Is it just me, or are Harry Potter movies really bad?
By angelajoy
@angelajoy (1825)
Philippines
May 10, 2009 10:04pm CST
I've watched all the Harry Potter movies and not a single movie gave justice to the books. Actually, I think the more recent movies are even worse than the first few movies. I mean, come on, what happened to the old, calm, and wise Dumbledore? Since they changed the actor playing Dumbledore, Dumbledore became so bad-tempered. Has anyone else noticed this? Harry Potter 6 would be out in theaters soon and I'm not sure if I want to watch it. No offense to Harry Potter movies fans.
4 people like this
20 responses
@neerajpandey_13 (1765)
• India
11 May 09
I think you are exception. Otherwise up to that time I dont hear this thing from anybody that movie is not good. Everybody praise this movie except you.
1 person likes this
@bournecaindelta (2477)
• India
11 May 09
Well, to be frank, all your friends must have seen just the movies. If you get time, please read through one of the books and then see the movie. You will find that characters are missing and the plot changes and they just chop out some important things out in the movies.
bourne
1 person likes this
@owstalaga (4707)
• Philippines
14 May 09
well maybe it's just you. Harry Potter is great!
I still love Harry Potter books and the movies although i didn't like the 2nd Dumbledore actor. Tch, they should replace him really but it's too late now. *siiigh*. I hope he won't "butcher" the character in the next movies....
1 person likes this
@norahfaith (163)
• Indonesia
11 May 09
Yeah I have noticed that. I was so shocked at how awful the first movie was and the others have been just as bad.The books describe everything very majestically but when you go to watch the movie it looks like they were on a real budget everything looks really drab and boring. I just watch the movies with my kids. But Dumbledore does have a temper in the last book he was in from the way I perceived it.
1 person likes this
@angelajoy (1825)
• Philippines
11 May 09
Yeah, you're right, there were parts in the book where Dumbledore lost his temper. But his loss of temper in the book was nothing compared to that in the movie. It was really exaggerated. Other than those few moments when Dumbledore got angry, he was generally described in the books as a calm old man. There was even a part in the book when Harry got mad at Dumbledore, and Harry wanted to "shatter that calm old face." Also, his occasional loss of temper was still pictured as something majestic, like when he broke down the door to the room in which the fake Moody in book 4 brought Harry he was pictured as giving off an aura of great power. There was nothing majestic in the way Dumbledore got angry in the movies. He was just a plain old bad-tempered guy.
@kath_b (116)
• Philippines
17 May 09
Books are always better than movies because when you read books you are the movie-maker there...you are the one to imagine as to what really happens. It's your own imagination that counts. However, what i liked about the HP series coming to the big screen is that the characters in your mind (the one you used to imagine) come to life and as i go along reading it..the character and face who portayed them becomes the one i imagine when i read the books! that's the one advantage i found. Although some of the movies were disappointments...but still its Harry Potter and its still the best and it endured quite a number of years and came across the many people who liked it. =)
1 person likes this
@anuraa32 (2446)
• India
12 May 09
I have to somewhere agree with you. The Harry Potter movies have not done justice to the book. They have taken their creative liscence to change it a bit to fit the movie in the 2 hours time limit I suppose. And so many parts of the book have not been included. Though the casting is terrific. It is just like I imagined when I was reading the books. Definately yes, the books are better. But this is the case with all the movies which are based on books. The movies never match up with the books they are based on.
1 person likes this
@misshoney (973)
• Philippines
12 May 09
hello angelajoy. i guess that is the usual reaction of people who was able to read a book that has been made a movie. the book is always the far better version and part of it is because the book is more detailed and as you read it, you as a reader have your own version in your head which may not be the same as that of the movie director. so i think harry potter movies is not so bad really....
1 person likes this
@bournecaindelta (2477)
• India
11 May 09
Oh I always prefer the book to the movies in all the cases of such things. Eragon was screwed, HP was screwed (more than anything else), LOTR was ok. I mean if you just watch the movie, then you will surely feel that they are great, but once you get your hands on the book, then you will surely avoid the movie no matter what. I liked the books and I see the Harry Potter movies only for the graphics. Oh, the dragon looked so real in the Goblet of Fire.
bourne
1 person likes this
@metschica25 (5399)
• United States
11 May 09
Hi ,
i have found that the books are always so much better , and in the movie you truly are missing out . The book twilight was awesome and deeper than the movie that left so much out . Still the movie was good ! just like the notebook the book is 100 times better , and to me the movie sucked real bad , and people think i am crazy lol .
1 person likes this
@oyenkai (4394)
• Philippines
12 May 09
I have watched all Harry Potter movies and have read the whole series. I do believe that the movies weren't the best novel interpretation. I think that they focused on the wrong things and misinterpreted a lot of things. The first movie was the worst of them, non-Harry Potter readers didn't understand anything. The best movie there was would probably be the third one. I think that the director changed the story a little but that was good because he was able to cut the story short for the movie runtime and at the same time created a similar, yet coherent storyline :)
Thanks for the response on my discussion!
1 person likes this
@eichs1 (1934)
• Philippines
11 May 09
Hmmm... I'm so glad I haven't read the books, it made me enjoy the movies immensely. 
When watching a movie taken from a book I read, I usually stop focusing on my own interpretation of the story. I do even think of the movie version as another version of the book. That way, I will also enjoy the movie as I have enjoyed the book. There's no way that a movie can portray the book as it is. They are simply different mediums.
When watching a movie taken from a book I read, I usually stop focusing on my own interpretation of the story. I do even think of the movie version as another version of the book. That way, I will also enjoy the movie as I have enjoyed the book. There's no way that a movie can portray the book as it is. They are simply different mediums. 1 person likes this
@Frederick42 (2024)
• Canada
12 May 09
Harry Potter movies are one of the best movies. I enjoyed then thouroughly. Of course, some flaws might be there, but when I watch a movie, I forget myself and thus I become absorbed in watching the movie. I do not care for the flaws. The important point is whether I liked the movie or not.
1 person likes this
@Hedwig (283)
• China
11 May 09
I am a big fan of Harry Potter and wouldn't miss anything related to it. So I have read all the Harry Potter books and watched all the Harry Potter movies.
Yes, the movies are not very good compared to the books. Personally, I prefer to read the books. They are more vivid with more details. The movies are ok, but by compressing the thick book into a 90-miniute movie, some of the details are cut off which makes the story kind of sudden and imcomprehensible.
1 person likes this
@Jillianmc (84)
• United States
11 May 09
I do prefer books to movies but ultimately i think Harry Potter is great and provides awesome imagination for all ages.
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@060157 (1059)
• Pakistan
11 May 09
well, the books were brilliant. the harry potter movies are not... except for the fourth one, which i think was better than the rest of the movies.
i haven't watched the fifth movie and neither do i plan to. and i won't be watching the sixth either.
my favourite book from the series was the 3rd and they did a pretty good job making the 3rd movie the worst of the lot 
it totally failed to capture the environment of the third novel
it totally failed to capture the environment of the third novel @Adoniah (7513)
• United States
11 May 09
This is always true of movies and books. Your own imagination is so much better than what they can ever put up on the big screen.
I have never taken the time to read the books, and have only seen the movies that they have put on TV. I have enjoyed them very much. However, I do know that if I had read the book first, I would feel just as you do.
Movies are for peole like me who do not take the time to read that kind of thing anymore. I read for information not pleasure.
Shalom~Adoniah
1 person likes this
@jlamela (4898)
• Philippines
11 May 09
Actually I am not a fan of Harry Potter movies so I cannot comment. I don't find this story fascinating so I decided not to read the books and watch the movies, but of course, I admire J.K Rowling so much because of her humble beginning and her struggle to publish Harry Potter.
1 person likes this
@caffeinedrunk (246)
• Philippines
11 May 09
I agree with you. The movies just ruin everything. I mean, they like to cram everything in the movie but have leave out some scenes and the scenes they leave out are the most important. They should have gotten better screen writers. I don't watch the harry potter movies now because they've made what? 4 or 5 movies now and only the first two were quite good. The rest was a total flop.
I definitely prefer the books. And if they're making another movie, let's just cross our fingers and wish them luck because they need all the luck they can get.
1 person likes this
@zzyw87 (1254)
• Philippines
11 May 09
I am not a die-hard Harry Potter fan. But I think the movies are okay and nice even if it is not exactly the same as the book or what the book portrays. I especially liked the sound and special effects in the movies. It is awesome. I read all the books too and I also thought the books are nice. I think I am going to watch the latest Harry Potter movie. I enjoyed all the past Harry Potter movies.
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