I like Harry Potter. I think the books are a good story well told. Yes, they might not be the best written books in the world, they seem to commit many writing cardinal sins, they often meander a tad, and they could definitely have done with a more strict editor, but generally
they do what they say on the tin. And you can’t argue with the amount of
pleasure they seem to have brought to readers around the world.
I have been reading the books to Rebekah, we just started Half Blood Prince over the weekend, and it has been interesting how more acutely aware I have been of aforementioned shortcomings this time around.
Still enjoying them though!
Since we had finished Order of the Phoenix during the week, we were able to watch the film on Saturday. I am amazed at just how much of the books Rebekah must absorb because she is so clued into the changes that have been made to the films.
I enjoyed the films Philosopher’s Stone, and Chamber of Secrets. Didn’t enjoy Prisoner of Azkaban, but did enjoy Goblet of Fire. I really didn’t enjoy Order of the Phoenix. It just didn’t work for me. I would love to have watched it without the back knowledge of the books, because it seems to me that in order to work, you have had to read the books.
I understand the process of adapting books to films and am not adverse to changes that are made in order to make a film script work. As a general
rule, good film makers understand what their audience want and how best to twist a story to make them fulfilled. Yes sometimes they get it wrong, but often just minor issues.
It felt to me that in order to make Order of the Phoenix work, the script writer or director decided to remove all the soul of the story and leave in the hi-lights, the visual bits, knowing that the majority of their audience could fill in the missing parts. Thus the film could move from scene to scene without much explanation or motive, a bit of a collage really.
Really disappointing!
Harry Potter, Half Blood Prince, Order of the Phoenix, Philosopher’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter, Half Blood Prince, Order of the Phoenix, Philosopher’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire