Are the movies getting better or worse?

[Pearl_Took]

Originally Posted by Grymmditch

They should not attempt to be more like the Lord of the Rings films, it just won't work, IMO.

So far they have avoided that trap, IMO.

[Lupus_05]

I LOVED the first two movies and think that they are slowly getting worse... >.<

They are slowly getting further and further from being true to the books. imo

[TheShley]

I do honestly believe that they are getting better. They do seem to be missing more stuff out as they go along, but the books dodo get bigger. The acting has improved, I enjoy watching Emma, Daniel and Rupert progress in their acting ablities. The effects have gotten so much better (In PS the effects are seriously obvious - and its all too bright outside!) and the sets have also.

I'm looking forward to seeing HBP, its looking really good.

[Rush]

In my opinion, the movies are getting worse.

Sure, the acting is a lot better, the cinematography is better, there's more humour and more action.. but I feel that the movies are quickly losing the magic of Harry Potter. Those who haven't read the books probably like them a lot better, but I certainly don't.

The Philosopher's Stone
Probably my favourite movie, though not my favourite book. I loved almost every scene. Diagon Alley was awesome, Gringotts was well done, and the castle, especially the great hall, was just superb. This movie also had, in my opinion, the best ending out of any movie.This movie really got me into Harry Potter fandom.

Chamber of Secrets
My least favourite book, but another great movie. Not quite as good as the first in my opinion but still great. I loved the dueling scene and thought the Chamber and the younger Riddle was excellent. The polyjuice potion, though not exactly like the book, worked well. My only dislike was the flying car scene, but thats just because it was nothing like the book.

Prisoner of Azkaban
A better "movie" than the first two by normal movie goers standards. Acting was great, I liked a lot of the scenes, but this was the first movie, I felt that some of the Harry Potter magic was wearing off.

Goblet of Fire
Considered to be the turning point in the series. This is where the movies are supposed to get darker, and while the graveyard scene was nice, to me, the rest of the movie was not. I didn't feel there was enough explanation, the dragon scene dragged on, and I disliked the whole "Barty Crouch Jr. storyline" especially the fact that he was scene earlier in the movie.

Order of the Phoenix
My least favourite movie. I didn't like how most things weren't explained and just flashed on screen. My biggest pet peeve of the movie was the portrayel of Filch. In the first and second movies Filch was someone to be reckoned with. Since then, he has sort of been portrayed as somewhat of a comical character. I dislike him watching the Room of Requirement the most. However, I thought the Department of Mysteries scene was spectacular.

The trailers for HBP make me think that maybe some of the Harry Potter "magic" will be coming back and I am excited to go see it in July. Hopefully it will be the best movie yet.

[LilCubanita67]

Originally Posted by Rebel

I feel they are getting better in the special effects and cinematography departments. They are becoming increasingly more beautiful. In PS and COS the special effects are ****, and now they are good!

I definitely agree with that, which is why I think they are getting better.

I've learned to accept that the movies are never going to really be completely faithful to the books - they have to change some things due to time and to make it more understandable for people who haven't read the books. So now instead of nitpicking about what they included, changed, or removed I just watch the movies to actually watch them and be entertained.

The high-action sequences, special effects, and addition of more humor make me feel like the films are getting better.

[mactheknife]

i think if i hadnt read the books, then the movies would have been getting steadily better!
however as i have read the books i think they have been in decline from PoA...and the last 3 were very poor adaptations! JMHO

[SunXia]

Originally Posted by mactheknife

i think if i hadnt read the books, then the movies would have been getting steadily better!
however as i have read the books i think they have been in decline from PoA...and the last 3 were very poor adaptations! JMHO

I don't know, I've said before that I love continuity in my films so I didn't like the changes that came with PoA although as a movie-goer and not a book fan, I guess the story would be ok, just not the drastic changes in background.
They're getting better from PoA in my opinion.

[mactheknife]

Originally Posted by SunXia

I don't know, I've said before that I love continuity in my films so I didn't like the changes that came with PoA although as a movie-goer and not a book fan, I guess the story would be ok, just not the drastic changes in background.
They're getting better from PoA in my opinion.

i agree with you that they are getting better from PoA, however i was only stating that with technology improving so much, the effects have got alot better from the first 2 films....and i believe that people who havent read the books would enjoy the latter films much more!

although saying that my favourite film is still PS by FAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!

[Harry852]

Well you see the first few (1-3) are shorter so there is more from the book in them. But the last ones are longer(4-7) so there are more in them, too much to put it all in the movie. So that's why they seem worst as they go on.

But I my self think the first few are better stories any way.

[mactheknife]

im really hoping that Half-Blood Prince is alot better than the previous 3 movies!

[Willz]

I think they're getting better, although I didn't like 5 nearly as much as I liked 3 and 4, 1 and 2 were great but 3 and 4 are just brilliant in my opinion. Saying that number 6 looks fantastic.

[DML1991]

I think they are, yes. My favorite of the last three change from time to time, though I think I prefer Azkaban and Phoenix to Goblet for sure.

[Pearl_Took]

Originally Posted by Willz

Saying that number 6 looks fantastic.

Yep, HBP is looking promising.

Originally Posted by DML1991

I think they are, yes. My favorite of the last three change from time to time, though I think I prefer Azkaban and Phoenix to Goblet for sure.

Yes, Azkaban and Phoenix pretty much tie for first place for me as well.

Oh, and the films have got better, IMO.

[Hysteria]

I make no secret of my absolute detest of PoA so that's easily my least favourite.

In terms of faithful adaptations PS is the 'best'. As for which is the most enjoyable as a stand-alone film, well that's very subjective. If I were to completely ignore the fact that these movies came from a series of books very dear to my heart then GoF and PS would probably be my favourites. IMO they had the best flowing stories (though GoF failed to explain a thing or two. Nothing compared to the PoA mess though), acting and were visually good. PS didn't have great special effects but I forgive them

[thethirdman]

I'd say it's been like a roller coaster. The first two were dismal for me. POA was a major spike, and I'd say it's the best of the bunch. GOF was a downer, though not as bad as the first two. I think Columbus was at his best in the 80s, but has failed to grow or improve since. GOF was tedious. The first task drug on far too long. No joke, I got up, went to the bathroom, took my time, fixed my hair, refilled my soda, and it was still going on when I came back. All that time could have been used for plot. OotP was a return to greatness for the series, I think. It really moved, and it didn't pull any punches...though I think they could have made Tonks less like a teenager and more like the adult that she was.

[CeruleanSky]

Originally Posted by LilCubanita67

I've learned to accept that the movies are never going to really be completely faithful to the books - they have to change some things due to time and to make it more understandable for people who haven't read the books. So now instead of nitpicking about what they included, changed, or removed I just watch the movies to actually watch them and be entertained.

Ditto. It makes for much more enjoyable watching. I'm sure none of us would have complained had someone decided to film 50 hours worth of Harry Potter, but clearly it couldn't be done. I'm quite satisfied that they've managed to take the rather lengthy OOTP and turn it into an entertaining, if not totally-faithful, depiction of Harry's fifth year.

Originally Posted by LilCubanita67

The high-action sequences, special effects, and addition of more humor make me feel like the films are getting better.

I definitely agree, especially about the effects. The acting has come a ways, too, and I've been really pleased to see the actors getting more comfortable with their characters.

Originally Posted by thethirdman

OotP was a return to greatness for the series, I think. It really moved, and it didn't pull any punches...though I think they could have made Tonks less like a teenager and more like the adult that she was.

Again, I agree - OOTP was probably my favourite of the 5 movies we've seen so far, though I very distinctly remember watching POA and thinking, "Now this is what I had hoped the movies to be like.

I think we can at least hope to see the movies get better - keeping the same director through to the end has its benefits, not the least of which being consistency. JKR's already written an awesome book series, so my love for Harry Potter doesn't hinge on the next 3 films.

ETA: I also meant to add that I thought Tonks looked a bit old in OOTP, as she and I are roughly the same age in the books... she was still neat, though.

[tayequalsyay]

It too hard to tell. The best one by far is PoA but I am also a huge fan of GoF. However, I believe OotP was a big disappointment so I am praying that HBP is nothing like that.
I always know that movies are never completely faithful but OotP was just ridiculous.

[katana]

I actually like all of the movies and I think they have gotten better with each one. But for me, it's easy to go into the movies and not compare them to the books so much. The movies are what they are, and as movies, they really are not that bad. Even though OOTP had a lot left out, I thought that what they did with the movie was pretty good.

And HBP looks absolutely amazing! I'm very excited for that one!!

[mactheknife]

Originally Posted by Hysteria

I make no secret of my absolute detest of PoA so that's easily my least favourite.

In terms of faithful adaptations PS is the 'best'. As for which is the most enjoyable as a stand-alone film, well that's very subjective. If I were to completely ignore the fact that these movies came from a series of books very dear to my heart then GoF and PS would probably be my favourites. IMO they had the best flowing stories (though GoF failed to explain a thing or two. Nothing compared to the PoA mess though), acting and were visually good. PS didn't have great special effects but I forgive them

pretty much my thinking! ....if i were to view these films as stand-alone movies, then the latter 3 would probably be better!! however as book-movie adaptations the first 2 movies far exceed the latter IMO!

[Phoebe]

The films are most definitely getting better...Long ago, I accepted the fact that the film adaptations are going to be drastically different from the novels. It is, after all, the nature of a film adaptation. Some people say that they accept this fact too, but then they complain when little things are left out. I love the films for what they are, and it irritates me when I come onto these boards mere minutes after the midnight showing and see that already many people are bashing the film for cutting out subplots. If it bothers you that much, don't go see the films. Everyone involved in creating these films puts everything they have into making the films the best they can be, and it is an insult to write off all of this hard work and immediately hate the film just because they changed things from the book.