I have to disagree with him. I think that there were certain things left out or added that were not true to the book at all. In fact, I hate to say it because it was my fav of the series, but it wasn't near as good a the first two.
I'd like to elaborate but, Im afraid in case some people haven't seen it yet, I'd like everyone to make their own decisions. But, personally, I think I could have directed it better.

Faithful, my word that starts with a. I was going to use the real word, but the censor thing caught it....

He was okay in some things, but it had so many things different from the books that it was nausiating. :wacko: (I love this smiley!)

I have to say, out of the three films so far, this is the one that isn't nearly as faithful to the books.

Just look how many important parts were left! Yeah, it's darker and more teenager-ish. If it is, why isn't the big Quidditch match with Gryffindor and Slytherin included? I would've loved to see the intense rivalry between the two Houses. And a little humor when 4 Slytherins dressed up in a dementor suit during a Quidditch match.

Not only that...I thought he messed up Hermione. When they turned back in time, present Hermione commented on her hair. "Is that how my hair really looks like from the back?" It would've been okay if it sounded like she was a curious bookworm, but no...sounded like she'd been worried or something.

The beginning was rushed, so was the ending. There wasn't that, oh-it's-so-happy-I'm-gonna-cry (well, that's how I felt during the endings of the first 2 films) feeling to it.

I saw the movies with people who haven't read the books. And it confused the heck of them so bad.

I'm gonna end now, although I have more things to rant about. He wasn't as faithful as I though he would be. I was a little disappointed with the movie. And this is the first time.

I was going to start this with, "I guess he was as faithful as he could be," but I take that back. Yes, of course he couldn't include everything, because it's a movie-- not a book. And it can't be too long. But there was so much that could've been in there, that just wasn't. He was about as failthful as keeping the plot line, and that's it. One small thing that kinda bothers me is the Firebolt. Why did he get that at the end? Off that meaningless detail, the film did have a darker feeling, as did the book, but I expected alot... more. A big part of the book was how hard of a time Hermione was having, and that wasn't shown at all. In the book, her two best friends were mad at her, she was struggeling with all her classes and trying to help Hagrid with his trial. The trial wasn't looked into as much as it should've been. I also think they didn't elaborate all the things that made people upset. I've found no one else to agree with me on this, so perhaps I'm just delusional, but I think all the times they got angry, it was, well, overreacting. Like when Harry freaked out when he found out Sirius was his parent's best friend. That scene wasn't set up well at all. First, I was a bit confused how Harry could go in and out of the room, while invisible, without anyone noticing... even though he opened the door both times. But it should've been set up like it was in the book, with them in the pub. In the movie, when Ms. McGonagal started discussing it, she acted like it didn't matter. I think the whole discussion and revelation of this information, should've been in a much darker, depressed feel, but they discussed it like everyday information and didn't even give that much information, and Harry proceded to take off (somehow unnoticed) and cry (somewhat badly)when honestly I didn't think it was that big of a deal. And when Hermione punched Malfoy... now, don't get my wrong, that was some pretty awesome stuff, but he doesn't come through as mean as he does in the books. I think, at least. I also didn't get how Harry just assumed Lupin had been his dad's best friend. Maybe I wasn't paying attention, since the film really wasn't that worthwhile, but I can't remember a time when Lupin said they were best friends... of course I could be retarded. I also wonder how Lupin and Harry randomly ended up together. It didn't develop the fact that they were friends enough as it should've, so all of a sudden they'd be walking in the forest. I don't know about you, but there's no way I'd be seen walking with Ms. Frieberger out of school. I also missed the part where Malfoy and his sidekicks are the fake dementors. I do think they portrayed the whole scene where Harry does the final patronus and he thinks it's his dad very well. I do wish they would've showed Harry's flashbacks though. The fear for Sirius wasn't shown well either. The whole wizarding world was in sort of a panic and none of that was shown. There's so much more I can say, but I'm sick of typing and this is all sort of randomly put together, rushed and done rather badly... oh wait, no, no that would be Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban.

It is soo true he left out some of the stuff... but he got the main theme down

If his version of PoA is what he believes to be faithful, I pity the woman who is/was/ever will be married to him.

I'm getting pretty tired of reading all of this bickering against Cuarón. He put his signature on the movie. Yes, he missed stuff from the books, however, he didn't miss fundamental stuff.
If you just didn't like the movie because it didn't go word for word or in the exact order of the book, then you shouldn't have seen the movie in the first place. A movie is the interpretation of the director, producer and writer.
Perhaps it was a little rushed in, but that was due to time restrictions. Of course, there was some scenes that were waaay to extended. For example Buckbeak's long flight. You have to understand Cuaróns signature, it is the photography and the nature what matters to him. The photography for Cuarón is the way of showing a lot of things in the movies that you cannot exactly put into actors' lines.

Please stop the bickering, it is awful to read all these criticism when JKR approved the film. I believe she even said it was the movie she liked the most.

I don't believe anyone here is bickering. It's an honest opinion, and everyone is entitled to his own.

I have mixed feelings about the film, but I do feel that he totally butchered the plot. He didn't include any explanations for the stag/patronus, the Maruaders' Map, Trelawney's prediction, etc. I spent a large chunk of time after the movie explaining parts to my fiance, who enjoys the first two movies but has never read the book. He said that he found that there were gaping plotholes that were not filled enough for him to understand without having read the book. Perhaps GoF will be better.

i didn't see the movie yet. :ermsmile:

Just to make a point, yes there was a bunch of stuff cut from the movie, but do you realize that the movie was 2 hours and 20 min long? While I would be perfectly fine sitting in a Harry Potter movie for 4 hours, for most people this is just not the case.

Cuaron got the point across. Personally, I think that by doing it the way he did only made non-readers more eager to read the books... Why? Because, as I told my friend, there is so more to the story in the books, that it is almost a different story. Now my friend, who dispises reading at the top of her list of things she hates, might actually read the books this summer.

So not every detail was in the book. And yes I personally think an extra 10 minutes to the movie, especially in the Shreiking Shack scene might have made a huge difference. But the movie was a great movie. He was faithful to the book in the sense that it is practically impossible to fit 400 pages of detail into 2.5 hours.

~ Sarah

P.S. Um... if you thought a lot was cut here, PoA was about 400 pages long. Gof is going to be 1 movie too. Gof is about 780 pages long. Yeah... that is when I start to get worried, .

I hate coming into these boards, which are meant for you to reply to, see people excersizing their right of freedom of speech, and then have other people tell them to stop complaining. I mean, I guess it's their right to tell us to stop complaining, but it's pretty silly as seeing we're expressing our opinion. If we aren't expressing our opinion in here, then what are we supposed to say? Saying we like it, is just as much opinion as saying we don't. Neither one is right, or wrong, it's a matter of opinion. Don't tell us not to have an opinion sweetie. It's definintly not going to shut me up at least.

He got most of the important ideas into the film which is great. There wernt that many things left out. This one was the best HP movie so far to me because he wasnt as childish with the whole thing. not that columbus was but this hp3 is almost like the turning part of harry potter cuz everything gets a lil darker starting here. anywho
What movie from a book have ya seen thats has had every single detail in it??? yah....
I loved POA it was the best so far cant wait til GOF!!

He followed the book to an extent. Great movie.

I think there was both good and bad to this movie. I think that the humor in it was excellent. The visual effects were good for the most part (what's up with that werewolf?). I thought for the most part the acting was good (it did seem at one part of the movie Harry was trying a little too hard to cry). The darkness was a good change because the books get darker and darker. I think there was more notably and more numerous of bad qualities to the movie than good. The scenery was changed (did anybody get distracted by the trio marching up and down that hill by Hagrid's hut?!?!?!). I can understand things being cut out because of time constraints but the things Cuaron did put in were messed up (the broomstick at the end, Mr. Weasley telling Harry about Sirius, Harry throwing the snowballs at Malfoy and Co., Malfoy's whimpy attitude, etc). I felt the movie was choppy and too rushed. The two most important aspects of Harry's life since movie and book 1 were left out - birthday presents and Quidditch (yes they showed about 10 minutes of Quidditch). Things were not explained such as the map and Snapes hate for Harry's father (started explaining it in this book). Overall I was dissappointed. It could have been written differently to include more (and less of Harry's flight on buckbeak) of the story and set up the next movie. I had a invisioned the Dementors totally different than the way they were protrayed in the film but I liked the way they were done. I liked the bus Harry rode and the aunt scene. The good things were very good but the dissapointment of the other things distracted me completely! How do we get a hold of the new director (whom I read wanted to do the 5th book in two parts but Cuaron convinced him not to) and tell him not to ruin the next one?

[COLOR=purple]Personally I though the movie was great. I can understand that many people feel like the movie didnt make justice to the book....but like someone else said: this was the movie and things were bound to get cut out. There some instances in which i was xpecting something that i had read in the book like for example...the second quidditch game. He was not going to be able to put every single detail from the book into the movie.
We are all entitled to our opinions and not everyone will agree with what we think.
Alfonso Cuaron made a good interpretation of The Prisoner Of Azkaban. I Loved It!!!!!!! :sorcerer:

I enjoyed this movie for the most part and felt it had a better feel to it that the first two films. However, I found it reprehensible that he left out any and all explanation of the Prank. Not to mention important points like the significance of Harry's patronus. Most scenes felt choppy to me and I thought the werewolf looked like a joke. However, overall I found it an enjoyable film with many good points. I thought he captured the essence of Dumbledore rather well. It's just when my inner canon-nazi and Snape fan emerges *coughallthetimecough* when I lament for the lost plot elements in favour of the more moody scenes and random additions.

F.Y.I -
I read the book about a week before the movie came out (for the second time) so it was fresh in my mind. My mom read the book about 2 (3?) years ago and liked the film (although, she said it could have been done better). They should have warned us not to read the book right before the movie came out!!!!!!

I really think it was a good movie, and I don’t think it was necessarily better than the first two but it was different. I think he stayed pretty faithful, and probably got in as much as they could in 2 hours and 20 minutes. But it was still missing a whole lot.. that I wish could have been explained. I was a bit confused by the flow of the movie and if I hadn't read the book I would have been completely lost like my husband was. I had to explain so much to him I felt like I missed half the movie myself. I still loved it because I love HP so much. One last note I hated the scene where he was crying under the cloak in the snow it seemed so fake and forced. That to me was the lowest point of the whole movie. :/

Ahahaha! Me too! He didn't even have any tears! And then BOOM, it was gone. *snicker*

If he calls that faithful to the book, I would hate to see unfaithful.

He gave it the color similar to the Order of the Phoenix, which I doubt he has even read.

He was pathetic as a director and MUST be replaced; I will not see another Potter fild directed by him. I will just wait for book 6 and hope the directors change for later books and that this book is re-made by someone who appreciates that actual book.

For him to say he was faithful indicates that is either drunk or aflicted with Altzimers Disease.

He changed the tone; added unnedded charecters, changed the realtionship between principal charceters, eliminated/reduced major charecters, made dememtors flying capes, a says he was faithful to the book.

The only appropriate questions is Did he read the book?

I am absolutely ENRAGED by his "WORK".

I loved this movie! Cuaron is...very good. His comedy is great, and it's really very distinct from his darker, more subtle scenes. While this movie did not follow the book to the letter, I think that's all for the best. I mean, who would want to spend a year of their life or more just TRANSCRIBING the work of someone else, which is what he would be doing if he merely put JKR's work into a visual format. It had to have his signature and I think it really did. The scenes with Harry and Lupin alone really give you a sense of the bleak and desperate feelings that harry must be experiencing. I thought the whole Hermione issue was handled in a funny way with Ron constantly exclaiming, "Where did she come from?!" It gave you the hint that something was going on, whereas transcribing what went on in the book into a cinematic format would have been really difficult, and might not have worked as well. Words are so much better at getting that stuff across!

I also really liked Harry's flight on Buckbeak. It was very symbolic, as he's first afraid, then, looking into the water at his own reflection, masters his fear and actually takes joy in the flight. I see this out of control rush as something very much akin to Harry's life, something that is entirely out of his control, but something that he must learn to master.

Overall, I'd say that this can appeal to all audiences. Kids'll like the hilarity of the Knight Bus, and Ron's constant, comical over-reaction, and adults will appreciate the more subtle nature of Cuaron's film. Oh, and by the way, so BEAUTIFULLY filmed, don't you think? Okay, well, that's my rant...I'm going to see the movie again tomorrow *

Okay, I understand a lot of you guys thought I was telling you off for giving your opinion. I don't. I just feel that you are not thinking things through. First of all, we cannot ever classify a movie with GOOD or BAD. We can say we like it or not. We are not experts on movies, and all we can say is what we think about it. Whether we enjoyed it or not. I don't feel any of us (well, most of us) can give and educated opinion on this movie. We can only say our likes and dislikes. That's what I meant with the bickering.
Sorry if there were any kind of misinterpretations.
Greetings!!!

BTW I LOVED POA!!!!

sure, he left some things out and put in some things in that weren't in the book, but it was still a good film in my opinion

This movie was the worst thing that has ever happened to HP series.
The horrible amount of info and plot line cut out, and the amount of retarded humor put in completed the package as a horrible movie.
I believe that Chris Columbus was a wonderful director for the movies, and i think that the change was a horrible choice. I wanted to see the books come to life, and for the most part, thats what the first 2 are. But the third is just horrible at telliung the story right. With all the material cut, the plot was chopped to shreds, leaving those that have read the books with a feeling of disappointment. The one thing that i did like was the mauraders map, which i think was done well in look but not in use. Anyways ive already heard all the junk about this movie, so im not gunna add anymore other than to say this; BRING BACK CHRIS COLUMBUS!!!!!!

Peace Out everyone and remember...