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My bug-fix overhaul of the ConCourse website gets uploaded, and then I find a bug in one of the pages...
2002-11-19
[IMDB]
(My hopefully pretty spoiler-free first thoughts)
It's time for young master Potter's second year at Hogwarts, and this time, mysterious things start to happen before he even leaves the Dursleys' home.
First, the nit-picking - the acting was a bit wayward in places, getting rather too over the top. It wasn't just the kids, either, but spread to a few of the adult cast. The blame, I think, is with the director and, to some degree, the script. There are places where exposition is hammered home long after the audience has got the point, and a shot or two whose very composition screamed "Look! I'm a happy, wholesome, family film!", destroying my suspension of disbelief.
Maybe I'm being a miserable old fart (I know that HP2 is blatantly a children's film) but I think it underestimates its audience at times. Certainly many 12 year olds are likely to be quicker on the uptake than this film gives them credit for. Kids who've read the books half-a-dozen times are going to watch the film more than once, too - it would be nice to leave a few things for them to notice the second time around.
All that whinging aside, however, HP2 is an entertaining film, that keeps you guessing until it's ready to tell you what's going on. It's certainly good enough that you won't notice how long it is (well over 2½ hours) until you look at your watch afterwards. It made me snigger several times, which is rare (I refer you to the "miserable old fart" comment, above). The three young leads, while not the best child actors in the history of cinema, are good enough, and the majority of the supporting cast are great, notably the late Richard Harris, (who has somewhat more to do this time around), Jason Isaacs and (of course) Alan Rickman.
Visually, the film is fabulous - the effects are seamless, (barring one particularly obviously-stuffed owl), and are used extensively throughout to give a wonderful sense of atmosphere to Hogwart's.
Overall, I enjoyed it, despite my nit-picking. It's that rare thing - a sequel better than the film it followed.
Finally, a warning: Arachnophobes should approach this film with caution.
(My hopefully pretty spoiler-free first thoughts)
It's time for young master Potter's second year at Hogwarts, and this time, mysterious things start to happen before he even leaves the Dursleys' home.
First, the nit-picking - the acting was a bit wayward in places, getting rather too over the top. It wasn't just the kids, either, but spread to a few of the adult cast. The blame, I think, is with the director and, to some degree, the script. There are places where exposition is hammered home long after the audience has got the point, and a shot or two whose very composition screamed "Look! I'm a happy, wholesome, family film!", destroying my suspension of disbelief.
Maybe I'm being a miserable old fart (I know that HP2 is blatantly a children's film) but I think it underestimates its audience at times. Certainly many 12 year olds are likely to be quicker on the uptake than this film gives them credit for. Kids who've read the books half-a-dozen times are going to watch the film more than once, too - it would be nice to leave a few things for them to notice the second time around.
All that whinging aside, however, HP2 is an entertaining film, that keeps you guessing until it's ready to tell you what's going on. It's certainly good enough that you won't notice how long it is (well over 2½ hours) until you look at your watch afterwards. It made me snigger several times, which is rare (I refer you to the "miserable old fart" comment, above). The three young leads, while not the best child actors in the history of cinema, are good enough, and the majority of the supporting cast are great, notably the late Richard Harris, (who has somewhat more to do this time around), Jason Isaacs and (of course) Alan Rickman.
Visually, the film is fabulous - the effects are seamless, (barring one particularly obviously-stuffed owl), and are used extensively throughout to give a wonderful sense of atmosphere to Hogwart's.
Overall, I enjoyed it, despite my nit-picking. It's that rare thing - a sequel better than the film it followed.
Finally, a warning: Arachnophobes should approach this film with caution.