Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Here’s my review/opinion of the movie series of Harry Potter and my short critique of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
I was impressed with the movies. The casting was absolutely superb. Except for the unfortunate passing of Richard Harris (Albus Dumbledore for the first two movies), even the re-casting of the role of Professor Dumbledore to Sir Michael Gambon did not interrupt the flow of the movie series. Watching the youngsters Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron), Emma Watson (Hermione), Bonnie Wright (Ginny), Matthew Lewis (Neville), and Tom Felton (Draco) mature as actors in their profession and evolve from children to adulthood was a delight and a consistency that only increased the loyalty for Harry Potter fans.
I really enjoyed what Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall) brought to her character and actually loved her more on screen than in the books. Alan Rickman was brilliant as Severus Snape and pulled off mesmerizing the audience with a love/hate relationship. His story finally untold and his acting stood true. He was incredible.
I truly felt each part was so perfectly filled. There was not a actor/actress that disappointed and they all were cast more brilliantly than my imagination had created (with the only exception being Madame Olympe Maxime who was played by Frances de la Tour as Hagrid’s love interest).
The movies did what they could to include as many scenes from the books. The biggest problem I saw was that J.K. Rowling is so creative and the books so effective, that the movies could only portray so much. I will always prefer the books for the excellent creative use of words and the minute details that are even interesting. It simply could not all be portrayed in the movies.
My biggest disappointment was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II. The final book, to read, was so intense, had such character inner conflict that was so precise and understood. Because HP7 was separated into the two movies with a time lapse, I truly felt that character external and internal conflict of Harry, Ron, and Hemione that was so well expressed in Part I was glossed over in Part II. I felt cut off from the characters. In addition, I really felt that the ploy that Dumbledore had built in Snape’s mind for Harry Potter to believe he HAD to die was not the dramatic event on screen that I expected.
My other disappointment was Neville’s role in the end. I wish more of his character could have been revealed throughout the films, especially his loyalty at the end. Although the movie did have the big moment when Neville challenged Voldemort and again showed his devotion, I felt his role in the snake’s death (when Ron and Hermione failed) was slighted.
Even though Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows would have made for a long movie, I do wish it was one movie only. I felt so much of the momentum from the end of the Part I lost in Part II.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
But overall, I have really enjoyed the wizarding world of Harry Potter and wish I could have attended Hogwarts, even as a muggle. This movie series delighted my children and me for years. I will miss the anticipation of a new book and/or movie premiering but know that all good things do come to an end. And Harry Potter… he was a good thing.
