Monday, July 20, 2009

Harry Potter and the realization Tom Felton can act

I don't usually watch movies for the story. Honestly, if I want a good story I will read one. I watch good movies for special effects, a really good director, or a really good actor.
I love the Harry Potter movies, except for the first two, which fell victim to someone trying to do the impossible (direct a word for word version of a book, that is insane,and it showed. Especially with books in need of a good editing, which the HP books were), and some really piss poor acting on the part of some kids (Rupert Gint. Oy).
Round about the fifth movie Daniel Radcliff had started doing Broadway, and he learned that he could, in fact act. Emma Watson also learned that she could act. They got to work with Gary Oldman, who doesn't so much act, as ACT. I heard someone say that Gary Oldman tries to save movies through the power of ACTING, which is pretty damn accurate.
However, the one person I was always interested in was Tom Felton. He was a pretty decent child actor before he got cast as Draco and then promptly shoved in the corner. He was always solid when he showed up on screen. As a movie watcher you knew what you would get from him.
So I really did wonder what they would do with him in the 6th movie, which was the story of Draco and Snape.
David Yates decided that they should just let him act. And frankly, I mean to write him a letter thanking him for that.
Tom Felton knocked it out of the ballpark.
They gave him more time on screen, writing in scenes that needed to be written in, and subtracting a LOT of stuff that needed to go (thank god they cut that whole damn Lupin/Tonks angst, there is more than enough angst with the kids, thank you). About half way through the movie you can see him changing, see him really having second thoughts, and then finally see him nearing the mini breakdown Draco has at the end. It was brilliant, and the guy next to me in the theater thought so too (mentioning at one point that "Draco is really good this time").
Thank god for Tom Felton, who really did save the movie from Rupert Gint. Oy.

4 comments:

  1. Wow, how is it that our reviews of the entire franchise are exact polar opposites of each other?

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  2. I think we go to the movies expecting different things. I hate being one of those people who expect a word for word adaptation. If they couldn't do it LotR, they can't do it for Harry Potter. And LotR was the closest I have ever seen to it being pulled off.

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  3. Heck, I gave up on a word-for-word a long time ago, but I'm really wondering why they're bothering to do two movies for the seventh book when they've pretty much destroyed all the plot set ups for it by leaving them out.

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  4. They haven't left them out. We have the horcrux, we have the connection with Voldemort which was still in the 6th movie. We have the Ginny/Harry thing, we have the Room of Requirement, we have Abeforth (God love him). They did cut out Remus getting all spazzy regarding Tonks, which was pointless in the end anyway and should have gone in the books. The wedding didn't need to be there, they can go on the run elsewhere. The house elves ended up being pointless and should have been cut from the whole series considering they did crap all after all that set up.
    I think they'll do fine.

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