HP5 the Movie: Disappointing
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Spoilers Warning
If you still haven’t seen the movie yet and you are planning to watch it, please skip this for now. There are spoilers in this post that might ruin the already ruined movie even more. Thank you.
I’m disappointed.
As usual, there are lots of scenes in the book that were not included in the movie version, but of course, the movie makers have to compress the 800 plus pages book into an approximately two hours. Moreover, the transition of the scenes were too fast. I suppose, Steve Kloves is better than Michael Goldenberg, the writer of the script in this movie. Steve Kloves had to work with another movie, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, which is another adaptation originally written by Mark Haddon. Good thing, Steve Kloves will write the sixth’s script.
What else do I hate? Oh, those newspaper clippings, I hate those, they really made the phasing fast. And the one that I really hate was the changes they did with Cho Chang’s role. She was not the one who is supposed to tell Umbridge about the Dumbledore’s Army. It was her friend, Marieta, who unfortunately was included in the movie. And this is not the reason why they Cho and Harry ended their relationship. But most of all, the prophecy was not fully heard nor explained.
Now, here’s a list of things, places and people that I wanted to see in the movie but were not spared from getting into the movie:
- Bode, an unspeakable who works in the Department of Mysteries
- Gilderoy Lockhart, Harry’s ex-professor
- St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
- The screaming portrait of Sirius’s mother (ah, how I wish I’ve heard her screaming), she was heard speaking, but not seen.
- The fountain in the Ministry of Magic was there, but they should have sticked with what happened in the book. In the book, those statues should have sprang into life during the battle of Dumbledore and Voldemort.
- Quidditch was obviously not included even Luna’s strange hats plus “Weasley is Our King”
- Rita Skeeters! I hate the movie makers for removing Rita!
As for the good parts, well, the cast was good, their acting was superb. The most notable members of the cast were Imelda Staunton who played Professor Umbridge (she was really irritating), Helena Bonham Carter who portrayed Bellatrix Lestrange, and Evana Lych as Luna Lovegood. The sets were nice, especially the Ministry of Magic but that was not how I perceived the Ministry. Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place was great, and Umbridge’s office was really decorated with the color pink. I also like the changes they did with the Educational Decrees. In the book, there are only a handful, but in the movie, there are almost a hundred of them.
Well, I suppose that’s all. If there are some errors, please notify me. You might as well want to read Differences between book and film versions of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, an article from Wikipedia.
PS: I decided not to watch it for the second time because it’s not that good and it does not worth my moolah. I should be saving my money for the last book which will be released on the 21st.
July 14, 2007 @ 10:04 pm
Helena Bonham Carter is such a goooood actress.
Anyway. So that’s what happened, eh? For me, HP2 was - so far- the greatest. Oh, wala si Rita Skeeter? Grrrr. If I’m not mistaken diba medyo mabait na siya non? Sad.
July 15, 2007 @ 1:17 am
I just came home from the last show at Gateway Platinum Cinema. All I can say it… IT WAS NOT WORTH IT. I’d rather watch Die Hard 4 a second time than this film.
July 15, 2007 @ 1:47 am
I think many would agree with your review. We basically have the same thoughts on the movie. I knew they shouldn’t have changed the Director and Screenwriter. I think the fourth is still the best among the five, the third one was also good. Both were directed by Alfonso Cuaron, but I guess you knew that already. Hehe!
July 15, 2007 @ 12:26 pm
Parang I haven’t come across a positive review on HP 5. I’m not an HP fan and I’ve only read book one. Siguro kung papanoorin ko, magagandahan ako. LOL
July 15, 2007 @ 5:53 pm
Wala pa rin ata akong nababasang positive review ah. Hehe. Siguro aabangan ko nalang sa DVD. LOL.
July 15, 2007 @ 7:20 pm
Utakgago: Hmm… as for me, the fourth one is still the best.
Jigs: It was Mike Newell who directed the fourth, and not Alfonso Cuaron. Alfonso ruined the third.
Kris: I’ve seen one… isa lang!
Gean: Matagal pa ang DVD, mga six months siguro. Pero why not? Hehe. I’ll buy the DVD pa rin kahit na pangit.
July 15, 2007 @ 9:55 pm
it was sooo disappointing. I mean, okay lang sakin umabot ng 3 hours or 4.. sobrang pinaiksi nila! geez. it was horrible talaga. nakakapikon. di worth it yung 140pesos ko.. buti nalang we didnt watch it in a THX cinema, or mas mahal pa. mas sayang.
but anyways.. i LOVE the girl who played Luna. ang galing niya! grabe. saka si daniel radcliffe, he’s a really good actor na.
July 16, 2007 @ 12:14 am
I was planning to go see it, but decided to wait for the DVD instead. I’m going to watch Ratatouille instead. A lot of people said it was disappointing.
July 16, 2007 @ 7:23 am
skip ko muna toh. di ko pa napapanood eh. pero kahit disappointing.. id still watch it…
July 16, 2007 @ 5:07 pm
nagsisi ako at nanood ako, sayang yung 500 ko, pandagdag din yun sa ipon for the 7th book
i agree masyadong mabilis ang paglipat ng scenes, wala masyasdong explanations. panu kaya yung mga di nagbabasa ng book? kawawa naman ;_;
gusto ko din sana makita yung portrait ng screaming mother ni Sirius.
at yung mga statues na nabuhay sa voldemort-dumbledore figh scene.
I expected na may ioomit talaga, pero di nga maganda. I agree din, the 4th movie was so far the best for me.
less than 1 week n lang 7th book na~
July 16, 2007 @ 5:27 pm
I guess you expected too much, that’s why it was disappointing for you. It was disappointing for me too, since I re-re-read Book 5 again recently to prepare myself for the movie. I expected it to suck, because ever since the first 2 movies HP hasn’t been the same anymore. Please bring back Christopher Colombus! It was still okay for me, so many elements were lacking and the movie was too fast. And there were no revolving doors in the Department of Mysteries! There should have been
Oh well. Only Luna, Bellatrix and Sirius made the movie totally worthwhile. Ron, who’s my favorite didn’t have too much screen time and wasn’t as funny. Plus, no Quidditch
July 16, 2007 @ 8:47 pm
grr me, nadaya ako ng fake book 7. but okay na rin yun, kaso wala p talaga akong pambili…
July 17, 2007 @ 10:23 pm
Kahit di pa ako nakapanood pero I am intrigue sa review mo sa I read it. hihi… First, Im still stock on the 1st chapter of book 5 kaya obviously I can’t criticize the movie well if I’ll watch it. Pero hmn… tama ka dapat pinakita nila ung screaming portrait ng mother ni Sirius.. Medyo interesting rin kasi pero siguro di na nila sinali kasi tutal introductory part lang naman.
Im still looking forward on watching it though… hihi
July 18, 2007 @ 10:30 am
yeah i agree. tsaka the thrill didn’t built up. kasi panag everything happend so fast. ang daming wala… tska to think HP5’s the longest in the HP series, pero it’s also the shortest of all the HP films.
July 18, 2007 @ 12:19 pm
I haven’t seen HP5, but I’ve read enough posts about it to discern that it’s a highly disappointing movie version of the book (but a good movie in itself). And to think I reread OotP in preparation of it, heh.
July 22, 2007 @ 12:08 am
Well, in contrast to your opinion is my love for it. You could read my review about it.