Monday Morning Quarterback Part IV
By BOP Staff
July 20, 2011
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Kim Hollis: I am certainly in the camp that is in love with the books and the films in a general sense. I remember when I saw the first trailer for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - I was giddy with anticipation. From that point on, I have truly felt that the films evolved in a very similar way to the books - that they grow with their audience. I've also had the pleasure of seeing multi-generations read them - my mother, my sisters, and my niece have all been heavily into the series. It's kind of a wonderful thing. I do think it's a seminal series that will be passed down from parents to children and then the cycle will repeat.
My book grades are as follows, with explanations:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - A-. It's a wonderful introduction to the wizarding world of Hogwarts and Harry. Much is hidden here if you look for it, too. It feels less mature than the others, but there's a reason for that - Harry himself is just a pre-teen.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - B+. Dobby drives me crazy, so I have to knock the book for that. Overall, though, it's a really nice imagining of what a wizard and his friends might be going through at that age - particularly ones that are dealing with a dark wizard.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - A. I waver on whether this is my favorite of the books, and I'm going to leave that undetermined until I can read through them all one more time (I may wait until I can buy them in digital form, though). I absolutely adore Sirius Black, so his introduction/story is a big part of this. I also enjoy the addition of Lupin and his presence throughout the story. Many of the reveals are fabulous here.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - A. I really, really love the tournament, and don't care if it's elementary storytelling. It works. It brings in wizards from other locations, making us know that they're not all British. And the finish is truly spectacular, if heart-rending.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - B-. I hate hate hate hate hate Dolores Umbridge. Yes, I know I'm supposed to. However, I think she's such a cartoon of a villain that I find her utterly and completely annoying and unbelievable whenever she's in a scene.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - A. Love the reveal of the Half-Blood Prince, not to mention learning that perhaps Harry's father wasn't the perfect person he's made out to be. Also, this is where the series grows up some, both with regard to relationships (romantic and platonic) and hard facts of life.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - A. What an excellent, emotional ending this was. I cried. I found myself surprised when we lost certain characters. And I was happy to see a hint of what was to come in the future of our heroes. I also rather like what is done with Draco - it's not perhaps emotionally satisfying, but it feels like real life.
With regard to the films:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - B+. It holds up better than I think it ought to. Sure, it's touched with the cheesiness of Chris Columbus, but his style actually works well for the films where the kids are younger.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - B. It's my least favorite of the films, and yet I find that it's still heartily enjoyable. I've watched it a couple of times recently and despite the Dobby annoyances, I have fun with it in every viewing.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - A+. This will always be my favorite of the films. Alfonso Cuaron created a masterpiece here, one that I will remember for a long, long time. The kids are starting to grow into their roles very nicely, but even better is the fact that Gary Oldman is an amazing Sirius Black, while David Thewlis's Remus Lupin is one of the finest supporting performances in recent memory. And the set pieces are to die for. I kiss this movie.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - A. This movie is fantastic. I can watch it over and over again and remember the days before Robert Pattinson became all dreary and vampire-y and instead was a champion for Hogwarts. He's really likable in the role, too, for what it's worth. The dragons are fabulous, the tasks are arduous, and I think the book springs to life here.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - A-. You know, much as I hated reading Umbridge in the books, I think she makes for a fine character onscreen. This movie is a lot of fun.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - A. Speaking of fun, here's a movie that takes the trials and tribulations of teen romance and makes them completely entertaining (unlike the mopey, self-indulgent direction taken by Twilight). Somehow, it mixes this humor with one of the saddest points in the series and makes it work.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 - A-. I think people are too hard on this film. Yes, there is a lot of wandering, but ultimately, what this film comes down to is that it reminds us that the story is about Harry, Ron and Hermione and how close they've become and how their lives have changed because of each other. I rewatched it the other day and my opinion has not changed.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - A. I might grade this higher in the end, but I've only seen it once so I'll reserve that plus for later. It is everything I could have hoped for - a satisfying, glorious end to the series.
David Mumpower: I'm transfixed by this conversation; I believe it exemplifies how personal each individual's response has been to the Harry Potter books. As an example, Edwin and I were bonding on Facebook earlier today over the fact that Harry Potter and Friday Night Lights ended on the same day this week. Then, I read this thread and see that he gives Goblet of Fire a lousy C- and suddenly I want to feed him to Nagini. I'm that invested in the subject matter.
Having read all of the books, all of them on the date of release save for the first two, here are my grades:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: A-
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: B-
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: A-
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: A+
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: D
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: A+
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: A+
I read the first two books in the span of a couple of days and very much enjoyed them. I had modest expectations since I had dismissed the stories as children's literature. In hindsight and with the benefit of re-reading them prior to the release of Deathly Hallows, I accept that those novels were rudimentary relative to what Rowling was capable of accomplishing as a writer. Prisoner of Azkaban and its brilliant creation, Sirius Black, identified that she had more talent than I had recognized on first blush.
Goblet of Fire was the work that announced to the world that the Harry Potter franchise was going to be special. The kids grew up, real danger was introduced and readers across the world were alerted to the fact that not everyone would make it to the end. Order of the Phoenix was an atrocious step back, an exercise in artistic indulgence wherein Potter's editors were no longer able to tell her no. The result was the excessive usage of Dolores Umbrage, a character that made me angry with Stephen King for the first time in my life. He wrote an entire article praising that character as a wonderful villain and I wanted to slap the taste out of his mouth for his transgression.
In the build-up to Half-Blood Prince, I braced myself that mayhap the Potter franchise would not finish well; I was that disillusioned by Order of the Phoenix. To my amazement, Half-Blood Prince was every bit the revelation that Goblet of Fire had been and while I lamented the ending, I understood what that was a requisite step in the maturation of the Hogwarts students, even Draco. Finally, Deathly Hallows was released and my wife and I raced to see who would finish first. This led to several hush moments when one of us got too far ahead of the other, leading to debates about what constitutes a spoiler (those fights are not just for the Internet!). I read all of the criticisms of the lackadaisical nature of the first half of the novel, but I never agreed with them. For me, the pacing of action/character development/action/character development was deeply fulfilling. And I loved the triumph achieved by Neville Longbottom, the man BOP always described as the Ralph Wiggum of Hogwarts.
Harry Potter as a series of seven novels had its fair share of missteps. The elf slavery/liberation storyline has been beaten to death by now, but all the criticism of it was accurately stated. I was also disappointed that Rowling could not forgive others for the transgressions of her youth, which is why the worst character in the series is Pansy Parkinson. She has no depth and her only purpose is to laugh raucously, uproariously or viciously whenever Ron, Hermione or Harry experiences misfortune. Rowling has said Parkinson is an amalgam of all the mean girls she knew growing up and I was frustrated by the fact that she could not let that go. Ms. Rowling, you have a billion dollars and a reputation as one of the world's greatest living authors. You've won. Let it go. Other than these quibbles and Dolores Umbridge, however, I have nothing but the warmest feelings about Harry Potter, a hallmark literary achievement.
With regards to the movies, I would have expected my grades to reflect a similar trajectory yet that is not the case. I'll explain why after stating the grades:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: B+
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: C+
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: A
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: A+
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: A+
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: A+
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1: B-
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: A+
I enjoyed the first Harry Potter movie a great deal at the time yet I must admit that the absence of several key players is lamentable in hindsight. While the movie delivers a sweet reminiscence for me about the youthful cast, I struggle to be entertained when I watch it now. Chamber of Secrets is the most awkward book in terms of storytelling, the one where Rowling hadn't quite found her footing as an author yet and it showed. The movie is a similar hodgepodge that fails to distinguish itself from the first film in any meaningful way.
I knew from the trailer that Prisoner of Azkaban would be wonderful. The motion poster of escaped wizard Sirius Black is sublime. This represents the first non-Quidditch moment in the film franchise where I believe the producers recognized just how special the special effects could be. It was a seminal revelation for all involved and the casting of Gary Oldman was the first indication that all of the new characters in each iteration would be played by heavyweight actors capable of elevating the already wonderful source material to even greater heights.
For my money, Goblet of Fire is the greatest adaptation in the franchise as well as one of the best movies of the 2000s. To this moment, whenever the movie is on, I marvel at the set pieces. It's been six years since the release of Goblet of Fire yet the special effects remain special. Even the minute details such as the sparks coming off the staffs of the men of the Durmstrang Institute and the feminine sparkles from the women of Beauxbatons Academy are gloriously implemented. I had believed this novel to be every bit as un-adaptable as The Orchid Thief yet it hits all the right notes while correctly truncating the extended Rita Skeeter sequence.
The discussion for Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows Part 1 is well covered ground by now, but I reiterate how impressed I am by director David Yates with regards to trimming the massive amount of fat in Order of the Phoenix then delivering a tight, high quality blockbuster. He shows more restraint than Rowling and proves that Umbridge can work as a character so long as she is used in small bursts. Half-Blood Prince is a cinematic triumph in every sense of the word, delivering character development and a resonating feeling of lost innocence. Deathly Hallows Part 1 contains all of the character development mentioned earlier, which is frankly boring on its own. Deathly Hallows Part 2 is given all the action, which is why it's such a resounding conclusion to the most popular franchise ever. There is a yin and yang element to the two movies, but I vastly prefer the latter's intensity to the former's methodical patience.
Suffice to say that I love Harry Potter and am quite sad to reach the end of this journey. Come back soon, Hogwarts.