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I thought it had some nice set pieces. The children didn't have to moon around looking awestruck all the time. It was entertainig, and a better film than the first, but still not actually much cop.
Pros:
Snape. Not enough of him, by any means, but he looks and sounds great. Running up the corridor a particularly nice shot, and the twitchy, intermittent hand movements are inspired. The closes twe have to Avon.
Lockhart: Not nearly smarmy or nasty enough, and the denouement is far too rushed and has no emotional impact whatsoever. Also, there is nothing much to contrast with Harry and Ron's suspicion of him - Hermione fancying him is almost totally written out. But Brannagh si nicely self-parodic.
Lucius Malfoy: *Lovely* Jason Isaacs! More of this, please, although no Malfoy/Snape fun, I'm afraid, Deva.
The spiders: Nicely played - Ron is brilliant in this part.
The Weasleys: Just very good, unselfish group acting.
Cons:
The script. Fucking awful. Maybe half a dozen good lines in two and a half hours or so. Generally, forgettable and did little but explain the plot or describe the current action.
The ending: Truly dire. One, because it makes no sense whatsoever (why did Potter and Weasley behave in such an utterly fuckwitted way? Just to resolve a subplot?), and two, because it is lame, lame, lame. The only real danger seems to be that Harry will be brained by a falling Deus ex Machina. There's no sense of threat. Partly, perhaps, because Daniel Radcliffe is not a great actor, and also because the other character in the finale has barely been developed, as ze was in the book (epicene pronoun to avoid spoiling).
The sex: There isn't any. Which is to say, Hermione's pash on Lockhart and Ginnie's pash on Harry are given precisely one second each - adoring gaze from Hermione and frightened scamper from Ginnie, and that's it. Interesting to see into what this collection of the most sexless adolescents in the world does under the new Y Tu Mama Tambien
More fucking quidditch: The presence of Sexy Boy Wood is not enough. The quidditch match was better, and shorter, but too samey. (Plus, Quidditch makes no sense whatsoever, but never mind that - does Potter catch the golden fucking snitch every single cocking book?)
Dobby the fucking house elf: The jar jar of Hogwarts, both in terms of irritating CGI character and bug-eyed comedy negro. Not looking forward to the future, if Deva's precis elsewhere is anything to go by.
And, finally, honorable mention for Draco Malfoy, being portrayed by perhaops the worst actor I have ever seen. In among all the hamming but talented Engouish character actors, he looks like he's wandered in from a Fairuza Balk "Worst Witch" movie. Can't act, can't emote except by shouting, can't enunciate. Quite astonishingly poor. |
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