Intro
Most literate people in the western world have read the famous Harry Potter books, and a tremendous success they have been too, so when Warner Bros announced that 8 films would be made for this series, I can imagine there was a mixed response.
There will be those who were elated ... Read review
Advantages: Good chemistry between actors, nice cinematography, well cast Disadvantages: Child acting poor at times, directing unsatisfactory for first two films
...world have read the famous Harry Potter books, and a tremendous success they have been too, so when Warner Bros announced that 8 films would be made for this series, I can imagine there was a mixed response.
There will be those who were elated at the prospect of the films. Their favorite book, turned into a blockbuster film. Now there will be a face to each name, and Hogwarts can be developed with some great studio effects.
... ...
Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter:
This lad impressed enough in the audition to secure the role that thousands had tried for, the holy grail of child acting, Harry Potter. He became the face to a character whom millions had already formulated their own ideas of in their head, and on an appearance alone, it was a good casting decision.
Despite ignoring the 'mop of jet-black hair' in favor of brown hair, Radcliffe is pretty ... more
Intro
Most literate people in the western world have read the famous Harry Potter books, and a tremendous success they have been too, so when Warner Bros announced that 8 films would be made for this series, I can imagine there was a mixed response.
There will be those who were elated at the prospect of the films. Their favorite book, turned into a blockbuster film. Now there will be a face to each name, and Hogwarts can be developed with some great studio effects.
The magical game of Quidditch can be realized through CGI, not to mention the spectacular wand-work, and magical creatures. It was a dream come true for the many Potter-crazed fans out there.
However, on the other end of the scale, many people were disappointed at this news. There were those who thought it was saddening that a big company had to make a film for every good book, implanting character and scenery images into your mind so you don't have to think for yourself.
Many were worried that the film would not do the book justice, and make a mockery of the brilliant work that went into the book. They thought that corners would be cut in an attempt to cash in on the 'Potter-mania' , and the result would be a travesty.
I'll try and give you some idea of how I thought the films were in comparison to the books.
The Casting
Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter: This lad impressed enough in the audition to secure the role that thousands had tried for, the holy grail of child acting, Harry Potter. He became the face to a character whom millions had already formulated their own ideas of in their head, and on an appearance alone, it was a good casting decision.Despite ignoring the 'mop of jet-black hair' in favor of brown hair, Radcliffe is pretty much spot on as Potter. He is small enough to be considered fairly scrawny, and that accompanied by his crooked glasses produces a very believable Harry.
As anyone who has worked in film before will know, it is incredibly difficult to find good child actors. With Radcliffe, it was a surprising turn. First impressions of his acting lead us to believe that Radcliffe is straight out of acting school, with his enunciations and elaborations, but lacks any flair. He is mediocre in the first three films, but to be fair, as child actors go, he was pretty good.
Then, accompanied by Emma Watson as Hermione, and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, Daniel Radcliffe begins to act well in the fourth film. I'm not sure whether it was just getting older, or a change in directors, but all three produce much finer roles in the later films than they did in the earlier ones. 7/10
Emma Watson as Hermione Granger: We first see Hermione on the Hogwarts Express, with her bossy, annoying tone of voice, and her seemingly snobbish attitude.
Emma Watson started off perhaps a little better than her male child actor counterparts, but was still a little shaky. Her biggest problem in the first couple of the films was being really annoyingly posh, which was intentional, but the viewer starts to become annoyed and tired with her.
However, she, again in the fourth film, made a dramatic transformation, and is a great supporting actor for Radcliffe, and has a lot of nice on-screen chemistry with Rupert Grint, which works nicely. 7/10
Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley: Rupert Grint was perhaps the best and the worst of the three child actors in the first three films.
By this, I mean that whilst some of his moments on the screen caused genuine humor, he seemed to have only one expression, and was a pretty dire actor.
At first I thought that he only had the one face, a shocked expression with his mouth wide open, usually exclaiming "Bloody hell!" But he too has come on in leaps and bounds from the fourth film onwards, and the three of them make a great acting trio, feeding off each other brilliantly. 7/10
The rest of the cast: Richard Harris was cast as Head of Hogwarts Albus Dumbledore, and played a sterling role, before he sadly died after the second film in 2002. The role of Dumbledore was given to Michael Gambon, who has been a worthy replacement since. 8/10
Robbie Coltrane was cast as the friendly half-giant Hagrid, and the effects used on his size to make him seem 10-foot tall, accompanied with some great acting leads to the role of Hagrid in no trouble whatsoever. 9/10
Ralph Fiennes appears in the later films as the infamous Lord Voldemort. He doesn't have too much to do in these earlier films, but what he does do, he does well. 6/10
The rest of the cast do a nice supporting job, with no particular performances standing out.
The directing
The first two films were directed by Chris Columbus, and I don't believe he did the books enough credit.
It's not that he did anything wrong particularly - but he adds nothing to the film, just plays out what happens word for word, without adding any spark or real intensity.
However, his use of CGI is good, and to be fair to any director, when your three main actors are children, it's hard to pull of a masterpiece.
Alfonso Cuaron directed the third film, and things started to get slightly better, Mike Newell stepped in for the fourth, things got even better, and then David Yates, who will most likely be directing the rest of the films, directed the fifth, and produced the best out of all the films so far.
Yates added a new darker side to Potter and the magical world, which helped to build intensity and tension in many scenes. He also brings out the best in all his actors, which adds a lot to the film.
The decision to add more action-packed scenes into the films, which would change the rating from a PG to a 12A was a good one, as it stuck more with the book, and provided a better standard of viewing for all.
The Product Pricing
This product can be bought from www.amazon.co.uk for £29.98 which is a decent price, but you may be better off waiting until all eight films are out (there will be two films for the last book) before buying a box set, to save yourself some money.
My Conclusion
As films of books go, these DVDs aren't bad at all. The acting isn't awful, neither is the directing, and every aspect of film gets about 25% better as each film goes on.They are well worth seeing, but I urge you to read the books before you watch the DVDs if you have done neither, it is a much more rewarding and valuable experience.
Advantages: Convenient to keep them together. Great prices around. Disadvantages: Individual boxes smaller than normal.
In my opinion this boxset (bought for £17 from HMV) was great value. It was much cheaper than buying all individually. I only had one of the movies on dvd and had the earlier ones on VHS so I needed an update. All five parts are great quality films! It's handy that all five come in separate boxes within the one cover because they won't get lost. Each individual box is smaller than the normal DVD box size and perhaps this is worth noting.
I've watched ... ...for family viewing although it is worth bearing in mind that the films seem to get a bit more scary as they progress (number 5 is particularly scary). Parental guidance is reccommended if buying this movie for very young children. In my opinion the violence and fear-factor is mild-to-moderate but is no worse than a lot of movies nowadays.
I do wonder what will happen when the sixth movie is released on dvd and whether a new boxset will be available ...
grovichik 11.08.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Harry Potter - Years 1-5 (Box Set) (DVD)
Advantages: actors, features,price Disadvantages: none that i can think of
Everybody knows the story of Harry Potter the young wisard and most people have read all of the books. I think that the director has found the perfect people to play the parts in the movies. I do think that the later movies are better than the first three and have more action and are always keeping you on the edge of your seat. I do have to say that these movies are very realistic, such as all of the characters and all of the magic that is going ... ...that have come out and now I thinlk that they will be one of the greatest series of movies. Since there are five movies in the case I do think that it will last you a while, and when you finish them you will most likely want to watch them all over again just as I do. The auther J.K. Rowling has now finished writing her two last stories so be on the lookout for the new movies. ...
hopper164 07.02.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Harry Potter - Years 1-5 (Box Set) (DVD)
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Quick review of Harry Potter - Years 1-5 (Box Set) (DVD)
I bought this for my kids at christmas and they loved it. Any harry potter fan would love to have this definitive collection. Harry Potter speaks volumes i don't feel the need to go in to depth on this one. ...
LloydTownsend 06.02.2009
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Harry Potter - Years 1-5 (Box Set) (DVD)
Advantages: Great characters, great actors, love the visual effects and music score Disadvantages: Some of the DVDs are more action packed and exciting than others in the collection
...Daniel Ratcliffe is outstanding as Harry Potter, you feel real empathy for him at times and you are gripped to the screen watching his character develop throughout the films. The visual effects make it scary for children at some points but they can also enjoy the great music score by John Williams and an action packed colourful movie. Each film is directed by someone different and most of the stories are easy to follow. I did have a few favourites ...
ClaireElizabeth21 22.07.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Harry Potter - Years 1-5 (Box Set) (DVD)
Advantages: Excellent viewing, good presentation, an excellent present Disadvantages: There's still two (maybe thee) more films to be made
Having grown up with the Harry Potter books I've always been very interested in the film adaptions. I normally don't hold much hope for them, as the book is always richer in detail and frankly lasts longer than the film (I personally only count The Lord of the Rings films better than the books, but that's it). It's no different here. But that doesn't mean these films aren't excellent! I'd buy them just for the surroundings and set-pieces, let alone ... ...in the cinema.
The presentation of the boxset is excellent, neatly packed. This is a superb present for any child or fan of the books. I personally like to watch the films around Christmas, they have a festive glow about them, but it's something that can be pulled out at any time. It also allows us to see the characters as they get older and there early ventures into adulthood (Harry and Cho Chang etc.)
All in all, a briliant boxset and one I'd ...
Beddall7 30.07.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Harry Potter - Years 1-5 (Box Set) (DVD)
You may not believe in magic. But believe in the magic of the stunning movies which, like JK Rowling's gripping books, are set to be a global phenomenon for many years to come... Azkaban delivers in spectacular fashion. Harry has come of age (Daily Mirror, 15/10/2007)
Here is a film that does justice to Rowling's soaring imagination. The virtue of a director with a fresh pair of eyes is evident. The supporting cast is almost needlessly talented (Daily Telegraph, 15/10/2007)
Handsomely designed as always, atmospherically lit and confidently performed (The Guardian, 15/10/2007)
Siriusly brilliant (The Sun, 15/10/2007)
Cuaron's appointment to this franchise is the most inspired Hollywood gamble of the year... A masterclass in oral joy. The camera work is a sensual feast (The Times, 15/10/2007)
Performances are more mature, the soundtrack less grandiose, and Yates executes some thrilling set-pieces (Time Out, 15/10/2007)
DVD Description
HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE charts the young wizard's induction at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; in HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS Harry is in his second year at the school, and already battling the dark forces that threaten to destroy Hogwarts; the adventure continues with HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, where Harry and his friends must defeat a dangerous convict who has escaped from Azkaban Prison and is said to be headed towards Hogwarts. The fourth instalment of the franchise, HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, is decidedly darker in tone, with Harry facing a plot to assassinate him during the Tri Wizard festival. In HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, our hero experiences a bout of teenage angst while defending Hogwarts from a strange prophecy...
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