protecting the students from the Death Eaters/Carrows, no longer thinking about blood differences, etc. Ultimately that weighs more heavily than his petty drama with Harry, Sirius, and Remus (and James before Harry), cruelty to students especially Harry and Neville, and his creepy, cold-blooded obsession with the dark arts and Lily. I guess the only way I can excuse the thing with the students is that he was really only employed because Dumbledore forced him to stay near, just like Trelawney, even though neither of them should have been teachers.

The same with Petunia Dursley, Slughorn, and Dumbledore. And, tbh, that's how real people are? We are all a combination of good and bad.

 

[LightUpTheSky452]

@VoidGear Well, there might be a bit more to support the "Snape is a good guy" argument now--because of spoiler-y things I won't get into--but about James:

He was a terrible little kid, I'm not going to deny that. But a lot of people can be that way. He grew up, though, and completely changed for the better and very much went against the person he used to be. That doesn't excuse what he did in the past, no, but I don't think you can argue that adult James was at least good. He just had a bad past that he overcame and didn't let shape him, when it easily could've.

Honestly, I have more problems with Sirius and Dumbledore than I do James (and maybe Snape), but that's just me.

And you guys are all wrong! The first book/movie is one of the best ones, and I love The Order of the Phoenix movie... Probably because I just loved the book so much, but meh.

My list probably goes:

Books
The Order of the Phoenix
The Chamber of Secrets
The Deathly Hallows (these first three are pretty much tied for me)
The Philosopher's Stone
The Prisoner of Azkaban (I don't like this one that much; it feels too removed from the main plot to me)
The Half-Blood Prince (?)
The Goblet of Fire
The Cursed Child

For movies it's probably:

The Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Chamber of Secrets
The Order of the Phoenix
The Philosopher's Stone
The Prisoner of Azkaban (changes to this movie really ticked me off, and I feel like they trimmed so much that the movie barely makes any sense)
The Goblet of Fire (though tbh, in watching this movie lately, I like it a lot more than I used to and it might be much higher on my list now)
The Half-Blood Prince (the movie just became way too focused on the romantic relationships from the book--and poorly done at that--and melodrama and I hated that)
The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (as much as I appreciate how much they were able to fit into this movie--and how true it was to the books--it was also so very slow and boring that it's kind of hard to stand; I really don't think the DHs should've been split into two films, if I'm being honest; oh, and the Ron teaching Hermione to skip stones thing seemed OOC)

 

[h.e.hassanein]

Yeah, the first book is difficult to get into after you've read the series before. Not because it's not still a great book, but because it's more of a basic setup for everything that comes later. PoA is really where the series takes off, imo.

This is so true. I reread the series regularly (like once a year or so) and I usually prefer to skip the first two books unless I'm feeling super nostalgic. The writing is still nice and everything but out of the whole series they seem like the most irrelevant plot-wise. I enjoy the Golden Trios' escapades, I enjoy the Harry/Draco rivalry, I enjoy Quidditch. I do not read the HP series just for them.

Books:
Order of the Phoenix
Half Blood Prince
Deathly Hallows
Prisoner of Azkaban
Goblet of Fire
Sorcerer's Stone
Chamber of Secrets


As for movies:
Sorcerer's Stone (surprisingly!! I am too nostalgic for this film, have every line memorized)
Chamber of Secrets (same as above)
Goblet of Fire
DH 1
Half-Blood Prince
Prisoner of Azkaban
DH 2
Order of the Phoenix

 

[Elysium]

My list would be:

Books
1. Order of the Phoenix
2. Deathly Hallows
3. Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Philosopher's Stone
5. Goblet of Fire
6. Chamber of Secrets
7. Half-Blood Prince

Films
1. Deathly Hallows Part 1
2. Chamber of Secrets
3. Half-Blood Prince
4. Philosopher's Stone
5. Prisoner of Azkaban
6. Deathly Hallows Part 2/Order of the Phoenix/Goblet of Fire (all of them are equally awful)

I'm not really a fan of the films in general, which is a shame because they had a perfect cast to work with. The trio, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Imelda Staunton, Julie Walters, Tom Felton, David Thewlis, HBC, Coltrane, Margoyles, Williams, etc. The only cast I didn't care for was Ginny and Gambon's Dumbledore. The thing is, I've seen Michael Gambon in a lot of other things and he's a really good actor, so I find it hard to blame him for the portrayal of Dumbledore being so awful.

A lot of the cuts in OotP and HBP annoy me, but I can kind of enjoy HBP as a movie because it has an atmosphere/mood about it even if I wonder how in the world people who haven't read the books understand anything that's happening. OotP is just horrible though. There is no reason Snape's Worst Memory and the conversation in Dumbledore's office at the end should have been cut, and the portrayal of Umbridge as some kind of British governess/supernanny instead of a bureacratic hanger-on who wields power like a knife is unforgivable. She gets better portrayal in DHp1 as a bit role than she did as a key role in OotP. The fight scene being cut to almost nothing was a real loss, because the moving statues and Fawkes coming out of nowhere really show how amazing and calculated Dumbledore. I don't mind most of the McGonagall stuff being cut, but the brief moment they have in the film should've carried over something from the book and not use invented BS dialogue much less had McGonagall back down--she would never back down. Most of Dumbledore and Umbridge's confrontations are horribly done, too; Dumbledore acts like he's been beat when Trelawney is fired instead of one-upping her in the book, and then the scene in the office when he uses Fawkes to escape is so anti-climatic. I think that goes along with the horrible portrayal--the films make him out to be some kind of bumbling moron. GoF is just embarrassing to watch. The only thing I like about that movie is the bathroom scene with Moaning Myrtle. lol

DHp2 bothers me more because the first part was so fantastic. The battle of Hogwarts was just...a mess. Nagini chasing Ron and Hermione around, Voldemort dissolving into pieces, and Bellatrix blown into pieces of glass... WTF. Not to mention the Snape and McGonagall duel was such a letdown. And they never killed Pettigrew.... The only good thing--and I do mean only--in part 2 is the Snape scene. That was done wonderfully.

 

[VoidGear.]

I was going to respond to Dreaded_Desire62 about that, too, but I thought about it and I guess it comes down to the fact that Snape is more good than he is bad by the time he dies--as far as helping the world be free of a xenophobic maniac, protecting the students from the Death Eaters/Carrows, no longer thinking about blood differences, etc. Ultimately that weighs more heavily than his petty drama with Harry, Sirius, and Remus (and James before Harry), cruelty to students especially Harry and Neville, and his creepy, cold-blooded obsession with the dark arts and Lily. I guess the only way I can excuse the thing with the students is that he was really only employed because Dumbledore forced him to stay near, just like Trelawney, even though neither of them should have been teachers.

The same with Petunia Dursley, Slughorn, and Dumbledore. And, tbh, that's how real people are? We are all a combination of good and bad.

I get that. Sure, Snape did some good thing and he helped the good side, but...ugh. I just have trouble to see that fact as him turning into a "good guy". I like Snape and I feel sorry for him, but still, it was never Harry's fault what James did to him, and the fact that he treated Hermione the way he did (at least partly because she was muggleborn) was - to me - proof that he didn't change as much as one could've hoped.
...I'm starting to get confusing. Whatever.

@LightUpTheSky452

Still neither James nor one of his friends hat the guts to at least apologize for their behavior. Well, at least Remus told Harry to try and treat Snape with some respect, so I'll give him that much.
I didn't mean to say that James wasn't good, I just feel that people should take that with a grain of salt and not see him as the hero-entity Harry used to see him as when he was younger.

As for favorites:

I kinda loved the first book, because it introduced all the good stuff to us. Other than that, I can't really say. I liked all the books, but every book kind of left me with that "something's missing" feeling.

My favorite movie is probably the sixth. I dunno, I just love to watch it. <3

 

[Dreaded_Desire62]

I should probably pick up the book series. I actually had a copy of Harry Potter, but I sold it. That was pretty stupid of me. I have heard that the director for Prisoner of Azkaban was responsible for A Little Princess.

Does anyone remember the Goblet of Fire when Malfoy was turned into a ferret?

 

[h.e.hassanein]

I should probably pick up the book series. I actually had a copy of Harry Potter, but I sold it. That was pretty stupid of me. I have heard that the director for Prisoner of Azkaban was responsible for A Little Princess.

Does anyone remember the Goblet of Fire when Malfoy was turned into a ferret?

Whoo, that makes sense, I was deeply disappointed with both adaptions A Little Princess was a beautiful film, the book was just too much of a favorite for me to go into the movie with average expectations

And I like to keep that scene in the back of my head for rainy days <3

 

[Dreaded_Desire62]

Whoo, that makes sense, I was deeply disappointed with both adaptions A Little Princess was a beautiful film, the book was just too much of a favorite for me to go into the movie with average expectations

And I like to keep that scene in the back of my head for rainy days <3

Yeah, when I told my classmates about Malfoy being turned into a ferret, they laughed.

 

[gamerobber7]

A little late to the discussions but I'll throw my 2 cents in.

I was really excited to read Cursed Child and while it's not my favorite book (there are lots of weird/random stuff thrown in there) I still found it very enjoyable. I have to say that Scorpius has my favorite dialogue in the whole series.

As for my rankings:
Books:
1. Order of the Phoenix
2. Deathly Hallows
3. Half-Blood Prince
4. Goblet of Fire
5. Cursed Child
6. Prisoner of Azkaban
7. Chamber of Secrets
8. Sorcerer's Stone

Movies:
1. Sorcerer's Stone
2. Chamber of Secrets
3. Half-Blood Prince
4. Deathly Hallows Part 2
5. Deathly Hallows Part 1
6. Goblet of Fire
7. Prisoner of Azkaban
8. Order of the Phoenix

I've always found it funny that my top and bottom of the lists are reversed but I just feel like they brought the world to life so well in the first two movies and I've never liked how much they cut out of OotP (longest book, shortest movie? C'mon!).

 

[Dreaded_Desire62]

A little late to the discussions but I'll throw my 2 cents in.

I was really excited to read Cursed Child and while it's not my favorite book (there are lots of weird/random stuff thrown in there) I still found it very enjoyable. I have to say that Scorpius has my favorite dialogue in the whole series.

As for my rankings:
Books:
1. Order of the Phoenix
2. Deathly Hallows
3. Half-Blood Prince
4. Goblet of Fire
5. Cursed Child
6. Prisoner of Azkaban
7. Chamber of Secrets
8. Sorcerer's Stone

Movies:
1. Sorcerer's Stone
2. Chamber of Secrets
3. Half-Blood Prince
4. Deathly Hallows Part 2
5. Deathly Hallows Part 1
6. Goblet of Fire
7. Prisoner of Azkaban
8. Order of the Phoenix

I've always found it funny that my top and bottom of the lists are reversed but I just feel like they brought the world to life so well in the first two movies and I've never liked how much they cut out of OotP (longest book, shortest movie? C'mon!).

That's kind of weird. Really, the shortest movie? It should have been the longest one. Wouldn't you think?

 

[gamerobber7]

That's kind of weird. Really, the shortest movie? It should have been the longest one. Wouldn't you think?

After double checking it's actually the second shortest but it still had a lot of things cut out. I understand they can't put everything in or else the movies would be VERY long but it feels like they cut out about half the book.

 

[VoidGear.]

After double checking it's actually the second shortest but it still had a lot of things cut out. I understand they can't put everything in or else the movies would be VERY long but it feels like they cut out about half the book.

Yeah. If you read the book afterwards or re-read it, it shouldn't feel like you've seen almost nothing of what you're reading in the film.

 

[Dreaded_Desire62]

After double checking it's actually the second shortest but it still had a lot of things cut out. I understand they can't put everything in or else the movies would be VERY long but it feels like they cut out about half the book.

They might as well have cut off most of the book. The movie was confusing enough as is.

 

[gamerobber7]

They might as well have cut off most of the book. The movie was confusing enough as is.

That's the main problem with the last three or four movies. They didn't go into detail on a lot of the characters/concepts so it could be confusing for people who hadn't read the books.

 

[Dreaded_Desire62]

That's the main problem with the last three or four movies. They didn't go into detail on a lot of the characters/concepts so it could be confusing for people who hadn't read the books.

Well, that is definitely a drag. Hopefully, that extra reading might do them some good. I need to get back into the Harry Potter franchise.