I really don't have anything insightful to say about Potter, but that won't stop me from talking about it!
I read the first book, liked it well enough, didn't read anymore. But, as a movie buff, I see all the films. They strike me as fine, if sort of workmanlike, excepting Cuaron's third one, which, as every critic likes to point out, quite obviously benefits from having someone behind the camera to bring something truly "magical" to the imagery. The others are almost interchangeable to me (if you showed me the second one and the fourth one, let's say, I might not be able to tell the difference except that the kids look older!).
Still, as a whole, the series is much better than it could have been. Even if the films were awful, they'd still make a fair amount of money. But they're not at all awful and, in fact, reveal a fair amount of...care. The casting of the three child leads, of course, was a huge gamble, and they've all settled into their characters quite comfortably by this point. It's easy enough to think of them as their characters, as opposed to actors, a problem which I'm sure will plague them forever (did people go see Equus on Broadway to revisit a great play or did they go to see Harry Potter get nekkid?). And the new film strikes me as consistently better than the last couple, perhaps because things are getting inevitably darker. More is at stake (and Dumbledore is dead!). Is this The Empire Strikes Back of the series? At any rate, Half-Blood Prince is a pretty enjoyable summer blockbuster, and we haven't had too many of them this year.
Yeah, the cast is essential -- I just saw the fifth film on DVD and was mortified by its shoddy CGI and half-assed direction. But the young people that populate these films, especially the three leads, are adorable, and apparently they are now adorable and horny. Maybe I'll have to get to the new flick after all.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Three cheers for Hermione discovering leave-in conditioner!
Yes, they are all very horny now! It's like Hogwarts Gone Wild!
ReplyDeleteRichard, I too only read the first book, enjoyed it well enough, but did not feel compelled to read any more of them. However, I only saw the first two movies. The second movie annoyed the hell out of me. I've been told that I gave up on the franchise too soon, though, as the third one is by far the best. I still don't think I'll revisit this series, though. As you and Matthew is always pointing out, there are too many other good movies to see.
ReplyDelete--beth