Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Well, that’s that. As Marge Simpson once said, “It’s an ending,” and I suppose there’s little more to say beyond that. One has to assume that every single person who has ever watched this movie—or indeed any outing of the series—knew before sitting down how things would play out, so there were no points to be scored through surprises or reveals. So this project had to stand mostly on feeling, on how well it captured the vibe of the publishing phenomenon. And I think it did a good job at that. But I remain touched by the sense that the overarching story’s turn from fun to dark, not to mention vaguely tragic, ultimately represents a kind of literary—and by extension cinematic—stumble, if not an outright failure. The latter term seems too harsh, so I guess it’s best to declare that the author painted herself early on into a narrative corner, and simply had to carry it through to the end. Fortunately, there remain further dimensions of the film to appreciate, most prominent being the fact that you get to spend one last time with characters (and actors) you’ve come to like and admire, maybe even love—though this sort of finality always brings a touch of the bittersweet with it. We must go on without Harry, Hermione and Ron, plus certain others (I'm partial to Luna). At least we can always pick up a book and give it another reading, if the separation proves unendurable. Thanks, kids, not for making magic, but for being it. Farewell. 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

You know why these books were so popular? They were fun. At least, for the most part they were fun. This movie? Not fun. Not saying “bad,” but emphatically not fun. This is more like watching The Revenant, or maybe even A Boy and His Dog, than watching a big-budget, tentpole fantasy production. That makes evaluating this entry in the series a bit of a puzzle. Again, it’s not bad, but it is so far away from where the saga started that you can’t help but feel that the rug has been, if not pulled out from under you, then at least shifted while you were standing on it. The dark turn of the story was inevitable, one supposes, given the tale's very linear plot; there really was no other way to go. The rapidly-aging kids do a good job with the difficult material, and the presentation is well done all around, yet this film ultimately leaves this viewer, at least, feeling like the ride he's getting is not the one he wanted. We know where it’s all going, of course, and perhaps the last act will ultimately be redeeming—will pull off the ultimate trick, as it were. 

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

More of the same, with perhaps a bit more charm—the personal kind, not the occult kind—as the story moves more into the realm of teenage angst and romance. The strength of the series lies in the inspired casting of the principal characters: the leads grow, figuratively and literally, throughout the films, and especially in the viewer’s heart. You really grow to care about these characters as the story progresses, and that is a credit to these then young actors; they may have seemed out of their depth in the first episode, but by this point they really came to inhabit their characters. You want them to win, and, if the story comes to a somewhat straightforward and perhaps unimaginative end—most of the imagination went into forming the world of the tale—that’s all right at the end of the day. Perhaps finding that you can care about fictional characters is the real magic. 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Interesting to note about the books: as the series progressed, the publisher simply stopped editing Rowling’s text. That’s why the books got bigger and bigger with each entry. (That, and they realized they could charge more for heavier tomes.) That presents a problem if you’re adapting them into movies. Sprawling texts are problematic but viable in print, whereas including everything, kitchen sink and all, won’t work for a movie. Thus, some parts have to be left out, and you start to see that effect at this stage of the series. Some characters and subplots—or at least plot elements—are eliminated noticeably here, for the sake of avoiding a four-hour film. Those excisions don’t necessarily hurt the story—arguably, it improves the tale’s overall flow—but fans of the series will recognize the absences. Still, this outing provides an experience consistent with the rest of the series, and as we established in the earlier reviews, this enterprise achieved its goals, if little more. Meaning: a satisfying experience for almost all viewers. Presto cinemo! 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

It occurs to me, only at this ridiculously late stage, just how dark and ominous and at times downright sad this story is. Shouldn’t really be a surprise, that; after all, the saga begins with a double murder. But that through line is buried much deeper in the first few episodes. Here, it rises up to become substantially more prominent, with the result that this outing is a lot more effecting (at least for those who remain capable of honest emotions anymore). Most encouraging in all this is that the lead performers show improvement with age here, despite my having besmirched them in the original reviews; the kids are really quite good. Notable, too, is the work of the supporting players; British acting has a remarkably deep bench, as it were. Lastly, I wish to note one aspect of these flicks that should never be overlooked: the visuals are wonderful. The scenery—both the real and the fake—looks fantastic all the way through, and represents a note perfect representation of Rowling’s vision. (Not that she invented Britain’s gothic landscape—she just put it to very good use.) Going forward, it becomes more and more apparent that this series was done about as well as it could have been. A neat trick, when it comes down to it. 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

I was probably too harsh when I reviewed the first two movies in this series. Of course, that was some twenty years ago, and I was much younger then, and must have had some sort of bee in my bonnet. Ironically, now that I’m old I find it easier to be forgiving toward a film intended for children. That’s not to say I think this is a masterpiece, by any means. There still are some issues with the presentation here, particularly around certain characters being too predictably themselves, which is to say, too one dimensional—but that really traces back to the source material (the books). The plain fact is, this flick serves its purpose, which is to bring to life a much loved story with as much fidelity as fans could possibly expect. It’s watchable and does its job. Maybe not a work of wizardry, but hardly cause for damnation, either. 

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

It turns out bullshit really can be entertaining bullshit—up to a point. So it is here with this nearly totally made up biopic of the legendary parody songster. There are a handful of laugh out loud moments in this flick, especially for a Dr. Demento listener from way back in the day, though most of the funniest stuff comes from Al’s old songs, not from the movie’s original jokes. It’s apparent from the very start that this work gets stuck between going too far and not far enough. And then the whole thing really loses its track in a long, overdone, and not especially inspired joke about Madonna. And then, further, the movie is not helped by being shown by and on Roku, thanks to the numerous commercial breaks, which kill a lot of the momentum; ironically, the very company that brought the work to life is its own worst enemy. (The movie may be a better viewed on disc for a more enjoyable experience.) Ultimately, the total package here is one that is mostly entertaining, but could have been much much more than it is.

The Lost City

It’s usually not a great sign when your movie’s putative comic-relief character is relentlessly not funny. It is also contraindicated when the film’s actual funniest character disappears less than halfway through the story. So are we looking at a disaster here? Thankfully, no. This updated take on Romancing the Stone mostly works, not as a laugh riot but as a gently amusing tale presented via likable actors--Tatum and Bullock have good chemistry despite an obvious age difference--and strong visuals. Most of what takes place along this storyline is profoundly obvious, but breaking new ground is hardly the point here. If you’re willing to be indulgent, you’ll get a couple of entertaining hours out of this flick.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The news is getting worse all the time. If this flick had been a pure movie all the way, it would be bad; but given its origin in print, the result is actually abysmal. Not only is the transition from page to screen unimaginative, but much of the cinematic aspects are just plain wrong: many scenes are awkward, the kids have regressed as actors, the big name cast is mostly going through the motions, and even at well over two hours, the story feels strangely edited and out of joint. There are a few pleasures, mostly in drawing up memories of the reading experience--and it's tough to go wrong when Dobby is in the house--but that's not enough to rescue this mess.

The Tailor of Panama

Bond, depraved Bond. It's impossible to watch this movie without making the 007 comparison, what with Pierce Brosnan playing the flip side of his franchise role. The difference is quite instructive; instead of screwing around with razzle-dazzle horseshit, this one sets the special effects aside and plays up the intelligence--and a touch of sleaze--giving you a nittier, grittier look at the world of spying. Geoffrey Rush, always the pro, provides more than capable backup.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Not awful, but certainly a disappointment, considering the source material. Very lifeless and flat. The kids are fine, but the supporting cast doesn't quite live up to their pedigrees. (Especially Richard Harris as Dumbledore; a cigar store Indian would have been more lively.) This was mostly made for money, and that's hardly magical.