Reviewing Harry Potter: Years 1 - 3
Now that I had finished reading the novels for the first time, it made sense that my next step would be watching the films. I certainly wasn't disappointed - these movies bring J. K. Rowling's world to life with a hefty dose of whimsy and fun. And honestly, the cast is just excellent. Let's jump right in!
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (***1/2)
While its narrative patience and attention to world-building results in a lengthier film than the plot perhaps demands, the fantastical world of J. K. Rowling is brought to life by irresistible performances, enchanting visuals, and a score composed by none other than the great John Williams.
It was only a few weeks ago that I had finally read the last page of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I had first read The Philosopher’s Stone in high school because a friend had begged me to – at the time, it was a forbidden book in my household. For all the rebellion of reading it under my parent’s roof, I didn’t end up liking it all that much. Over the next few years, I found myself thinking that maybe I should give the movies a try – and maybe if I developed an interest in the films, I could give the books another go. And while this review marks my third time watching the film, I can honestly say that this is the only time that the film left an impression on me. I had watched this once before nearly a decade ago with that same friend, and I think I gave it another go five years ago. But both times before, there was just something about the viewing experience that didn’t do it for me. Maybe it was the length, or maybe it was my predisposition at the time. Either way, the circumstances were perfect this time for an enjoyable viewing. I was watching it with a group of people I liked, and we had agreed to watch through the entire series together. I now had the knowledge of the books within me, which allowed me to feel more of an allegiance to the characters on the screen. Whatever the reason, I can say with confidence that I finally had an enjoyable time watching a Harry Potter film. Let’s talk about it.
First and foremost, I thought the casting was great all around. Apart from Snape, Hagrid, McGonagall, and the other iconic characters of the franchise, Harry, Ron, and Hermione deliver believable, charming, and enduring performances – and they nail the characteristics of their novel counterparts. Hermione is largely seen as annoying by Ron and Harry, but you can’t help but love her all the same. Ron is a “little sweetie” as far as my wife is concerned, and Harry does a good job of making the protagonist a character you want to root for. When I read the book, I was a bit put off by Harry’s bitterness and hatred for his enemies, namely the Dursleys, Snape, and Malfoy. But here, Daniel Radcliffe’s performance doesn’t focus so much on those aspects that I was picking up. He definitely recognizes that the aforementioned characters are despicable in one way or another – but his recognition is depicted without the scowls and narrowed eyes that I imagined him having in the novel. All around, Harry was a much more likable character for me in the movie than he was in the first book.
One of my favourite changes from the novel to the movie circles around this shift in Harry’s portrayal. I wrote in my review of the book that I didn’t like Harry’s joke about how he would threaten Dudley Dursley with magic as revenge for all the hardships he’d been put through. It felt too mean-spirited for our hero. But in the movie, they deliver the same message in a different way. This time, Hagrid is the one who suggests playing tricks on Dudley. This makes a lot of sense because Hagrid has shown (both in the novel and the movie) that he’s not great at following rules, and it means Harry isn’t the one who’s come up with a potentially malicious idea. More than that, Harry smirks at the idea, but it isn’t clear whether he’s amused at the thought of the idea or if he actually intends to go through with it. In every sense, this adaptation of the scene puts Harry in a more favourable light.
I do wonder if the ending to this film feels a bit too easy. We find out that the villain touching Harry proves disastrous for his own health, and that simultaneously the Philosopher’s Stone was never in any real danger thanks to the clever spell Dumbledore had put in place. Sure, Quirrell came close, I guess, but he could not have acquired it single-handedly. It makes sense that Dumbledore would’ve put such a spell on it, but the moment where Harry finds the stone in his own pocket just felt too out-of-the-blue for me, I think. Further, I wish we’d had some sort of foreshadowing for the moment where Quirrell was defeated by touching Harry. I’m fine with the premise, but it seemed to be nonsensical until after it had already happened. But despite my gripes about the ending, I still had a good time diving into the Wizarding World onscreen. The design of the sets, costumes, and special effects were all very immersive and fun, and then there’s John Williams to contend with. He gave us a compelling and enchanting score. Everyone says that each film surpasses the last, so let’s hope that we have nowhere to go but up!
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (***1/2)
Chamber of Secrets is very similar in tone, plot, and style to its predecessor – but it includes enough fresh and exciting content to make it worth the price of admission.
Although I’ve seen this movie at least once before, watching it in 2022 really felt like the first time. 95% of it was completely new to me, and I’m very thankful for that. The plot is structured more or less the exact same way as The Philosopher’s Stone – Harry gets picked up by a magical friend from the Dursleys, has some fun times with his weird teachers and playing Quidditch, and then follows clues to find an underground dungeon that houses an object of immense power. You could line scenes up from both films side-by-side and count the number of equivalent moments. I don’t necessarily mean that as a criticism; think of this film as following a formula rather than being a carbon copy of its predecessor.
Despite the many similarities between the two films, there are some scenes that really stood out for me. The flying car was a wonderful sequence, filled with magical delight and youthful adventurousness. The spider scene in the Forbidden Forest was positively horrifying, easily rivalling the terror of Shelob in Peter Jackson’s Return of the King. And Kenneth Branagh’s Lockhart was a really fun addition to the cast. He (the character) is the stereotypical showoff who doesn’t actually know a thing, but Branagh owns it so totally that you can’t help but love him. Dobby, on the other hand, made me cringe just as much as he did in the book - mainly because it was unclear whether he was a creature to be pitied or mocked.
I loved the use of practical effects in this film – from Aragog to the basilisk and so many other moments. I’d love to go back and see some behind-the-scenes footage to understand more about how they put some of those creatures together. And, of course, the regular cast crushed it again. The casting director really struck gold with the main three kids. This movie may not be leaps and bounds ahead of what came before it, but it’s got enough action and heart to make it a worthy addition to the franchise.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (***1/2)
Adapting one of the best novels of the franchise, The Prisoner of Azkaban keeps the wonder and terror of the wizarding world coming our way.
Richard Harris, who had portrayed Dumbledore for the first two films, passed away four months before production began on this film. Christopher Lee and Ian McKellen were both sought out – but McKellen refused on the grounds that everyone would lose their minds if he was both Dumbledore and Gandalf, and because Harris had evidently insulted his acting at some point in the past. That’s fair enough – it would’ve been weird to have McKellen play two wizard mentors in two separate franchises. But man, how cool would it have been to have Christopher Lee do it? Having not yet seen the rest of these films, I don’t yet have an emotional attachment to Michael Gambon who ultimately replaced Harris. But Lee would’ve been great. I’m especially intrigued by the idea of how he would’ve played this benevolent character – I’ve really only ever seen Lee play the bad guy.
The story of Prisoner of Azkaban is just terrific, which is no doubt why it’s many people’s favourite Harry Potter story. I’ve written all about it in my review of the book, so let’s talk specifically about what makes this movie fun. Firstly, Remus Lupin is portrayed with remarkable warmth. They did a great job in showing how loving a mentor he was to Harry, and the scenes where he’s teaching are so fun to watch. He’s the kind of teacher we all want to have – someone who creates amazing opportunities for learning, and someone who truly believes in us. The great Emma Thompson also gives us a brilliant Professor Trelawney, just as weird and wonderful as she is in the books. Gary Oldman’s Sirius Black was a welcome addition to the cast as well, and the scene in the shack where the truth comes out moves at a breakneck pace to help us understand his true nature.
The special effects are great, just as they’ve been for the last two films. I loved the hippogriff scenes, and the Dementors were every bit as terrifying as I’d hoped they would be. The only difference between the way I’d imagined them and their depiction here was in their flying. Maybe I read it wrong, but in the books, I always pictured them hovering more or less a few inches off the ground – very much like the ring wraiths of Lord of the Rings. Having them fly around was cool for sure, but I also think it made them a little bit less scary. Maybe others feel differently. Either way, they were great, and I was really looking forward to seeing them.
One of the things that I remember liking more in the books was Harry’s mercy toward Peter Pettigrew. As far as I can recall, Harry has the chance to kill Pettigrew himself in the book, but he doesn’t take it. Here, Harry simply stops Lupin and Black from doing it, explaining that he’d rather let the Dementors have Pettigrew. He says more or less the same thing in both versions, but each one hit me in a different way:
Movie Harry: I said we’d take you to the castle. After that, the Dementors can have you.
Book Harry: We’ll take him up to the castle. We’ll hand him over to the Dementors…he can go to Azkaban…but don’t kill him.
Both versions acknowledge that Pettigrew will face the menace of the Dementors, which may or not be a bit severe even for the crimes Pettigrew has committed. But in the book, Harry finishes his thought with “but don’t kill him”, which for me imbues the whole line with a feeling of mercy more than revenge. In the movie, Harry does it the other way. He says first that they can’t kill him but finishes with “the Dementors can have you”, almost as though it’s his desire for Pettigrew to suffer a fate worse than death. Maybe others will read it a different way, but what was one of my favourite moments in the book for Harry’s heroism became a decidedly darker moment in the film.
I wouldn’t say this was any better or worse than its predecessors. Prisoner of Azkaban continues to faithfully adapt Rowling’s books, and it’s a load of fun – particularly the time travel segment. I loved the tick-tick-ticking that kept going during those scenes, and the way the story circled back on itself was just as fun here as it was in the book.
But man, this film really reminded me how stupid everybody was to let Dementors onto the grounds. Who in their right mind would have these guys working for them? Or putting them in a school? Like guys, seriously. Dementors. Soul-sucking monsters. In a school. Someone needs to get fired fast.
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