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Original poster

To think the acting in Harry Potter is just awful?

228 replies

LookingForAlaskas · 20/10/2019 20:25

Not watched the films in ages and the third one was on tonight.

It honestly felt like some parts were like a drama class in school. Very cringe.

OP posts:
Triglesoffy · 21/10/2019 07:18

You’ve been watching the wrong films then.

BeyondMyWits · 21/10/2019 07:37

It is a childrens story, the kids watch and grow with the characters - my "kids" love it - they were roughly the same age as the characters when watching the films. They don't give a monkey's about the acting - they get caught up in imagining themselves into the story.

I liked Alan Rickman, David Thewlis, John Hurt, Maggie Smith, Natalia Tena and Raph Fiennes - oh my he makes a good bad guy...

there is an endless list of the greats of British theatre - some acted well, some not so well... (some of the characters were written pretty badly to begin with.)

LittleCandle · 21/10/2019 08:14

I don't mind the films. I didn't expect them to be great art, so of course there is some bad acting - show me a film where there isn't. I think the biggest travesty was casting Micheal Gambon (hugely over-rated and utterly unsympathetic) as Dumbledore, but to be fair to the man (which I am not very often), he had to follow the Sublime Richard Harris, who absolutely embodied Dumbledore. Given that Gambon is such a poor actor, I suppose he did the best he could, although he should have read the books to get a handle on the character.

Ellabella989 · 21/10/2019 08:21

I agree with pp’s that the acting got slightly better as each film went on. The first few are embarrassingly awful. Ron was ok but Harry, Hermione, Draco, the Weasley twins and Ginny were horrendous

Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies · 21/10/2019 08:23

Favourite exchange in our household:

“Don’t you think you’re too old for all this Harry Potter malarkey?”
“Who asked your opinion, you filthy little mudblood.”

Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies · 21/10/2019 08:25

Oh, and Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart hammed it up fantastically. He looked like he was having the time of his life.

Biancadelrioisback · 21/10/2019 08:25

I struggled with all the kids. I didn't mind Draco and I didn't mind Ron, but the rest just were blargh! I do think it got better as it went on, but shout out to that ridiculously awkward 3 way hug in HPAPOA when they think buckbeak was beheaded.

InfiniteSheldon · 21/10/2019 08:27

Worth watching for Rupert Glint alone he was an awesome child actor.

Pantalaimon88 · 21/10/2019 08:28

The worst line for me is in PS when Harry is looking at Snape and says “say Percy, who is that talking to professor Quirrell?”

It sounds so stilted and awkward, probably because no one has started a sentence with “Say, name?” In the UK for about 50 years. It’s like something from Enid Blyton. So that’s on the screenwriters.

lazylinguist · 21/10/2019 08:30

Yes the kids are pretty awful, but I love it anyway. The only one that bothers me is Gambon though - he is all wrong as Dumbledore, as previous posters have said. Not only weirdly-delivered lines, but just totally plays the character the wrong way (though I guess that must be largely due to directing).

TheGoogleMum · 21/10/2019 08:31

Yeah the acting is part the reason ibdont rewatch often even though I love Harry Potter! The books are great. Would love to see them remade very faithfully to the books (I always note when things are missed out or different in the movies) as a cartoon /anime style series.

LaurieMarlow · 21/10/2019 08:35

I expect it won’t be long before they’re remade in some format.

I can’t watch the fantastic beasts films because they’re such a blatant exercise in cashing in.

Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies · 21/10/2019 08:38

I always felt Gambon was playing Richard Harris playing Dumbledore, rather than playing Dumbledore, IYSWIM.

Fizzypoo · 21/10/2019 08:38

What's the book series called that was written before HP and I've read before on here was just like HP but better? Something about islands and magic schools?

Brefugee · 21/10/2019 08:45

I just want to say that I love Jason Isaacs.

Brefugee · 21/10/2019 08:46

I just want to say that I love Jason Isaacs.

@LaurieMarlow - same. But since that coat-shedding scene in Death of Stalin I can't watch him in Harry Potter. I want him to mince and he doesn't

riotlady · 21/10/2019 08:47

@ItIsWhatItIsInnit they all turn into weepy drama queens in the books too, around book 4/5- all the stuff with the Yule ball etc and Harry kissing Cho while she cries over Cedric. Which is not a complaint, on my end- I think JK does quite a good job of portraying 14 year olds!

HeyMissyYouSoFine · 21/10/2019 08:48

I’m waiting for the day when they are reproduced as a high-quality television series

Hmm - me too now you've put the idea in my head.

I find the first two films nearly unwatchable - but don't mind the later ones there not the greatest films out there but they are not the worst.

The books do have something - a good story rather than great writing maybe- and they've got one of mine reading so I'm glad she wrote them.

Abouttimemum · 21/10/2019 08:50

They’re all class imho. Love those films. Even the dubious acting.
I’m still not over Alan Rickman’s death. Love that man.

TheCanterburyWhales · 21/10/2019 08:58

i think the problem Michael Gambon had was that in he was plummeted at the point where JK suddenly decided that she was going to turn Dumbledore into a, frankly, weirdy abusive slimeball as the saga went on. The directors must have been "where is she going with this?" and not quite knowing what to do with the character.
By the time we hear about the sister (thank fuck that load of tripe was left out of the films) and Aberforth and the goat (say what?!!!!!) the Dumbledore family was just absurd.

I was musing on this before, and I think there's a spot of non-intentional racial stereotyping as well. Not just the blatantly stereotypical Durmstrangs and Beauxbatons but at Hogwarts itself. Token black kid "need a name, think of a famous black person that 20 years ago kids might know! Jordan!" It'd be interesting to see how many Irish kids of that era are called Seamus Finnigan, etc etc. Not suggesting for a second Jk was racist, just that she could have done better.
Harry looks totally unlike the description in the books Has the least messy hair in Hogwarts and his eyes arent green.

AndAnotherNameChanger · 21/10/2019 08:59

I thought noisy if the adults were good, bit DR and EW were terrible. I give it bizarre that they have acting careers off the back of them when, having seen HP, the presence of either is enough to convince me NOT to see a film. Mind you there are plenty of other older actors with successful careers to whom the same applies so clearly there are plenty of people around who either don't care about the quality of the acting or disagree with me.

AndAnotherNameChanger · 21/10/2019 09:02

Wow, autocorrect really had a field day with my post:
*most of the adults...
*but DR and EW...

  • I find it bizarre
historysock · 21/10/2019 09:03

Emma Watson in particular was very wooden throughout. I don't think she improved much start to finish really.

CalamityJune · 21/10/2019 09:08

The books are far superior than the films, though 1-4 are in a different league to 5-7 imo.

I'm on a self imposed Potter ban now until DS is old enough to read them.

TaliZorahVasNormandy · 21/10/2019 09:09

The only good Harry Potter films are the ones with Jason Isaacs in.

Fucking love Jason Isaacs!