Movie #385 - Harry Potter & The Dealthy Hallows (Part I)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
2010 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 26 min
Director: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Bill Nighy, Richard Griffiths, Julie Walters, Bonnie Wright, Fiona Shaw, Alan Rickman, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Jason Isaacs, Tom Felton, Timothy Spall, Michael Gambon, Robbie Coltrane, Brendan Gleeson, David Thewlis, John Hurt, Frances de la Tour, Rhys Ifans, Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson, Warwick Davis

The casts of these movies keep getting longer and longer! But what a great cast of main characters this franchise has built, honestly! I have to say that almost everyone chosen, even the most lovable characters and the most hated villains, are so spot-on cast that I have no complaints! And who doesn't think Carter is the craziest Bellatrix Lestrange there could ever be?

Anyway, back to this review. The seventh book took a lot of heat for being reeeeallly boring for the first half, likes its warming up for the epic battle at its conclusion.  But I've always argued that it should be exactly that. Rowling's writing has always been an excellent mimic for the feeling of her hero, and as Harry feels aimless in his wanderings for the horcruxes, we get to feel it right along with him.  I've always felt that to be a strength of her style, a treat for us readers. If you disagree, you're clearly just reading for the juicy bits.

So this movie also took a lot of heat for "dragging" and while I agree that it probably didn't need to be over two hours by quite so much, I think it captures that aimless feel of the book.  We get to see our favorite trio turn on one another and really feel the pressure, the burden placed on their shoulders at such a young age.  It's fitting, too, that we should sit and feel pressured, burdened by their struggle.  It's like the full-experience kind of movie and book we should expect from such a big franchise.

And I, for one, am a big fan.

Movie #261 - Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix
2007 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 18 min
Director: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw, Ralph Fiennes, Brendan Gleeson, Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, Maggie Smith, Jason Isaacs, Imelda Staunton, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Warwick Davis, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane

These movies are jam-packed with acting royalty, aren't they?  Seriously. If I could write a book series and have all of these actors in it, wow....  I can't even tag them all, that's how many there are! Blogger won't let me, stupid Blogger.

So this has always been my least favorite book.  It's too long, too dark, too much brooding.  But that's the whole point. I love it for what it represents to the series: Harry's adolescence ending, his painful adulthood beginning.  And isn't Imelda Staunton just the perfect "headmaster" you love to hate?  There are many great things about this book, all of which are captured here.  Not the least of which is Helena Bonham Carter's introduction as Bellatrix Lestrange, one of my favorite characters of all time.  Honestly, how crazy is this woman?

I guess I love this one for being unapologetically true to what it has to be, but it's still uncomfortable to read/watch.  I only wish there was more of the Weasley twins war on Umbridge in the movie.  That stuff is gold.

Movie #260 - Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire
2005 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 37 min
Director: Mike Newell
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Timothy Spall, Bonnie Wright, Tom Felton, Robert Pattinson, Jason Isaacs, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Gambon, Warwick Davis, Clemence Poesy, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Brendan Gleeson, Miranda Richardson, Gary Oldman, Shirley Henderson, Ralph Fiennes

The biggest book so far and it's the choppiest movie.  Maybe I'm overly critical because this is my favorite book in the series.  I'm not even partial to Hermione's S.P.E.W. subplot but I'm still mad it's not in the movie.

Still, they do a great job bringing the big stuff to life - the TriWizard Tournament, the Voldemort confrontation.  Although I didn't like the cerebral quality they gave to the maze.  It's supposed to be monsters, not their own personal demons.  Anyway, aside from this, my only other critique is the director's apparent mis-steps in some seasons.  Hermione overreacts here and there, Dumbledore basically attacks Harry in one scene -  acts that are largely out of character to the seasoned HP fan, maybe not so for the untrained eye.  It feels like Newell didn't get a full grasp of some of the relationships here.

And also, everyone needs a bloody haircut in this movie...

Oh yeah. Screw you, Twilight, for making Cedric Diggory a vampire. We had him first, you jerks.

Movie #258 - Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets
2002 - Rated PG - 2 hr 41 min
Director: Chris Columbus
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw, Jason Isaacs, Robbie Coltrane, Kenneth Branagh, Alan Rickman, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, John Cleese, Warwick Davis, Gemma Jones, Shirley Henderson

Dobby! And Malfoy's dad!  I remember how excited I was to see this one in theaters. At midnight of course.  It was the first movie to come out after I'd started reading the books and I was psyched. Ahh, memories.

Anyway, this one's another short book so the page to screen translation isn't so bad.  Of course, they take a few liberties here and there, trim down some other bits, but the basics are all there.  You can watch this and jump into the books at #3 if you really wanted to... but who would want to do that?