Slashy HP goodness...

[daemonluna]

I was expecting to be vaguely disappointed. I was by Chamber of Secrets, which was, IMHO, very choppy. They crammed in all the major plot points from the book, but I felt like a lot of the build-up of tension and mood--things like Harry's growing isolation and the general fear and paranoia over the whole Heir of Slytherin thing--were lost. And that the whole school year took about two weeks. PoA felt much more coherent, as a whole.


Okay, they did cut some stuff. We didn't see Christmas, or much quidditch. The whole Firebolt subplot was lost, but that's okay. For the most part, all of the important plot made it in. Except, and the ommission confuses me, the whole Moony-Wormtail-Padfoot-Prongs thing, where Harry nver learned that his father was an Animagus. That was fairly important to the whole Patronus aspect. And I have to admit, I did want to see the bit where Harry chirpily tells the Dursleys that his godfather is an escaped murderer, who'll be checking up on him. Heh.

The blown-up Aunt and the Knight Bus (which I persist in picturing as something kin to the cat-bus from Totoro. Also, the shrunken head started to get on my nerves), and the Monster book were all fantastic to actually SEE. And the scene where Harry finds out who Sirius Black is, and runs off, and Hermione follows him and Ron stands there and the camera pulls back... Daniel Radclyffe suffers very well, and Emma Watson is a phenomenal young actress. I do wish they'd give Ron some more than just looking befuddled or comic relief.

Good god, the kids have shot up. Draco is all nose! And Neville! Except for the three pinciples, they all seem to have that particularily adolescent gawkiness. I do think, however, that it's easier for a nineteen or twenty year old to pass as a fifteen year old than a sixteen passing for thirteen. (Case in point--that fourteen year old girl in Matchstick Men is actually twenty-one.)

My only problem with Gary Oldman as Sirius Black is that every once and a while, from a certain angle, he reminded me of Bladrick from Black Adder. Heh.

Butbutbut... Sirius and Remus are so very, very gay! Hee! To the point where I'm suspecting some deliberate subtext with Lupin leaving the school and the whole "Parents don't want.. people like me teaching their kids" lines! It was almost as blatant as X2 with the whole "have you tried... not being a mutant?" Not to mention all the hugging and the touching and the married couple reference and the talk of hearts...

And then there was the whole Harry under the bedcovers practicing... magic late at night, at the beginning of the movie. Snerk.



Oh, come on, you cannot expect me to go see and and NOT see slash.

I do recall reading somewhere a quote from Henry Jenkins (and really, if you're going to get at all meta about fandom at all, you have to read Textual Poachers) making analogies between Harry and his discovery of his heritage as a wizard, and a gay teenager discovering social support. It wasn't a direct analogy that magic=homosexuality, more of a comment on marginalization and being an outsider. This was several years ago, and now I can't remember from whence the quote came. Dammit.

And it may be worth noting that though costumes were not involved in our viewing experience, the centre of the dinner table last night featured a witch's hat with a beanie rat (aka Scabbers) on the brim. Hee.

Comments

Spoiler comments

[svartormr.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, yea, perhaps a better adaption than "Chamber of Secrets". Even to cram the first and shortest novel, "Philosopher's Stone" into cinema format there's so much to cut. But I think there's still a lack of feel of being at school because of the focus on the other plot lines. I wonder what someone who'd never read any of the books thinks?

I also didn't understand the lack of explanation of the title on the Marauder's Map and the other details of the 4 friends from the past. I swear there are scenes shot and dropped - for the DVD. Else why not cut more? And the failure to explain how Sirius survived 12 years at Azkaban, and then why and how he escaped. I mean to add all these would add about 5 minutes more.

Although they have Hermione just showing up, and Ron commenting that she was taking 2 classes that were on at the same time, I don't think the time-turner was handled well enough. There was no mention of her being tired like in the book.

Reading the books, I never got the impression that the Dementors could fly, but I could be misremembering.

I also thought it strange that mundane muggle clothes were used when in the book the students were in robes all the time. OK, cheaper on wardrobe and easier for the action shots, but really?

I was quite taken by Emma Watson. And I wonder what all of them are going to look like in another year.

As to Sirius and Remus, or even Harry under the bedcovers, well, I must still have some innocence because I didn't even think of that at all. Not like, say, the wrestling scene in "Women in Love". :)

Re: Spoiler comments

[daemonluna.livejournal.com]

I also don't get why the whole Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs thing was ignored. It's my one big gripe.

Abd yeah, Hermione and the time-turner wasn't as well-integrated as it could have been. (No mention of Muggle Studies either!) The big fight between her and Ron over Scabbers (not to mention Scabbers getting all stressed and sick)--I did kind of feel like something was missing by cutting that.

[chaleur23.livejournal.com]

I was very disappointed in _Chamber of Secrets_, the book and the movie. It's my least favorite HP, possibly because there is less Snape. Frankly, I got bored during the movie. I was wanting it to end about an hour before it did.

_Prisoner of Azkaban_ on the other hand, I wanted to watch again, immediately after it finished. I was also surprised by the Moony-Wormtail-Padfoot-Prongs omission, especially since they set everything up so nicely at the end for Lupin to say something to Harry. I wonder if they weren't really worried about making it too long again. They didn't have to worry, the material was so much better.

I was almost wondering at a couple of points, if they were starting to assume that having read the books was a prerequisite for seeing the film and understanding it.

Have to say, I liked the old Dumbledore better, but that's really not going to be surprising now, is it?

I saw nothing slashy in the film at all. Perhaps this means that there is hope for me on the slashiness front. Or perhaps it just means we are in the presence of the maestra, here.

I did spend a lot of time drooling over Alan Rickman, but that was too be expected. Who else (aside from Sir Derek) could look sexy in Neville's grandmother's clothing? Much like Sir Derek (I'm sorry, Derek!) the man has presence.

Total agreement on Emma Watson being amazing, btw.

[daemonluna.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, hon, even though you didn't see the whole Lupin/Black slash (with the hugging and the talk of hearts and the... yeah), I still remember what happened when we watched Jeeves and Wooster. And Sports Night. And Firefly. *g* Slash-coloured glasses!