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Inevitably a movie can’t cover everything that’s in a book, but I thought this was an excellent film, with some of the humour and a lot of the tension from the original story. The Dursley family - Harry’s only living relatives - are as exaggeratedly dreadful as ever, with Harry a prisoner in his room, forbidden ever to return to Hogwarts…
The house elf Dobby is introduced early in the film. He appears in Harry’s bedroom, obsequious but determined that he’s going to save Harry’s life. And he also doesn’t want him to return to school. I find Dobby a bit sad, yet oddly likeable for all his self-abasement. Inevitably Harry is rescued from his room; he is taken to the Weasley family’s home, which he loves. It’s his first experience of real family life.
Having been watching some of the ‘Father Brown’ series over the past year or so it was interesting to see Mark Williams as Mr Weasley - an entirely different character, yet every so often there was a recognisable expression. There are other well-known actors in these films, of course. Even I had heard of Julie Walters (Mrs Weasley), Richard Harris (Professor Dumbledore), Maggie Smith (Professor McGonnagall) and Alan Rickman (Professor Snape). Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) were the stars, of course, as children and teens, and although they are now well-known names were mostly unknown prior to these movies.
There are a couple of concerning incidents in Diagon Alley, where Harry goes with the Weasleys to buy his school supplies. On a lighter note, he also meets Professor Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh) who is considered a heartthrob by many of the otherwise sensible witches (including Hermione and Mrs Weasley). He boasts of his achievements, advertises all his own books widely, and is the school’s new Defence against the Dark Arts Professor.
And so to school, although Harry and Ron have to make the journey in a decidedly unconventional way which has long-term repercussions. We see glimpses into lessons, the common rooms and the dining hall, as well as another dramatic game of Quidditch. And all the time there’s a theme of impending danger. Harry hears strange whispers and the school is shocked by finding different people ‘petrified’.
As with the first book, there’s another dramatic ending when Harry goes on a dangerous quest, and has another meeting that points to the future. I’m not sure I would have understood all the implications and connections if I were not so familiar with the books, but others are better at grasping the subtleties of films than I am.
It’s a long film - about two and a half hours - but despite being familiar with the story, and knowing what was coming, I found myself gripped. It’s really very well done, in my opinion, and makes an excellent sequel to the first film. Definitely better to have read the books first - or perhaps subsequently, since the book has so much more in it. Rated PG, I assume due to the dramatic tension at the end, and some minor violence; possibly also due to a few instances of minor bad language, implied in the books but expressed in the films.
Highly recommended to people who like exciting films with good characterisation; suitable for anyone of about nine or ten and older..
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