OotP Movie Discussion

I really, really like this one! Evanna Lynch was absolutely amazing as Luna Lovegood (adore her.) Its my second favourite movie, after HBP! Cho and Harry were soo cute! Bellatrix Lestrange was absolutely fantastic, loved her at the end! (well hated her, RIP Sirius!) You know what I mean (: So yeah, great movie!

weasleychild. (:

So, I was looking through the deleted scenes of Order online, and I found one that I never noticed before: an extended version of the forest scene with Umbridge before the arrival of the centaurs and Grawp. In the theatrical cut of the movie, she says the line about hating children and realizes that she has been tricked before the arrival of the creatures that whisk her away, but in the deleted scene, she talks a lot more about how she has tried to instill order in Hogwarts and will succeed, but in an utterly psychotic way. Now, most of the deleted scenes on the DVD were perfectly justified in their deletion to me, but Imelda Staunton's acting in the extended scene below is brilliant. Why was it cut...?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcb7WJSGNB4

"And now LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME!"

It really shows how damaged she is.

Guess I'll be reviving this thread to point out one particular scene that has always irked me:

When Harry and Seamus are bickering - in the common room, with Neville, Fred, and George present - nobody aside from Ron (who enters in the conversation late) backs Harry up.

By OoTP, Harry is basically an honorary Weasley already - and for Fred and George to just be sitting there, saying nothing, is absolutely ridiculous. I can understand Neville not speaking up given there are a lot more people present (compared to the book, when it's just the five in their dorm), but for the twins to be that passive and not defend Harry? Weak.

I noticed that. I can't imagine the twins not saying something when Harry is being insulted like that. I guess, since the book never mentioned any confrontation (because the incident actually took place in the dorm among the roommates) the writers didn't know how to handle it. Heavens forbid they follow the book and set the scene in the dorm. The twins being there was pretty useless, anyway. So why not just do it the way JKR wrote it?

One time I watched the movie with my mom, she asked me why the Twins didn't defend Harry too, I didn't have an answer. Hermione wasn't in the scene and the Prefect subplot was cut so there was no reason for Hermione not to be in the common room that night yet she wasn't. The twins shouldn't have been there either. It was very Out of Character for the twins not to intervene on Harry's behalf.

I'd forgotten about them cutting the entire Prefect thing. That was really unfair to Ron. It was, first of all, a big accomplishment and honor for him. And, he and Hermoine being Prefects was one reason that Harry was alone more and feeling deserted by them as well as Dumbledore. And, he was feeling alienated from his housemates because of the thing with a lot of the WW not believing that Voldy was back, and Harry and Dumbledore were batty.

They really dropped the whole "isolation" thing with Harry in the movie, other than just a couple of things with Dumbledore. But, if I remember correctly, in the book it was a really big deal for Harry because he'd always been used to being surrounded by his friends and being close to Dumbledore. Then, suddenly, he's alone and doesn't know how to handle it. That was, IMO, why Harry was so surprised and gratified when Dumbledore's Army was formed and he was asked to teach them how to defend themselves. It made him feel vindicated.

In a deleted scene for OotP, after Harry leaves the Common Room, Neville mentions how his Gran has cancelled their subscription for the Prophet. In yet another deleted scene, there's a really nice shot of the camera circling around the Common Room as all of the Gryffindors are interacting, and then it moves over to Harry sitting in front of the fire place, utterly alone.

In my opinion, Warner Brothers should have let Yates keep a lot of the deleted material in for his "Director's Cut", so to speak. I felt like the movie emphasized Harry's isolation as best as it could without the subplots from the book, but there were a few scenes missing that could have made the emphasis much more emotionally satisfying.

:rolleyes:In a deleted scene for OotP, after Harry leaves the Common Room, Neville mentions how his Gran has cancelled their subscription for the Prophet. In yet another deleted scene, there's a really nice shot of the camera circling around the Common Room as all of the Gryffindors are interacting, and then it moves over to Harry sitting in front of the fire place, utterly alone.

In my opinion, Warner Brothers should have let Yates keep a lot of the deleted material in for his "Director's Cut", so to speak. I felt like the movie emphasized Harry's isolation as best as it could without the subplots from the book, but there were a few scenes missing that could have made the emphasis much more emotionally satisfying.

I agree with you, it's amazing how much of an effect just one small scene like that of the Gryffindor Common room has in the overall arch of a particular story. I still don't understand why scenes like these are deleted anyways. Not even a minute long, and we get 'treated' on the DVD with it. :rolleyes:

You can barely see what the heck is going on. Same thing with Half Blood Prince. Even during scenes at nighttime at Hogwarts castle. You just barely see what the heck is going on etc

OoTP was actually my least favorite movie. I love the book and all... but I wish they added more scenes. Maybe it's me, but I wish they added more scenes like Harry's isolation and his reaction after Sirius dies, like when he talks to Nearly-Headless Nick.

I noticed that. I can't imagine the twins not saying something when Harry is being insulted like that. I guess, since the book never mentioned any confrontation (because the incident actually took place in the dorm among the roommates) the writers didn't know how to handle it. Heavens forbid they follow the book and set the scene in the dorm. The twins being there was pretty useless, anyway. So why not just do it the way JKR wrote it?

I agree that the twins would speak up for Harry in a case like that, although in their own way, which is quite different from Ron and Hermione´s. I believe the writers consciously wanted to emphasize the closeness of Ron´s and Harry´s relationship and the suspicion among the students towards Harry. The twins have their own storyline within OoTP, with its own vibe and plenty of screentime, so the film makers didn´t need to focus on them in the scene.

So, I was looking through the deleted scenes of Order online, and I found one that I never noticed before: an extended version of the forest scene with Umbridge before the arrival of the centaurs and Grawp. In the theatrical cut of the movie, she says the line about hating children and realizes that she has been tricked before the arrival of the creatures that whisk her away, but in the deleted scene, she talks a lot more about how she has tried to instill order in Hogwarts and will succeed, but in an utterly psychotic way. Now, most of the deleted scenes on the DVD were perfectly justified in their deletion to me, but Imelda Staunton's acting in the extended scene below is brilliant. Why was it cut...?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcb7WJSGNB4

"And now LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME!"

It really shows how damaged she is.

I found that a while ago and am so disappointed that didn't make it into the final cut. It really could not have been more perfect.

I was actually pretty pleased with OotP, and it's my favorite behind DH1. The changes made here weren't too big of a deal for me. Most noticeable though was the battle with the DEs at the Ministry- I was looking forward to seeing Ron struggle with the brains lol. While it was still action-packed, it did not live up to the action in the book and everyone seemed to escape with minimal scratches. And the character of Nigel annoys me- why not just make it Dennis Creevey if they couldn't get Colin?

Harry's reaction to Sirius's death is so moving. I didn't realize that it was originally with sound and now I would love to hear his real scream. I've always loved his portrayal of Harry and this was spot on acting. It made me appreciate him more as an actor and kind of a beautiful moment to see how much he's grown since SS.

Helena Bonham Carter's portrayal of Bellatrix made this movie for me. She is perfectly evil, maniacal, and crazed. I know some people don't like her, but I think they could not have picked a better actress!

OoTP was actually my least favorite movie. I love the book and all... but I wish they added more scenes. Maybe it's me, but I wish they added more scenes like Harry's isolation and his reaction after Sirius dies, like when he talks to Nearly-Headless Nick.

I agree with you on that.

OoTP was actually my least favorite movie. I love the book and all... but I wish they added more scenes. Maybe it's me, but I wish they added more scenes like Harry's isolation and his reaction after Sirius dies, like when he talks to Nearly-Headless Nick.I agree with you on that.The movie told a story about right vs. easy choices in personal isolation extremely well: had it "focused any more, then it would have lost any subtlety. (There were a couple of cut scenes that added more, but they didn't add anything that the theatrical cut didn't firmly establish.)

The Headless Nick scene was completely redundant with the scene that they did with Luna. The only thing that they might have added was Luna saying something about the dead that you love never leaving you: that might make people remember back to Prisoner.

This actually might have been the best adaptation of the series. It did as good a job as Prisoner or Goblet at telling Rowling's story, but with a much more unwieldy and even obtuse source narrative.

Although as a source OotP was flawed in that it was very much a place-holder. The overall feeling I got was that it was setting up the chess pieces for the last two books.

The only thing that they might have added was Luna saying something about the dead that you love never leaving you: that might make people remember back to Prisoner.

She said something similar though: "Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect."

One time I watched the movie with my mom, she asked me why the Twins didn't defend Harry too, I didn't have an answer. Hermione wasn't in the scene and the Prefect subplot was cut so there was no reason for Hermione not to be in the common room that night yet she wasn't. The twins shouldn't have been there either. It was very Out of Character for the twins not to intervene on Harry's behalf.

Yeah so true!! :agree: I see that always while watching OoTP...the twins glaring at Harry when he enters the Common Room! Oh come on...if the director didn't want them to speak up on Harry's behalf,they shouldn't have been there at all on the scene.

And I did not like the way Fred and George enact this dialogue,which leads to their awesome flight from school :

Fred Weasley: You know, George, I've always felt out futures lay outside the world of academic achievement.
George Weasley: Fred, I've been thinking exactly the same thing.

They say it in such a limp,unemotional way, its highly annoying!!!!!!

Although as a source OotP was flawed in that it was very much a place-holder. The overall feeling I got was that it was setting up the chess pieces for the last two books.

This makes a really good point. It was a decent placeholder but personally this movie did not do the book justice for me. It was one of my favorite books for several reasons, but the movie actually came off as a little dull.

The one thing that bothers me the most is the way Sirius' death was handled. The death scene itself was fairly accurate to the book, but it was Harry's vast emotional reaction afterwards that I don't think the movie underlined nearly enough, especially the fact that Sirius' death really affected Harry in a profound way. For some reason, I felt like the movie didn't make that reaction as big as it should've been. But maybe that's just me.

OotP was my favorite book. But not my favorite movie. It just didn't capture enough of the essence of why I liked the book. I liked that Harry was angst ridden. Not in a sadistic way, but I always like character growth and that book is probably the book where Harry changes the most. GoF is the turning point book, but OotP shows Harry's growth and change and that's what I love about it.

I wish they handled Harry's reaction to Sirius's death differently. I wanted to see Harry throwing stuff around Dumbledore's office and his yelling at Dumbledore, and they didn't really talk about the prophecy, except the part where either Voldemort or Harry had kill the other.

I wish they handled Harry's reaction to Sirius's death differently. I wanted to see Harry throwing stuff around Dumbledore's office and his yelling at Dumbledore, and they didn't really talk about the prophecy, except the part where either Voldemort or Harry had kill the other.

That's exactly what I was talking about!
That was the part of the book I really wished they'd cover, but they didn't. Honestly I think that's a very important thing, & reveals a lot about not only Harry but a little about Trelawney.

I wish they handled Harry's reaction to Sirius's death differently. I wanted to see Harry throwing stuff around Dumbledore's office and his yelling at Dumbledore, and they didn't really talk about the prophecy, except the part where either Voldemort or Harry had kill the other.

I agree. That was one of my favorite scenes in the book, when Harry was raging at Dumbledore. There was so much emotion in it and it was written so poignantly. Shame they couldn't have transferred it over to the film. :no:

I wish they handled Harry's reaction to Sirius's death differently. I wanted to see Harry throwing stuff around Dumbledore's office and his yelling at Dumbledore, and they didn't really talk about the prophecy, except the part where either Voldemort or Harry had kill the other.

me too!!

I agree. That was one of my favorite scenes in the book, when Harry was raging at Dumbledore. There was so much emotion in it and it was written so poignantly. Shame they couldn't have transferred it over to the film. :no:

A youngster gobbing off at an authority figure is almost certain to come off as embarrassing, even cringe-worthy, on screen.

A key difference between written fiction and a dramatization.

A youngster gobbing off at an authority figure is almost certain to come off as embarrassing, even cringe-worthy, on screen.

A key difference between written fiction and a dramatization.


I think that is where the challenge and the art come into the picture. Lost opportunity, in my opinion.

I think that is where the challenge and the art come into the picture. Lost opportunity, in my opinion.

I suppose. I feel if they had portrayed it the right way, it would've looked more like Harry expressing his intense emotions/anger to Dumbldore more than just mouthing off to him (this is the way the book shows it, IMO).

But I guess they felt the scene might have come off the wrong way, so it was just avoided. I still wish they had put it in there though, because honestly I see that seen as pretty important, not just for Harry's emotional reaction but for the bit about the prophecy, too. The full prophecy as shown in the book isn't really vital, but I would've liked to see the scene none the less.

IMO, the possession scene was the film's climax, so it didn't need another one with Harry raging at Dumbledore.

IMO, the possession scene was the film's climax, so it didn't need another one with Harry raging at Dumbledore.

Yes, but honestly I would trade in the possession scene to get the other sequence from the book back. But that's because I'm a dork who a) loves when the movies stay as true to the book as possible (& yeah, I know where the movie has limits, or they'd all be hours long) & b) Really, really loved that scene.

I think this movie overall is my least favorite. Of course not only because of that last part (& there are still a couple parts of this movie I loved), but like other people said, it kind of just seems like a placeholder, & honestly, it kind of disappointed me because the book wasn't like that at all.

Also is it just me, or did Harry seem a little more angsty in the movie than in the book?

Maybe it's just because I could see Radcliffe's facial expression/hear his tone opposed to just seeing Harry in my head, but still.

A youngster gobbing off at an authority figure is almost certain to come off as embarrassing, even cringe-worthy, on screen.


Perhaps. But that certainly doesn't apply for every scene where a youngster is 'gobbing off at an authority figure'. Had they chose to do the scene, and had it been acted and directed well, I think it would have been a far more moving scene than the one we got in the movie.

But that certainly doesn't apply for every scene where a youngster is 'gobbing off at an authority figure'. Had they chose to do the scene, and had it been acted and directed well, I think it would have been a far more moving scene than the one we got in the movie.

This is what I've been trying to say, haha. I guess I'm just putting up a good fight for this scene because it was probably one of my favorites in the book & the fact they left it out of the movie was disappointing overall.

A common complaint from fans is that the longest book was made into the shortest film, but what should be taken into consideration is not how many pages there are, but how much content there is that translates well to the screen and contributes to the main plot and story. Case in point, unnecessary subplots and "fluff" from the book obviously had to go, but what was left in of subplots (Grawp, Cho and Snape's worst memory) was tied into the story of isolation quite well, albeit the Grawp scene unfortunately dragged. It also lacked a proper explanation of the prophecy and why Voldemort wanted it after all the set-up of it being a "weapon", but as a whole it was a brilliantly adapted and "focused" film.

A common complaint from fans is that the longest book was made into the shortest film, but what should be taken into consideration is not how many pages there are, but how much content there is that translates well to the screen and contributes to the main plot and story. Case in point, unnecessary subplots and "fluff" from the book obviously had to go, but what was left in of subplots (Grawp, Cho and Snape's worst memory) was tied into the story of isolation quite well, albeit the Grawp scene unfortunately dragged. It also lacked a proper explanation of the prophecy and why Voldemort wanted it after all the set-up of it being a "weapon", but as a whole it was a brilliantly adapted and "focused" film.

Exactly. While I would love to see the original 3 hour cut Yate's put together I can live with what we got. For me, it is the most rewatchable, and has the best pace of any of the films.

Has anyone noticed the troll foot table in the half blood prince in the part when they use the ear to listen to the order talking? You can see in in the shot of crookshanks and the ear.

Out of all the books this was my favorite! I really wanted the movie to be two movies or at least one long film like 3 hours but it wasn't and I can understand they had to get rid of a lot of things but even with all the stuff they took out I still thought it was a great film! I loved to hate Umbridge, I thought the way her character was portrayed was spot on. I also really enjoyed the Patronus lessons! Those were fun!

A common complaint from fans is that the longest book was made into the shortest film, but what should be taken into consideration is not how many pages there are, but how much content there is that translates well to the screen and contributes to the main plot and story. Case in point, unnecessary subplots and "fluff" from the book obviously had to go, but what was left in of subplots (Grawp, Cho and Snape's worst memory) was tied into the story of isolation quite well, albeit the Grawp scene unfortunately dragged. It also lacked a proper explanation of the prophecy and why Voldemort wanted it after all the set-up of it being a "weapon", but as a whole it was a brilliantly adapted and "focused" film.

Well said. A nice chunk of the OotP book is background information, necessary for the reader to understand, but would be difficult to translate to film. Except for DH1 and DH2, I think the story and message of the book comes across the best. Even with the many changes, the story is still justified.
The biggest "loose end" I can think of is how Ginny and Luna get captured and brought to Umbridge's office when the trio is about to go to the MoM; kind of random that suddenly they're there when Draco brings Neville in saying, "I caught this one trying to help the Weasley girl!" Help her do what? lol But other than that, there is adequate explanation on the important points.