With other things keeping me too busy last week, I neglected to mention my reaction to the latest Harry Potter movie. "Prisoner of Azkaban" is my favorite thus far of the five books and, well, the movie measured up to it pretty well!
I generally avoid seeing movies based on books I like that much, because I've usually found the movies don't do the books justice. I haven't let that stop me with the Potter series, I guess because I'm mostly there for the special effects rather than the stories. I suspect I would feel differently if the series had been around when I was a kid. Back then, a book I liked that much would just make me feel happy to be alive, period, and a movie that I didn't like nearly as much would just seem tragic. (I certainly wish I could be that excited about reading these days!)
All of which is my lead in to saying that I didn't like the movie nearly as much as the book. That's exactly what I suspected, of course, and I don't regret seeing the movie one bit. The dementors and the house where the climax takes place and the streets of Hogsmeade all looked just about exactly as I had imagined them, and the special effects were terrific as always. And laying aside the story, the atmosphere alone made me pine for getting away to an academic paradise like Hogwarts. I do have a soft spot for long train trips, especially if there's inclement weather involved and if you're going to be among old friends at your destination.
So why did I like it a bit less than the book? Well, it's something I don't think you could really depict in a movie the same way you can in a book. The whole theme of joylessness and despair represented by the dementors and how Harry's resilient love of life and his friends help him overcome them are a big part of what made the book so brilliant for me. (And anyone who has read it will tell you it's all far more convincing and less treacly than I just made it sound!) The movie only gives you a taste of the dichotomy, but that's probably the best it could do.
Still, a heck of a movie. Recommended to anyone who hasn't gotten around to it yet, although I suspect there aren't many of you left!
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