It's about time for another post, wouldn't you say?
So, if you haven't seen the latest film addition to the Harry Potter saga, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, then you're missing out. Get off your lazy behind and go see it!! The fifth movie in the series is by far the best adaptation of the books to date. It logically condenses all of the necessary information into one action-packed, slightly eerie 2 hr. 18 min. tale of the ever-increasing hostilities between the forces of good and evil. One of my favorite aspects of this particular tale is that it asks the question, are the "good guys" really always good?...and vice versa. (Something to keep in mind as you read the very last installment to the HP written saga. Don't worry, I'm not giving anything away you hadn't already considered. Oh, and if you haven't gotten your copy of book 7 yet...WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! Get with the program, people!!)
Before I go into the question more, I have to hightlight a few of
my favorite things about the movie.1. Any scene containing Snape (Alan Rickman). He can communicate more with his terse delivery ("I may vomit." - in response to seeing a touching memory between Harry & Sirius during an Occlumency lesson) than many actors can with pages of dialogue! My favorite of his lines was in Umbridge's office after Harry and friends had been captured trying to escape to the Ministry of Magic.
Harry Potter: [to Snape] He's got Padfoot! He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!
Dolores Umbridge: Padfoot? What is Padfoot? And where what's hidden? What is he talking about Snape?
Severus Snape: [pause] No idea.
Two words, people. Mad skills. The end.
2. I found Dolores Umbridge, portrayed by Imelda Staunton, deliciously evil in her sugar-coated villainy. Granted, the character is even more odious in the books, but Staunton does such a gratifying job of being simultaneously sweet and completely menacing. Her little giggle is perfect. Watch the trailer and get a glimpse of what I mean. Marvelous villainy.
Okay and one more...
3. My third favorite scenes involved our newest addition, Luna Lovegood. Say what you will, but I found her much more endearing in the film than I did in the 5th book. Well done Evanna Lynch! Her dreamy speech pattern and yet startlingly perceptive comments wer
e very well delivered.Okay, now on to my other question. Two of the three things that I loved about this movie were the villains. Has that ever happened to you? Ever find yourself being more intrigued with the "bad guy" or "bad girl", as it were, more than w/ the hero/heroine? Who are your favorite villains and villainesses from your childhood? (Thanks Kengey for the idea. Hee!)
I will list in no apparent order:
- Maleficent (again, thanks AK for the idea) from Sleeping Beauty She really is all that embodies villainy and evil...and she says 'hell' in a Disney movie!! She seriously scared the snot out of me as a kid.
- MCP - Yes, I just named Master Control Program from Tron. Deal. I love that movie and he and Ed Dillinger/Sark make one big, bad, evil, electronic dude.
- Judd Fry - Oklahoma. He was icky, ooky, creepy to the extreme, but there was also something truly pitiable about him. He must have had a sad, sad childhood, poor bloke.
- Jareth the Goblin King - Labyrinth. Aside from my (some call it strange) obsession with David Bowie, this character is another that you want to love. He is oily and evil and sneaky, but something about him makes you want to "Just fear [him], love [him], do as [he] says..." so that "[he] will be your slave." Okay, truly creepy. Moving on...
- Can't we just throw Snape in here? Again. Misunderstood evil guy. Don't believe me? Google Snape and just see how much fan fiction there is out there written from the POV that he is actually warm and fuzzy. Try and count the number of fan clubs that he has! Okay, he doesn't do it for me...I draw the line a weird, creepy goblin kings, but he is a great nemesis! Such venom in his words. Marvelous stuff!
- G'mork & The Nothing - The Neverending Story. I must have seen this movie like a thousand times as a kid, but I flinched EVERY time G'mork jumped for Atreyu and was impaled on his knife. I think I had nightmares about great, black dogs (grims?). And the nothing? A great big nothing that simply consumes all it comes into contact with until it no longer exists? Tell me that isn't scary! A nameless, faceless villain is one of the worst around.
1 comment:
Well, as far as favorite villains from childhood go, how about the Skeksies from The Dark Crystal. Those guys were creepy.
I loved this Harry Potter movie. It was by far the best one. I found it interesting that this movie was based on the longest Harry Potter book, yet it was the shortest movie of them all. Yes. Riveting.
I got the feeling in this movie that they were definitely trying to make it more about Harry and his loneliness as the only one who has actually seen Voldemort at this point. In many scenes you'll see Harry on the complete opposite side of the frame from the others, including Ron and Hermione. Also, it felt like most of the characters were only making cameo appearances, like Emma Thompson, who I'd wish they'd let develop her character more, and even Maggie Smith, who plays one of the central characters in the books. Lucky for Daniel Radcliffe that his acting has seriously improved since the last movie.
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