:: a.whisper.in.water ::

:: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 ::

[in continuation with the management's policy of having smartassed opinions about everything]

I preface this post with a sort-of warning that it contains what might be construed as spoilers for Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban, as unlikely as it may be that anyone who actually cares still hasn't read the book, or the Cliff Notes, or whatever. If readers deserve a warning about anything, it's that my opinions may influence preconceived notions of the film: spoilers of a different, but decidedly real sort. Onwards we go.

Don't get me wrong, I was very entertained. However, that doesn't mean that the movie wasn't a poorly-executed injustice to the rather stellar original text. The movie's singular greatest flaw is its rampant omission of necessary background detail/history that grants the text so much flavor. The notion of the three wizards voluntarily becoming animagi: GONE. The explanation of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, and the link to the Patronus Charm: GONE. The immensely colourful tie-in of Snape's feud with James Potter, and his personal involvement with these events: FUCKING GONE.

It's not as though these scenes were incompatible with Cuarón's ominous storm-is-brewing ambiance: rather, these scenes presented any number of opportunities for Cuarón to flex his directing muscle, and were inexplicably passed up. I would consider some sort of re-enactment/flashback depicting Pettigrew's framing of Sirius Black essential, and yet we see nothing of the sort, just a disjointed double-you-tee-eff with the climatic reunion of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black.

Even more jarring at first is the gross non-role that Hogwarts academics/athletics play in this third movie: the captivating "gimmick" behind the books is the fundamental similarity between the real world and Rowling's Potterverse, which makes it fantastically easy to slip into. Instead, we get a scant few classroom scenes (I think 5: Hagrid's, Lupin's, 2 Trelawny, and Snape's takeover of Lupin's, as I recall), and a bare Quidditch scene, picked only for its inclusion of the ever-present (albeit rather well-done) Dementors.

Cuarón instead focuses his efforts on suffusing the movie with a sinister fog, as manifest by aforementioned Dementors, as well as a deliberate musical tainting of otherwise-joyous scenes, competently executed by John "Freakin' Legendary" Williams. This, I'm afraid, is your sole solace, save seeing the Metatron in a party dress, circa 1940. It's not as though any of the kids can act, certainly: Hermione is still a plot device, rather than a character, Ron Weasley is still a giant twat, and Daniel Radcliffe is thoroughly in the grasp of Nicholas Cage syndrome (two face expressions: normal, and constipated/angry/intense). The formerly-capable Draco Malfoy is reduced to a spineless, spiritless coward. Peter Pettigrew is a FUCKING TRAVESTY. The twins, however, are in top mischievous Tweedledee/Tweedledum form, and Remus Lupin is a solid addition to the cast. I'm not so sure how I feel about Gary Oldman, though. He's no Kenneth Branagh, that much is certain.

Doubtless, I've influenced no one's decision concerning actually going and SEEING the movie. If you still plan on doing so, the best piece of advice I can give to those who have read the books is NOT to re-read it. Your mind is best left to filling in the absurdly-numerous blanks, and not actually evaluating their absence. You've got the greatest chance of enjoying yourself under these circumstances.

If you haven't yet read the third book, don't even fucking bother with the movie yet: despite it being a children's movie, it actually won't make enough sense to you for you to enjoy it. Read the third book, and do your best to ignore the glaring inconsistencies between the text and the film.

In other news, rollercoasters! More on that later.

Music: Bjork - Homogenic. Man, it had been a LONG time. Reductively, the OK Computer of Bjork's career (with Post then taking on the role of The Bends). I've gushed about it before. I may well do so again later :)

:: Aziz 12:18 PM [+] ::
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