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Original poster

to never be sure if I've seen all the Harry Potter films

65 replies

squoosh · 03/08/2013 17:10

......as they're all the same.

Hammy acting, evil forces, battling evil forces, resolution. And the odd British acting heavyweight along the way.

OP posts:
CrapBag · 03/08/2013 21:28

I love HP, books and some of the films. I actually didn't think POA was that great, or GOF. I did like the first 2 because they were very true to the books. Loved the last 2 films!!

Don't like Emma Watson's acting as Hermoine, she really over does it and is very irritating. I also really HATE Micheal Gambon as Dumbledore. Richard Harris had the character sooooo right. Would have loved to have seen Ian McKellen in that role.

FrenchRuby · 03/08/2013 21:30

Ian Mckellen turned the role down, I thought he would have been good to.

ForgetfulNameChanger · 03/08/2013 21:40

crapbag, she overuses her eyebrows. Seriously, its like that Cadbury advert with the eyebrow dancing. Very distracting!

MamaMary · 03/08/2013 21:42

Couldn't watch the films as Daniel Radcliffe is so wooden as an actor.

DiseasesOfTheSheep · 03/08/2013 21:47

Hmm, I love them, but I agree that they're pretty formulaic and predictable. And Emma Watson's eyebrows need seriously pinning down Grin

In a twisted way, I sort of like the rubbish acting and plot inconsistencies. It's endearingly crap in places. But then, I also like the Famous Five and watch the 1970s/80s show of that on youtube sometimes Blush

I like Neville. He's also pretty hot now - surprisingly. Luna is awesome and Sirius is just not manly enough for how I imagined him. I feel that he, Remus and the Weasley twins wouldn't look out of place in a porno, and that messes with my head Sad

(Just for the record, I do occasionally read things that aren't children's books. Honest! Grin )

RoseFlowerFairy · 03/08/2013 21:49

I enjoyed the books and films, read and watched each as they came out. I liked the last two films the best, especially the one when they miss a year of school and are living in a tent.

I think the main child actors progressed as time went on, Emma was dreadful in the first film. Rupert didn't progress so well I thought.

I think it is impressive that other than Dumbledore, they kept all the same actors right the way through.

CrapBag · 03/08/2013 22:19

Ah that is such a shame he turned it down, he would have done a far better job. MG actually puts me off the films really.

My aunt pointed out the moving eyebrows to me once and I can never ever stop watching the fecking things now!!

FrenchRuby · 03/08/2013 22:41

Daniel Radcliffe has a nervous eye twitch in the first film, no I've told you you'll see it all the time haha.

Hulababy · 03/08/2013 22:52

11y DD adores HP. She has all the books (well - they were mind really), all the films on Blu Ray, been to HP Tour in London and HP in Florida. Went to see some of the films at the cinema too. We also have all the audio books, read by Stephen Fry - I really recommend these, SF reads them beautifully and tbh once you hear him read them you have no need to ever read them yourself again - he does them so much justice!

DD could tell you every single book/film in detail and which one is which. I am more hazy - read them all as they came out many years ago now.

I never get the anti-HP people. You either like them or not. Its not like it is bad kids fiction in any way! Its that king of book snobbery which I hate, and pretty much based on nothing too.

Bunbaker · 03/08/2013 22:55

YABVVVU.

DD and I went on the HP studio tour and it was just awesome.

Hulababy · 03/08/2013 22:57

Some of the actors had never been in films before, and HP was their first roles. And most were mere children - just 11y (DD's age) when it started. And the are al, well mostly, British actors. I like all that.

Original poster
squoosh · 03/08/2013 23:00

I don't think it's snobbery, or not all of it anyway. It's like Star Wars or The Beatles or any other cultural phenomenon, when something is so big and so ubiquitous it's inevitable that lots of people won't get it.

Even Harry Potter can't be all things to all people. I'm happy for those who love him, I still love my favourite childhood books as much now as I did then.

OP posts:
themaltesefalcon · 03/08/2013 23:02

Are there really EIGHT of them? Good grief.

They do look like shite. I haven't seen any of them because I was informed there is a very big spider. faints

MissMarplesBloomers · 03/08/2013 23:30

My DD's grew up with the HP kids, we started reading the books one day when my Mum got hooked on them & came to stay.

She was reading HP1 & started reading out loud to us all, we all curled up in/on her bed & DH brought us cups of tea & we stayed there entranced until gone 11am taking it in turns to read!

We were all hooked from that day. Grin

I don't care if its escapist rubbish it got a whole generation of kids reading, particularly some boys who never usually try.

Hulababy · 03/08/2013 23:38

Themaltesefalcon - big spider film is film 2 primarily. I close my eyes. I also close my eyes at said big spiders on be Hogwarts ride in Florida.

FrenchRuby · 04/08/2013 05:40

You can't say they're shite if you've not seen/read them! That's the exact reason I read 50 shades, I felt then that I could say that it's shite haha!
The big spider is more impressive when you see it up close at the studio :D
I have the audio books too, I listen to them when in editing and sometimes before I go to bed. I really am such a massive fan haha. I also have two Harry potter tattoos. Taking it to far? I don't care haha!

MrsKoala · 04/08/2013 05:47

I was an adult when they came out and ds is not old enough to be interested. As an adult i would never read a kids book or watch a kids film. I just think it's weird to do so.

thebody · 04/08/2013 07:14

I always think its funny when people say its Shute but. they have never read the books or seen the films! so how would you actually know then?

thebody · 04/08/2013 07:14

shite obviously.

CorrieDale · 04/08/2013 07:35

I love reading kids' books! IMO one of the best bits of being a parent is reading with the children. I spend so much time being the grown up - nagging and fixing them and doing stuff I don 't like with them - yes, swimming, I'm looking at you! So reading Harry potter or Jennings or Cressida cowell with them is, for me, the fun bit! Also, I have no interest in ds's skylanders monologues but we can all chat about Harry potter or (less enthusiastically!) the kitten who was lost in the snow!

hermioneweasley · 04/08/2013 07:47

Of course a seasoned actor like Gary Oldman outperforms a bunch of kids!

First few films don't do much for me (but DS loves them) but they get better and better, along with the books.

I HATED how they changed the final battle between HP and LV though - ruined film 8 for me.

MadeOfStarDust · 04/08/2013 08:13

As with any films there are a few scenes that really stand out though - the one that made me cry - actually IN THE CINEMA - was before the starting credits in the Deathly Hallows 1 where Hermione makes her parents forget she was ever born, I could never watch that without tears in my eyes.....

FrenchRuby · 04/08/2013 08:16

When Dobby died, that really got me. Me and sil were both in tears at the cinema.

celticclan · 04/08/2013 09:53

I like the first one but that is all. I think the films and books were over-hyped and not that original.

IneedAyoniNickname · 04/08/2013 09:54

Rose Dumbledore isnt the only actor that changed, the fat lady portrait also changed, Dawn French wasn't n HP until film 3.

I also sobbed like a baby when Hermione makes her parents forget her, and when Dobby dies. Also the scene in TGOF when Diggory Sr runs over to Cedric's dead body and shouts "my boy, my boy" :(

I did get really.cross in the cinema as the films miss out so much information, however the dc are now loving finding those things.out, like the fact that Harry's dad, sirius, lupin and peter Pettigrew made the maurauders map.

And yy to people saying its shit when they haven't seen/read it. My db does this Angry