50 thoughts on “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. First Time Watching reaction”
I think what makes Cuarón’s work on this so special is just some really simple but effective filmmaking choices. Far more wide angles to show the characters body language in relation to the space. Such as the scene where Papa Weasley tells Harry about Sirius Black. Hogwarts is far more built out, you can feel the geography with the entire place. And the story is more streamlined, showing everything from Harry's perspective only. And I think everybody just upped their game to…I know Radcliff was nervous but super excited to be in that confrontation scene with all those acting powerhouses, even Rickman said in his memoirs that this scene felt like they were doing something great, that he didn't expect in these movies.
The franchise follows the rules of horror franchise as stated in "Scream" movies. The perpetrator is hidden throughout as eithe impeccable good or dead. Each part raises the stakes and risks.
In the books, the dementors never actually went after Harry until the scene with Harry and Sirius. However, he (Harry) was so affected by them that he would faint in their presence.
Every movie is great! I love both books and films. Regarding a truly complete world-build, with details and symbolism out the wazoo, nothing beats the books. 100% of the memes about Harry Potter plot on the internet are based on movie plot holes that are completely airtight and addressed/shut-down by the books.
That being said, I don’t think I’ve “met” a film franchise built on a book series adaptation that can beat Harry Potter Universe’s casting, pacing, quality of both practical & digital effects, set design, music, everything. Despite this series having a long list of unnecessary changes… enough that I’m able to write essays about their impact on the symbolism and plot holes created…. Despite that, this (and LOTR) are the absolute best of the best.
As chaotic as script-writing has to be for translating whole books (+10 hours to listen/read EACH) into 2 hour movies, something’s have to be cut, it’s just impossible not to. And while that transition is far from perfect, they do manage to remain VERY loyal to the source material in terms of mind, body and soul and (most) of the dialogue. ❤️
So glad such thoughtful, intelligent YouTube reactors are finally tackling this behemoth franchise! Glad to be along for the ride 😊
Never thought about this, so maybe it's obvious: the last frame with Harry's blurred face when speeding on the broom seems to represent an inversion of the blurring caused by the dementors. This time he's not having his happiness sucked from him; he's beaming with it.
This is my favorite movie. To me the first two books were the introduction to this new world, My kids grew up with these. We were all in… This one cemented that. I'm in the dog show world and people don't realize aunt Marge raises dogs, a female of the species is called a bitch. A dog is the male. She's using that terminology. This is full of the top British actors and it just keeps coming. There are some real flaws in this, Lumos at the beginning, pumpkins in Spring 😁😁 It was one of JK Rowling's conditions, it had to be British, with British actors, and it is a who's who of them.
When you mention "Potter fans" you may need to distinguish fans of the books separate from fans of the movies. As a book fan, this one was disappointing story-wise for some of the pieces they left out of the movie that friends of mine who had not read the books question. Example: How did Lupin know how to work the Marauder's Map? It could have taken a couple of lines to quickly explain who were the Maurauders (Lupin was one), so time was not a factor, in my opinion. Over the next movies, there were also failures to sufficiently develop characters or to totally leave out most of other characters which left non-book readers questioning Harry as the hero of the stories over Hermione and questioning Ron's contributions to the trio. (Ron's role was criminally cut and much of Harry's role, giving some of their lines and actions to Hermione. There's even one instance in Chamber of Secrets where the movie has Ron panicking and Hermione calming up with the spell to defeat the Devil's Snare plant. In the book, Hermione panics and Ron reminds her that she's gifted with spells leading to her casting it. I can forgive some changes but I didn't like how they diminished Ron in the movies.
As with CXG or The Good place, I admire how many things you are able to call out early, and I enjoy all the things you get totally wrong :). Great video as always! And I have to say, this movie is definitely my favourite.
I do not know if PoA is my favorite of the potter books, it might be, but it is 100% my favorite of all the movies.
Alfonso Cuaron just bloody nailed it. even simple things like asking the actors to wear their uniforms as they would if they were actually at school (untucked shirts, loose ties, coats tied around their waist) just make the school seem more real than it ever did in the first two.
I think I remember this movie was dissapointing to me as a kid because so many scenes were cut compared to the books, but I think it is still amazing and beautiful movie. Excited to watch your reaction you 2 are great and are probably gonna make me sub to a patreon for the first time ever. The big thing that still bothers me is the failure to explain that the map is Harry's Father's friend group, and they barely explained how they all learned to turn into animals to protect their friend during school days. Movie definitely is cool and darker and it is a great transition into the main story arc.
The whole big reveal of book 3 is how Harry's father spent his school days with his friends, definitely read up on it! The stag is also the animal that harry's father would turn into, to help keep Lupin under control alongside sirius. What a shame they never mention it directly, I think it's one of the coolest stuff in the books.
All the movies are great and competently made, but I feel 3 and 4 and 5 missed a lot of book stuff that I was excited to see, I'm too old to even remember all the details but you just wanted more of hogwarts, more lessons, more teachers, more classes! As I grow older the movies are definitely good enough to not have to re-read all the books though.
are you sure you didnt watch the movies because you predicted that sirius betrayed harrys parents during the scene where arthur was warning harry about black
Big mis-step from the book to the movie here. In the book it is explained toHarry , who created the Marauders Map. the first time you see it on the cover it says Mssrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. IN some of the telling by Lupin, he relates that her 3 best friends all learned to be Animagus so they could spend time with him when he was a wolf. Sirius learned to be a Dog (padfoot) Harrys dad became a Stag (prongs) and Peter became a rat (wormtail). Along with Moony (Lupin) they obviously created the Map. That is never really explained in the movie,
As much hate as it receives, I do believe 4 is an okay movie if you haven't read the books, as it was a pretty tragic adaptation (lots of time constraints meant it had to omit details from the books) but I forgive it because it's still a great cinematic experience towards the end. imo I consider the sixth film the poorest in the series as an adaptation and as a film itself, but I know there are still people out there that love it. It's all subjective,, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts once the series is complete
This is the best of the Potter films in my opinion. I remember seeing it for the first time in theatres, though, we had to leave midway through because my little sister could not handle the dementors. They scared the wits out of her.
This is the universal favorite movie, clear to see why. Some context missing from the books: Sirius, James, Lupin, and Pettigrew were all friends at Hogwarts. Because Lupin is a werewolf, Dumbledore built the Shrieking Shack for him to give him a place to transform and planted the Whomping Willow to guard it. Everyone thought the building was haunted because they would hear Lupin howling. The friends all went through a lengthy process to become animagi so they could be with Lupin when he transformed. James became a stag, Sirius became a dog, and Peter a rat. This is why Harry sees the stag and thinks it's his dad. They call themselves the Marauders and their nicknames are based on their animals. Lupin is Moony, Peter is Wormtail, Sirius is Padfoot, and James is Prongs. They create the Marauders Map together which is why Lupin knows how it works.
I movie is great, obviously, but I also think it's one of the worst at adapting the book in the whole franchise. The history of the Marauder's Map, the Shrieking Shack, and the Womping Willow are all very closely tied together (and all tied to Harry's dad and his friends) and, imo they integral to understanding this book/movie. But they're aren't explained in the movie at all. They're just… there., as totally separate story moments.
Fans (typically) dislike the next film, Goblet of Fire, mostly because of a lot of deviation from the source material. It's still a fun movie but some key components are missing or done poorly.
Good on Kevin for figuring it out that he was a werewolf so fast haha from all of the reactors that I’ve seen, or they never guessed, or they take way too long 😅 Love Joe geeking out on So many little things😊
In the scene when Hermione has her wand to Draco's throat it's not really him being a fake tough guy. A wand to some ones throat is the wizard equivalent to holding a gun to some ones head, Most, if not all people would be scared.
If there was a trophy for guessing the fastest that the snail shell being thrown was in the time travel, yall would win by a mile unless there’s one out there I haven’t seen yet.
The book was my absolute favorite, so I remember being a little disappointed when they changed things that were really important to me as a child (like Harry being attacked by the dementors from the beginning, the missing background of the adults or Remus not being a wolf). I think the tone of the movie is brilliant and I appreciate it now but as a child, it was too much to handle 😄 (I was old enough to watch it, it’s just the first movie that leaves out very important facts and felt very different than the book)
It's not really explained in the movies and it will be quite important later on but not every whizard is able to conjure a Patronus and even less a powerful corporal one which shows how powerful Harry is to be able to do it at 13y. Dark whizards are not able to conjure a Patronus at all as they represent happiness and love. The Patrous takes form complementing the whizard. Sometimes, due to true love a Patronus can change form to complement the Patronus of the person you love deeply. James Potter's was a stag too, Lily's was a doe, so Harry's is complementing both of them. And… the map was created by the Marauders – Prongs =James Potter, Patfoot = Sirius Black, Wormtail = Peter Pettigrew and Moony = Remus Lupin. Being best friends the boys secretly learned to be Animagi so they could keep Remus company and help when he turned into a werewolf. Regarding the cast – you see quite a lot of the best British actors in these movies.
I'd say this is definitely the most stylistic of the HP movies. I love the transitions between scenes, and the moodier tone.
One thing I do wish was that more time was included, for some key scenes and for a few details from the book that I feel would have put even more emphasis on the friendship between Harry's dad, Sirius, Lupin and Pettigrew (which I think would have added to the emotional intensity of Sirius's supposed betrayal). For example, the Maurader's Map that the twins give Harry was created by Harry's dad, Sirius, Lupin and Pettigrew. The nicknames on the cover of the map are the nicknames they gave each other back in the day. Which doesn't seem like a needed element, perhaps, but those names are used in future films, so without a little explanation of the names and whose name belongs to which character, I think it's adds unnecessary confusion in later films. Also there are a few spots in the movie that I wish was given more time or connection. We see Harry on a walk with Lupin, talking about all sorts of personal things, and I just feel like there's not enough showing the two of them connecting more before that moment to warrant such a deeply personal conversation. It just jumps to this scene where they're together and already talking, which feels a bit abrupt to me. It may feel like a silly tiny thing, but I would have liked a few seconds added where Harry comes upon Lupin in the woods, and they strike up a conversation that leads to such personal revelations. Otherwise, it feels like they jump right to something so personal so quickly without much context. Obviously we get much more context in the book, but for people who haven't read the books it might feel a little strange. And I've read the books, but I still felt it was a little too soon / jarring.
This is one of my favorite of the HP films though. I like the approach, I love the Sirius storyline, I love Lupin (wow, a Dark Arts teacher who turns out to be GOOD! Lol), and the Dementors are wonderfully creepy.
You asked about which film(s) are favorites or considered "just okay" in the overall list of films… I'm sure everyone has their opinions on this, but I'd say for me personally #2 is my least favorite. It has a really interesting storyline, but there is SO MUCH from the book that couldn't be used that I think would have made it a much more well-rounded story. For example, the book goes into much more detail about the decline of Ginny's health and her mysterious withdrawal from everyone (because the diary had a controlling effect on her), which makes her capture and near-death much more intense and scary. I think including more of that detail would have made the whole story make more sense, rather than Tom Riddle expositing it all at the end of the film as if it was something we should have noticed. More show, less tell! 😉 My favorite book is #4, with #3 as a close second. My favorite films are #1 and #3. More on that as you see more of the films! 😊 Can't wait to see what you think of them all!
One thing I forgot to mention in my other comment — this film has one of my very favorite scenes ever. The scene where Harry goes riding on Buckbeak for the first time is absolutely gorgeous to me. I love every bit of it. The details are amazing (like Buckbeak's claw touching and gliding through the water), the music builds to a fantastic crescendo showing the playfulness and pure joy of the scene (John Williams at his best!!), and I feel like it's one of the very few moments where Harry gets to be completely free and blissfully happy. After all he's already been through, and how dark things seem to be getting, he has this one moment of fun and freedom from it all, and it's absolutely beautiful. When I first saw this in the theatre, I actually got a little teary, I was so happy for Harry. (And that music is fantastic.)
Rando side note: I'm in a community choir (stemming from my alma mater college) and we had a concert with a theme of "music from movies," which was so fun. One of the pieces? The "Double Trouble" song that the Harry Potter kids sing near the beginning of this film. It's pretty fun to sing! 😄 (We didn't have toads to help round out the song, though, lol.) What was really funny to me was the first time we ran through the song in rehearsal — there are a number of older members who clearly aren't into Harry Potter, because they were like, what is this weird song? And seemed surprised that some of us already knew it, lol.
Well, based on the books, I'd say this one and the 6th one are tied in terms of missing adaptation. You wanted to learn more about Harry's parents ? Well, you just miss a very good story. Basically, James Potter and Sirius Black were best friends and decided to turn into animagi so that Remus Lupin wouldn't be alone during the full moon. Werewolfs are always less agressive towards animals than humans. Petter Petigrow basically just tag along because he was kind of a loser. These 4 created the map and the names them put into it stands for their animagi forms : Moony was Lupin, Padfoot was Sirius, Wormtail was Peter and James was Prongs, because he transformed into a stag. Normally, animagi are supposed to be registered so the Ministry can watch over them, especially when you were under Voldemort time. But these 3 didn't so only a few know about them. We also learn in this book that Patronus can take animal forms if they are powerful enough. Both Harry and James are a stag, hence why Harry thought he saw his father back at the lake. Lily Evans, Harry's mom, was in school with, very kind to Lupin, and Severus Snape was in class with them as well. But they didn't see eye to eye. One day, Sirius traped Snape by making him go to the abandoned house Lupin spent his full moon nights (hence the stories about ghosts), and he almost get killed. James in the one who saved him and Snape was never able to forgive him. From his point of view, James was on it as well. And let's just say…he has some reasons to believe it. But yeah, Snape hated James and that's why he hates Harry so much even in their first meeting.
Overall, it's a good movie but definitely not my favorite. I think the werewolf stuff just scared me too much as a child. Like the spiders in the previous one. I would say…the 4th is probably my favorite, but probably because I saw it a bunch of times. It is…a traumatic experience in itself, but I let you discover why. As for the dementors, they were created by Rowling as a representation of her depression, creatures who stole all your hapiness, leaving you feeling empty.
Also, it's very funny to hear your reflexions x) Looking forward your reaction to The Goblet of Fire !
So funny watching your intro talking about not wanting to see the same Voldemort repetition and it’s right before the 1 movie that we don’t see him at ALL 😂😂 love it
I remember by the time the 3rd movie came out I had seen the first two films so many times that I knew them by heart… the 3rd one I did not see it in theaters and when it finally came out on DVD we rented it as soon as we could because the book and movies were so good up to that point.
I remember being extremely disappointed in it because it was so stylistically different that it was actually jarring especially to someone like me that had seen the first two an obscene amount of times… at the time it felt less magical than the others, it was also so different from the books that it was a disappointment to see things get cut and forever tainted my opinion of the movie even to this day… out of all the movies this one is my least watched one…
"The Ministry doesn't send people to Azkaban for blowing up their aunts." Being an aunt of 28 and great aunt of 63, I don't like this line!
Miriam Margolyes, who played Professor Sprout, said that while the many child actors were told to behave and did, the adults acted up all the time. Sounds like it was great fun for them.
Honestly, I'd recommend continuing consecutive order, but the next one, Goblet of Fire, is the one I consider the worst, but so was the book. Low point in the writing and the movie made it worse. They get nicer from then on.
The movie did change a lot at the shack. 1st snake did not protect them again the werewolf. Secondly there is a lot more exposition. Lupin goes into the whole background of how, James, Sirus and petter become unregistered animagus to keep him company during his transformation as wolfsbane was not allowed. The called them selfs the Maurders and also wrote the Maurders map. James was a stag (Prongs), Lupin werewolf (Moony), Petter a rat (Wormtail) and Sirius a dog (Padfoot) he also reveled that the sherking shack was never haunted, the willow and the shack were planted a built so he could do transformation there. Sirius played a joke and snape and told him to look through the passage way at night (in the book a not in the tree freezes it, crooksanks shows Harry this as crookshanks has been helping Sirius). James pulled him back, however snape say Lupin was a werewolf. Sirius also explains how he escaped. He turned into a dog and slipped through the bars. Dementors can’t read animal thoughts well. A lot of exposition was cut. Which I understand but it does make it confusing when nicknames are used in future movies
I think what makes Cuarón’s work on this so special is just some really simple but effective filmmaking choices. Far more wide angles to show the characters body language in relation to the space. Such as the scene where Papa Weasley tells Harry about Sirius Black. Hogwarts is far more built out, you can feel the geography with the entire place. And the story is more streamlined, showing everything from Harry's perspective only. And I think everybody just upped their game to…I know Radcliff was nervous but super excited to be in that confrontation scene with all those acting powerhouses, even Rickman said in his memoirs that this scene felt like they were doing something great, that he didn't expect in these movies.
The franchise follows the rules of horror franchise as stated in "Scream" movies. The perpetrator is hidden throughout as eithe impeccable good or dead. Each part raises the stakes and risks.
In the books, the dementors never actually went after Harry until the scene with Harry and Sirius. However, he (Harry) was so affected by them that he would faint in their presence.
This is the perfect fall movie
Every movie is great! I love both books and films. Regarding a truly complete world-build, with details and symbolism out the wazoo, nothing beats the books. 100% of the memes about Harry Potter plot on the internet are based on movie plot holes that are completely airtight and addressed/shut-down by the books.
That being said, I don’t think I’ve “met” a film franchise built on a book series adaptation that can beat Harry Potter Universe’s casting, pacing, quality of both practical & digital effects, set design, music, everything. Despite this series having a long list of unnecessary changes… enough that I’m able to write essays about their impact on the symbolism and plot holes created…. Despite that, this (and LOTR) are the absolute best of the best.
As chaotic as script-writing has to be for translating whole books (+10 hours to listen/read EACH) into 2 hour movies, something’s have to be cut, it’s just impossible not to. And while that transition is far from perfect, they do manage to remain VERY loyal to the source material in terms of mind, body and soul and (most) of the dialogue. ❤️
So glad such thoughtful, intelligent YouTube reactors are finally tackling this behemoth franchise! Glad to be along for the ride 😊
Never thought about this, so maybe it's obvious: the last frame with Harry's blurred face when speeding on the broom seems to represent an inversion of the blurring caused by the dementors. This time he's not having his happiness sucked from him; he's beaming with it.
This is my favorite movie. To me the first two books were the introduction to this new world, My kids grew up with these. We were all in… This one cemented that. I'm in the dog show world and people don't realize aunt Marge raises dogs, a female of the species is called a bitch. A dog is the male. She's using that terminology. This is full of the top British actors and it just keeps coming. There are some real flaws in this, Lumos at the beginning, pumpkins in Spring 😁😁 It was one of JK Rowling's conditions, it had to be British, with British actors, and it is a who's who of them.
When you mention "Potter fans" you may need to distinguish fans of the books separate from fans of the movies. As a book fan, this one was disappointing story-wise for some of the pieces they left out of the movie that friends of mine who had not read the books question. Example: How did Lupin know how to work the Marauder's Map? It could have taken a couple of lines to quickly explain who were the Maurauders (Lupin was one), so time was not a factor, in my opinion. Over the next movies, there were also failures to sufficiently develop characters or to totally leave out most of other characters which left non-book readers questioning Harry as the hero of the stories over Hermione and questioning Ron's contributions to the trio. (Ron's role was criminally cut and much of Harry's role, giving some of their lines and actions to Hermione. There's even one instance in Chamber of Secrets where the movie has Ron panicking and Hermione calming up with the spell to defeat the Devil's Snare plant. In the book, Hermione panics and Ron reminds her that she's gifted with spells leading to her casting it. I can forgive some changes but I didn't like how they diminished Ron in the movies.
As with CXG or The Good place, I admire how many things you are able to call out early, and I enjoy all the things you get totally wrong :). Great video as always! And I have to say, this movie is definitely my favourite.
I like this movie the most, the following movie is my least favorite from the franchise 😀
I do not know if PoA is my favorite of the potter books, it might be, but it is 100% my favorite of all the movies.
Alfonso Cuaron just bloody nailed it. even simple things like asking the actors to wear their uniforms as they would if they were actually at school (untucked shirts, loose ties, coats tied around their waist) just make the school seem more real than it ever did in the first two.
This is my favorite of the movies. Book 5 is my favorite book.
Big up Fred and George who for 2 years, had a map showing Ron sleeping with a boy called peter and never questioned it…
I think I remember this movie was dissapointing to me as a kid because so many scenes were cut compared to the books, but I think it is still amazing and beautiful movie. Excited to watch your reaction you 2 are great and are probably gonna make me sub to a patreon for the first time ever.
The big thing that still bothers me is the failure to explain that the map is Harry's Father's friend group, and they barely explained how they all learned to turn into animals to protect their friend during school days. Movie definitely is cool and darker and it is a great transition into the main story arc.
The whole big reveal of book 3 is how Harry's father spent his school days with his friends, definitely read up on it!
The stag is also the animal that harry's father would turn into, to help keep Lupin under control alongside sirius.
What a shame they never mention it directly, I think it's one of the coolest stuff in the books.
All the movies are great and competently made, but I feel 3 and 4 and 5 missed a lot of book stuff that I was excited to see, I'm too old to even remember all the details but you just wanted more of hogwarts, more lessons, more teachers, more classes! As I grow older the movies are definitely good enough to not have to re-read all the books though.
are you sure you didnt watch the movies because you predicted that sirius betrayed harrys parents during the scene where arthur was warning harry about black
Big mis-step from the book to the movie here. In the book it is explained toHarry , who created the Marauders Map. the first time you see it on the cover it says Mssrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. IN some of the telling by Lupin, he relates that her 3 best friends all learned to be Animagus so they could spend time with him when he was a wolf. Sirius learned to be a Dog (padfoot) Harrys dad became a Stag (prongs) and Peter became a rat (wormtail). Along with Moony (Lupin) they obviously created the Map. That is never really explained in the movie,
I love how smart and observant you guys are! I have never seen a reactor figure out the wear wolf thing SO fast!
As much hate as it receives, I do believe 4 is an okay movie if you haven't read the books, as it was a pretty tragic adaptation (lots of time constraints meant it had to omit details from the books) but I forgive it because it's still a great cinematic experience towards the end. imo I consider the sixth film the poorest in the series as an adaptation and as a film itself, but I know there are still people out there that love it. It's all subjective,, I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts once the series is complete
This is the best of the Potter films in my opinion. I remember seeing it for the first time in theatres, though, we had to leave midway through because my little sister could not handle the dementors. They scared the wits out of her.
This is the universal favorite movie, clear to see why.
Some context missing from the books:
Sirius, James, Lupin, and Pettigrew were all friends at Hogwarts. Because Lupin is a werewolf, Dumbledore built the Shrieking Shack for him to give him a place to transform and planted the Whomping Willow to guard it. Everyone thought the building was haunted because they would hear Lupin howling. The friends all went through a lengthy process to become animagi so they could be with Lupin when he transformed. James became a stag, Sirius became a dog, and Peter a rat. This is why Harry sees the stag and thinks it's his dad. They call themselves the Marauders and their nicknames are based on their animals. Lupin is Moony, Peter is Wormtail, Sirius is Padfoot, and James is Prongs. They create the Marauders Map together which is why Lupin knows how it works.
When Alfonso Cuaron calls, actors show up to act and help craft a film.
As far as directors, he’s one of my top 10.
I movie is great, obviously, but I also think it's one of the worst at adapting the book in the whole franchise. The history of the Marauder's Map, the Shrieking Shack, and the Womping Willow are all very closely tied together (and all tied to Harry's dad and his friends) and, imo they integral to understanding this book/movie. But they're aren't explained in the movie at all. They're just… there., as totally separate story moments.
Not saying it's bad but #4 is my least favorite. But I was 15 and it was my favorite book so it never really had a chance 🤷🏻♀️
One of the best in the series
Fans (typically) dislike the next film, Goblet of Fire, mostly because of a lot of deviation from the source material. It's still a fun movie but some key components are missing or done poorly.
Now looking back at movie 1 The spell Ron tried on the rat to turn him yellow didnt work ? He wasnt a real rat
please, react to all movies of harry potter ❤
My favorite movie.
Good on Kevin for figuring it out that he was a werewolf so fast haha from all of the reactors that I’ve seen, or they never guessed, or they take way too long 😅 Love Joe geeking out on So many little things😊
My new fav hp reactors ❤❤❤ waiting for the rest of hp 🎉
In the scene when Hermione has her wand to Draco's throat it's not really him being a fake tough guy. A wand to some ones throat is the wizard equivalent to holding a gun to some ones head, Most, if not all people would be scared.
If there was a trophy for guessing the fastest that the snail shell being thrown was in the time travel, yall would win by a mile unless there’s one out there I haven’t seen yet.
The book was my absolute favorite, so I remember being a little disappointed when they changed things that were really important to me as a child (like Harry being attacked by the dementors from the beginning, the missing background of the adults or Remus not being a wolf). I think the tone of the movie is brilliant and I appreciate it now but as a child, it was too much to handle 😄 (I was old enough to watch it, it’s just the first movie that leaves out very important facts and felt very different than the book)
It's not really explained in the movies and it will be quite important later on but not every whizard is able to conjure a Patronus and even less a powerful corporal one which shows how powerful Harry is to be able to do it at 13y. Dark whizards are not able to conjure a Patronus at all as they represent happiness and love. The Patrous takes form complementing the whizard. Sometimes, due to true love a Patronus can change form to complement the Patronus of the person you love deeply. James Potter's was a stag too, Lily's was a doe, so Harry's is complementing both of them.
And… the map was created by the Marauders – Prongs =James Potter, Patfoot = Sirius Black, Wormtail = Peter Pettigrew and Moony = Remus Lupin. Being best friends the boys secretly learned to be Animagi so they could keep Remus company and help when he turned into a werewolf.
Regarding the cast – you see quite a lot of the best British actors in these movies.
you're gonna love the 20th anniversary reunion when you get there, it's divided up by director
I'd say this is definitely the most stylistic of the HP movies. I love the transitions between scenes, and the moodier tone.
One thing I do wish was that more time was included, for some key scenes and for a few details from the book that I feel would have put even more emphasis on the friendship between Harry's dad, Sirius, Lupin and Pettigrew (which I think would have added to the emotional intensity of Sirius's supposed betrayal). For example, the Maurader's Map that the twins give Harry was created by Harry's dad, Sirius, Lupin and Pettigrew. The nicknames on the cover of the map are the nicknames they gave each other back in the day. Which doesn't seem like a needed element, perhaps, but those names are used in future films, so without a little explanation of the names and whose name belongs to which character, I think it's adds unnecessary confusion in later films. Also there are a few spots in the movie that I wish was given more time or connection. We see Harry on a walk with Lupin, talking about all sorts of personal things, and I just feel like there's not enough showing the two of them connecting more before that moment to warrant such a deeply personal conversation. It just jumps to this scene where they're together and already talking, which feels a bit abrupt to me. It may feel like a silly tiny thing, but I would have liked a few seconds added where Harry comes upon Lupin in the woods, and they strike up a conversation that leads to such personal revelations. Otherwise, it feels like they jump right to something so personal so quickly without much context. Obviously we get much more context in the book, but for people who haven't read the books it might feel a little strange. And I've read the books, but I still felt it was a little too soon / jarring.
This is one of my favorite of the HP films though. I like the approach, I love the Sirius storyline, I love Lupin (wow, a Dark Arts teacher who turns out to be GOOD! Lol), and the Dementors are wonderfully creepy.
You asked about which film(s) are favorites or considered "just okay" in the overall list of films… I'm sure everyone has their opinions on this, but I'd say for me personally #2 is my least favorite. It has a really interesting storyline, but there is SO MUCH from the book that couldn't be used that I think would have made it a much more well-rounded story. For example, the book goes into much more detail about the decline of Ginny's health and her mysterious withdrawal from everyone (because the diary had a controlling effect on her), which makes her capture and near-death much more intense and scary. I think including more of that detail would have made the whole story make more sense, rather than Tom Riddle expositing it all at the end of the film as if it was something we should have noticed. More show, less tell! 😉 My favorite book is #4, with #3 as a close second. My favorite films are #1 and #3. More on that as you see more of the films! 😊 Can't wait to see what you think of them all!
One thing I forgot to mention in my other comment — this film has one of my very favorite scenes ever. The scene where Harry goes riding on Buckbeak for the first time is absolutely gorgeous to me. I love every bit of it. The details are amazing (like Buckbeak's claw touching and gliding through the water), the music builds to a fantastic crescendo showing the playfulness and pure joy of the scene (John Williams at his best!!), and I feel like it's one of the very few moments where Harry gets to be completely free and blissfully happy. After all he's already been through, and how dark things seem to be getting, he has this one moment of fun and freedom from it all, and it's absolutely beautiful. When I first saw this in the theatre, I actually got a little teary, I was so happy for Harry. (And that music is fantastic.)
Rando side note: I'm in a community choir (stemming from my alma mater college) and we had a concert with a theme of "music from movies," which was so fun. One of the pieces? The "Double Trouble" song that the Harry Potter kids sing near the beginning of this film. It's pretty fun to sing! 😄 (We didn't have toads to help round out the song, though, lol.) What was really funny to me was the first time we ran through the song in rehearsal — there are a number of older members who clearly aren't into Harry Potter, because they were like, what is this weird song? And seemed surprised that some of us already knew it, lol.
Well, based on the books, I'd say this one and the 6th one are tied in terms of missing adaptation. You wanted to learn more about Harry's parents ? Well, you just miss a very good story. Basically, James Potter and Sirius Black were best friends and decided to turn into animagi so that Remus Lupin wouldn't be alone during the full moon. Werewolfs are always less agressive towards animals than humans. Petter Petigrow basically just tag along because he was kind of a loser. These 4 created the map and the names them put into it stands for their animagi forms : Moony was Lupin, Padfoot was Sirius, Wormtail was Peter and James was Prongs, because he transformed into a stag. Normally, animagi are supposed to be registered so the Ministry can watch over them, especially when you were under Voldemort time. But these 3 didn't so only a few know about them. We also learn in this book that Patronus can take animal forms if they are powerful enough. Both Harry and James are a stag, hence why Harry thought he saw his father back at the lake. Lily Evans, Harry's mom, was in school with, very kind to Lupin, and Severus Snape was in class with them as well. But they didn't see eye to eye. One day, Sirius traped Snape by making him go to the abandoned house Lupin spent his full moon nights (hence the stories about ghosts), and he almost get killed. James in the one who saved him and Snape was never able to forgive him. From his point of view, James was on it as well. And let's just say…he has some reasons to believe it. But yeah, Snape hated James and that's why he hates Harry so much even in their first meeting.
Overall, it's a good movie but definitely not my favorite. I think the werewolf stuff just scared me too much as a child. Like the spiders in the previous one. I would say…the 4th is probably my favorite, but probably because I saw it a bunch of times. It is…a traumatic experience in itself, but I let you discover why. As for the dementors, they were created by Rowling as a representation of her depression, creatures who stole all your hapiness, leaving you feeling empty.
Also, it's very funny to hear your reflexions x) Looking forward your reaction to The Goblet of Fire !
"Scusi" lol Euro trip
Correction: Hogwarts is safe for every OTHER kid, just not the main three 😂🤣
#JusticeforCrookshanks. 🐱🐀
“Umm…does no one realize that’s actually a creepy old dude? Just me? Ohkay.”
forget if mentioned in the movie, but sirius escaped with his dog form, it was so foreign or such to them that he was more able to hide.l
Please tell me I don't have to wait another 2 weeks for more Harry Potter Reactions!
3,6 and 7 are my favorite books but 1 will always hold a special place because it's our introduction to this world.
So funny watching your intro talking about not wanting to see the same Voldemort repetition and it’s right before the 1 movie that we don’t see him at ALL 😂😂 love it
I remember by the time the 3rd movie came out I had seen the first two films so many times that I knew them by heart… the 3rd one I did not see it in theaters and when it finally came out on DVD we rented it as soon as we could because the book and movies were so good up to that point.
I remember being extremely disappointed in it because it was so stylistically different that it was actually jarring especially to someone like me that had seen the first two an obscene amount of times… at the time it felt less magical than the others, it was also so different from the books that it was a disappointment to see things get cut and forever tainted my opinion of the movie even to this day… out of all the movies this one is my least watched one…
"The Ministry doesn't send people to Azkaban for blowing up their aunts." Being an aunt of 28 and great aunt of 63, I don't like this line!
Miriam Margolyes, who played Professor Sprout, said that while the many child actors were told to behave and did, the adults acted up all the time. Sounds like it was great fun for them.
I always thought that the first two movies were worlds with magic in them… This movie was the first time that the whole world felt magical.
Honestly, I'd recommend continuing consecutive order, but the next one, Goblet of Fire, is the one I consider the worst, but so was the book. Low point in the writing and the movie made it worse. They get nicer from then on.
The movie did change a lot at the shack. 1st snake did not protect them again the werewolf. Secondly there is a lot more exposition. Lupin goes into the whole background of how, James, Sirus and petter become unregistered animagus to keep him company during his transformation as wolfsbane was not allowed. The called them selfs the Maurders and also wrote the Maurders map. James was a stag (Prongs), Lupin werewolf (Moony), Petter a rat (Wormtail) and Sirius a dog (Padfoot) he also reveled that the sherking shack was never haunted, the willow and the shack were planted a built so he could do transformation there. Sirius played a joke and snape and told him to look through the passage way at night (in the book a not in the tree freezes it, crooksanks shows Harry this as crookshanks has been helping Sirius). James pulled him back, however snape say Lupin was a werewolf. Sirius also explains how he escaped. He turned into a dog and slipped through the bars. Dementors can’t read animal thoughts well. A lot of exposition was cut. Which I understand but it does make it confusing when nicknames are used in future movies