My expectations of the fifth episode of the Harry Potter film series were very high. It did not make a difference that Steve Kloves, the screenwriter of the first four films, was replaced by Michael Goldenberg, because J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter novels, is always expected to give her approval on the screen adaptations. In this installment, directed by David Yates, she was pleased with the work and I thought the film was a marvel to watch.
In this story, 14-year-old Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) are back. They start their fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and his Death Eaters, Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) and Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs), are lurking.
What makes this movie so good is the darkness of the plot. Harry is having nightmares about the Lord of Darkness recruiting an army against him, but his bad dreams come to life when he is attacked by monsters. Harry uses his craft to defend himself, but it is also a breach of student rules to use this craft in the presence of humans. Harry finds himself in trouble with the school and the only adults to back him up are his godfather Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) and Headmaster Dumbledore (Michael Gambon). Harry decides to take matters in his own hands by training the students and preparing them for a fight.
This fantasy adventure is a turning point for the characters of Harry Potter, his friends, and classmates. They are no longer children and they are faced with the choices and challenges of young adults. With those choices comes consequences. The movie advocates rebellion and the discovery of how difficult the world can be, but deals with the solutions to those difficulties in terms of making your own way in the world as a young adult. I found this to be a good moral point to make in a film some may think would be just a flashy flick.
Article comments
1 - Nolan P.
I believe that he is 15 in this book and movie. The year that he is in at Hogwarts corresponds to his age (i.e. book #1 Harry 11; book# 3 Harry 13...)
2 - Gerald-the film reviewer
The film production notes states his as 14. Your correct in your calculations of the book, but this is a screenplay adaptation taken from the book. Please don't blame the messenger.
Gerald, the film reviewer
3 - Texas Reviewer
Enjoyed seeing the film in IMAX format very much!!! Probably worth if for that alone. However, the 3D aspect was a big disappoint. It just didn't seem to "work." Not sure if this was a function of the film itself; or, just of the theater I happened to see it in.
To their credit, the theater offered refunds to everyone who was dissatisfied. Most who attended the show I saw were in line for theirs when I left. If time had not been an issue for me, I would have waited in line for one as well.
4 - Taylor M.
I am a fan of Harry Potter and have read each book at least 2 times, most 3, and I have to say that I was very disappointed with the movie. I mean, I understand that you can't put EVERYTHING into a movie from a book, but it doesn't make much sense to me that they made the longest book of the series, the shortest movie. I think that if I didn't read the books, I would of been lost in some, if not most, parts of the movie because things are just not explained well and many favorited events are left out, but this is just my opinion, although I do feel that I will not be alone.
5 - Gerald-the film reviewer
Dear Taylor M.,
I truly agree with you about the film not giving you a backstory for those who may not know all of the characters and the events leading to this point, but this is a series of sequels. Perhaps Warner Bros. and the director assumed too much. Good comment.
Gerald- the film reviewer
6 - Ellen
Did we see the same movie? If I hadn't read the book maybe I would have liked the movie too. I agree with Taylor M, I knew they couldn't put everything in the movie as this book was so long. However did they have to try and rewrite the book? I liked the book I read and didn't need them to change it! Cho Chang didn't turn in the DA's, Gwarp didn't pick up Hermione, where is the swamp Fred & George created, Harry is really just going to hand over the prophecy to Lucius Malfoy, yeah right! And Quidditch, not ONE mention of Quidditch in the whole movie.....poor Ron finally has something great happen to him and we don't even mention it? I liked the first half of this movie but the second half was a figment of someone's imagination other than J.K. Rowling and I like her imagination better!
7 - Paotie
I just saw the movie in IMAX 3-D. Thought it was pretty good. The 3-D effects were pretty good, though you have to wait til the later stages of the movie to wear it. And even then, it's only 5-10 minutes (give or take a few) long.
Some movies don't belong on IMAX (Spiderman), while others (such as 300) seem perfectly suited to the huge proportions of IMAX. Harry Potter fits somewhere in the middle: sometimes, it was great and at other times, it took away from the movie itself.
:o)
Paotie
8 - Katrina Cotalust
I agree. Most of the movie was left out. Like when Neville's legs turned jelly-like. And it would be VERY easy if they could just make Sirius fall into a curtain instead of that hollow door. Ron and Hermoine, the main characters HARDLY had anything to say. Neville acctually appeared in more parts than Ron and Hermoine. Ginny, another main character, didn't even have ANY dialogue at all.
9 - Anita Zamely
From the Prisoner of Azkaban to this last one, the movies have been getting darker, seriouser and less J.K. Rowling-like in atmosphere and character. The Order of the Phoenix finally did away with all the lightness and charm and HUMOR that marks all the Harry Potter books. Without that and without the characters that we know and love so much, Harry Potter would be like any other scary movie. This last one almost did away with Ron and Hermione! Change the Director! Why not bring back the one who did the first movie? That was the best!
10 - sandra
HE JUST TURNED 15 IN THE BEGINNING OF THE MOVIE AND IS NEARING 16 TOWARDS THE END.
IF UR IN 5TH YEAR IN BRITAIN UR 15-16 YEARS OLD
11 - Andy D.
I found the fifth movie to be a rather disappoitment to watch. The screenplay, as highly predicted, well that is, from myself (due to the change in the screenwriter) is VERY inconsistent with the other movies. The new style of story-telling Harry Potter's journeys are very different.
This peticular film did not display the magic as I anticipated. I was actually quite bored in the theater for many parts of the film. There were too many silent moments and way too much dialoge.
Forgive me, but:
IT IS CLEALY STATED IN THE PREVIOUS INSTALLMENT OF THIS SERIES, YES, THE FILM... IN HARRY'S INTERVIEW WITH RITA SEEKER THAT HE IS 14. HE ACTUALLY CONSISTANTLY REMINDS THE REPORTER WHEN SHE REPEATEADLY ANNOUNCES THAT HIS IS 12.
GIVING THAT THIS FILM IS A YEAR AFTER THOSE EVENTS HE IS IN FACT 15. YES. IN THIS FILM.
I am a die-hard Harry Potter Fan. BOTH of the books and the films. I just can't wait to see the return of the screenwriter and music composer for the sixth movie. Thank Heavens!!!!!!
TOO much of UNIMPORTANT stuff was taken out of the book-too many unimportant scenes, irrelevant to the main plot were shown (i.e, Sirius's Family Tree). Hermoine and Ron being prefects are VERY important to the main plot as it further shows how Harry is avoided by Dumbledore, AS WELL as the very important scene of Harry and Snape's memory!!! TOO SHORT!
This movie was more of actually bringing a few scenes of the book come to life as to making it an actual movie.
(though I may say that the last 20 minutes, were quite impressive...IMAX 3-D. wow. but still)
12 - Cristy B
I left the other movies singing the soundtracks. I was so disappointed to have left the theatre not being able to remember a single moment that I felt inspired by the music. :(
Why ruin a good thing? If you cant come up with good music, bring back the old! What's Harry Potter without it's theme?!
13 - MK
I must agree with the last comment. For God's sake, bring back John Williams! With one or two exceptions (the music during the Weasley twin's 'getaway'being one) the music was entirely forgetable.
14 - Helena
I was looking forward to this movie. Read all the books and I love the HP Universe but I was very disappointed with the movie.
I remember reading the book and the emotions/sense of betrayal that Harry felt was so much more defined. They left out key scenes that made the book so much more darker and serious.
I know that they can't have everything that was in the book in the movies, but I found it lacked the build up to the confrontation to Voldemort.
15 - Jennifer A.
You all must have watched a different movie than me, because I thought it was excellent. This movie followed the book more closely than any of the previous films, even using exact dialogue from the book. The complaints about Neville's jelly legs and Cho being the snitch are irrelevant. The end results were still the same.
The movie is supposed to be dark, as the books are getting darker as well. The were a few moments of humor (Crookshanks catching the extendable ears), but overall the movie was not supposed to be lighthearted and funny. The first movie/book was all about Harry discovering he was a wizard and learning magic for the first time. Now, however, he is realizing the weight of the task that is set before him.
The movie was right on.
16 - Meli E
Are you kidding me! This movie was clearly "lightly based" on the book. The end result was NOT the same. Since when did Voldemort enter Harry's body during the last scene? It's funny because people who have not read the books LOVE this movie, while the readers were left confused and wanting more. All the reviews say how this is a "dark" movie, but in actuallity I don't think this movie was nearly as dark as it should've been. And what about when Harry destroys Dumbledores office towards the end?! That was completely ommitted when it is actually the truest presentation of just how angry Harry really is. I hope this movie does not set the precedant for the remaining two or all readers will be dissappointed.
17 - Jennifer A.
Since when did Voldemort enter Harry's body during the last scene? Are you kidding me????????
Voldemort takes over Harry...here's the exact wording from the book!
And then Harry's scar burst open. He knew he was dead: it was pain beyond imagining, pain past endurance-
He was gone from the hall, he was locked in the coils of a creature with red eyes, so tightly bound that Harry did not know where his body ended and the creature's began. They were fused together, bound by pain, and there was no escape-
And when the creature spoke, it used Harry's mouth, so that in his agony he felt his jaw move...
"Kill me now Dumbledore..."
Blinded and dying, every part of him screaming for release, Harry felt the creature use him again...
"If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy..."
Let the pain stop, thought Harry. Let him kill us...End it, Dumbledore...Death is nothing compared to this...
And I'll see Sirius again...
And as Harry's heart filled with emotion, the creature's coils loosened, the pain was gone, Harry was lying face down on the floor, his glasses gone, shivering as though he lay upon ice, not wood...
Hello! How could you have missed that?
18 - Natasha L
I am a big fan of Harry Potter ... Even though the book was alot different to the movie i still enjoyed watching it.