Harry Potter - The Complete Series Thread

[Asteroid-Man]

Considering we don't have a thread for the whole series, I think it's about time we start one - and what better time than with the announcement of a new boxed set??

Harry Potter - Hogwarts Collection:

Warner Home Video has released information about a new Blu-ray set it will release, called the Harry Potter Hogwarts Collection, on Amazon. There is currently no details on the box set save its price (much cheaper than the Harry Potter Wizard's Collection), and be pre-ordered here.

Harry Potter Hogwarts Collection suggested price is $249.99, but has been lowered on Amazon to $174.99 & FREE Shipping.

Warner Home Video has confirmed to SnitchSeeker that this set will be released, more information coming soon. Amazon also lists the set as being released February 25, 2014. Details can be found below:

This comprehensive 31-disc collection contains all eight Harry Potter movies on Blu-ray, DVD and UltraViolet and more than 37 hours of special features including the Creating the World of Harry Potter documentary series:

• Part 1: The Magic Begins - Explore the early decisions that impacted the entire series, and follow the search for the young leads.
• Part 2: Characters - Learn about the casting process and how the actors brought J.K. Rowling’s beloved characters to life.
• Part 3: Creatures - Meet a new group of wizards: the artists who created the monsters and marvels in Harry’s world.
• Part 4: Sound & Music - Hear how the composers and sound experts used their craft to magnify the series’ emotional journey.
• Part 5: Evolution - Join the filmmakers as they discuss how the creative vision for the films evolved throughout the series.
• Part 6: Magical Effects - Watch how technical wizards conjured up an amazing alternate reality using CGI and practical effects.
• Part 7: Story - Listen in as J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves discuss how the books were adapted for the screen.
• Part 8: Growing Up - See how the young stars’ ideas of acting, fame and themselves have changed over ten years.

PLUS A BONUS DISC with over 3 hours of features including:

• “The Harry Potters You Never Met” - Meet the stunt doubles for Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as they demonstrate how they balanced major stunt work with seamlessly mimicking the actors they represented and share their favorite moments.
• “Designing the World of Harry Potter” - Explore how production designer Stuart Craig and his creative team brought J.K. Rowling's imagination to life on the screen.
• “When Harry Left Hogwarts” (Extended Version) - Hear candid and emotional stories about the final days on set in this extended behind-the-scenes look.
• “50 Greatest Harry Potter Moments” (Definitive Version) - Take a look back with cast members who share their on and off-screen memories.
• “Secrets Revealed! Quidditch” – At last, the secrets behind the special effects required for the breathtaking Quidditch scenes are revealed!
• “Secrets Revealed! Hagrid”- See the camera tricks, towering stand-in and voluminous body suits behind the beloved Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.

Source: http://www.snitchseeker.com/harry-p...lu-ray-set-confirmed-out-february-25-a-95991/

Also posted on Blu-ray.com


Low and behold, we still don't have an Extended Edition... at least it's super cheap! About $22 a movie!

 

[ThePowerCosmic]

The fact that we didn't already have a thread for the entire series is

 

[Snow Queen]

Not a huge fan of the series but that is a very nice set. I love the book holders, like they used with The Dark Knight Trilogy Ultimate Collector's Edition.

 

[MrMaooz]

2, 6, 7(1) I did not like that much to be honest. The rest are pretty good.

 

[jmc]

I'll be honest, Potter is one of the few nerdy franchises I've never been able to get into 100%. I use to think it was a case of me being too old for the series but I know others who are my age or older who also enjoy it, so maybe it's just the whole wizards/witchcraft thing. I will say that boxset looks very tempting though,

 

[Liam_H]

The film series itself works mostly as a companion piece to the book IMO. Seeing everything you've been reading brought to life is a treat. So if you're not into the films you might give the books a try. Most of the devoted fans I know of this franchise comes from reading it, can't think of a person I know who is on the same level only by watching the films. Which kind of makes sense cause if you enjoy the films to that degree you will eventually pick up the books.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Did everyone just come in here to talk about how they don't like the one series that actually held a crazy high level of quality throughout its run?

The Harry Potter films are fantastic and a landmark in filmmaking. They changed cinema. There was no Star Wars this generation, but as with everything else, there was something new. Harry Potter was that, with a little help from Williams of course. That they kept it British, even in face of unknowns in terms of return and pressure early on to Americanize it.

There are no bad films. No IM2 or DAF. No prequels. Hell, there are no pretty good films. They are great. PoA and OotP are the pinnacle, but they are all a good time that hold a strong standard throughout. And a lot of this is do to the talent involved. You could argue they got lucky with the trio, but it didn't hurt they surrounded them with incredible actors and actresses. They amount of acting talent is kinda astounding. There probably hasn't been a better way to learn your craft then from this group.

Columbus brought the series to life with the first two films. His warmer, more kid friendly style captured the style of the first two books perfectly imo. Then Cauron came at the exact right time. His edge moved the series in the exact direction it needed to go from PoA on. He set the tone the rest of the series would need. Newell arguably delivered the most fun and exciting entry with GoF. It is almost crazy to think Yates ended up making half the series, but he did and for the most part did a very good job. OotP is one of my favorite films and the two part finale seemed to deliver in a way that made the vast majority of fans quite happy.

The films are also arguably where the real momentum of the series, more so then even the books. It was the films that paint the picture of the magical world. Look at the theme parks. Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Rupert Grint are Hermione, Harry and Ron. It was the popularity of the films that got more and more kids to read.

 

[Victarion]

I'd be hard pressed to chose my favorite. Films 1, 2, and 7 part 1 are among my favorite Christmas films. They just have a Christmasy feel to them.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I'd be hard pressed to chose my favorite. Films 1, 2, and 7 part 1 are among my favorite Christmas films. They just have a Christmasy feel to them.

Right there with you. They just fit the season so well imo. Also no coincidence that they are all came out in November.

 

[Teelie]

I liked all of them and I have them all on DVD and see no pressing need to get a Blu-Ray set at this time. Extended editions that actually provided more than snippets of scenes or dialogue would be worthwhile though.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I'd be hard pressed to chose my favorite. Films 1, 2, and 7 part 1 are among my favorite Christmas films. They just have a Christmasy feel to them.

Goblet of Fire too with the Yule Ball.

Prisoner of Azkaban has a Halloween feel.

 

[Victarion]

I forgot about the Yule Ball, yes. The documentary on designing the world of the HP films is what I'm most interested in.

 

[Deserana]

The first two stick out like a sore thumb to me. I like them but after that there is a huge jump in quality. 3 is possibly the most fantasy/mystical of them all which is why it's my favorite. That tone should have been the tone for all of them.
4 seemed to be quite.... different. There has always been something off about GoF to me. 5 is amazing. 6 is really good, 7(a) I really enjoy and 7(b) is a proper epic finale.

The only thing I didn't like was visually how dark the films were. Dark themes/tone sure but these could have been a visual marvel but instead there were many moments in Half Blood Prince that were hard to make out!

 

[Asteroid-Man]

There are a LOT of central plot points that are totally skimmed over in the movies - ESPECIALLY with the David Yates ones and ESPECIALLY with Newell's GOF (Priori Incantatem). In hindsight, personally feel Newell made a lot of bad decisions. The film wasn't very well directed and a lot of his choices seemed rather arbitrary. I always had an issue with a lot of his decisions Yates made especially. For the most part, he showed MUCH promise and he was able to get fantastic performances out of the actors, but little things like how much was cut from OTTP (including the DOM stuff that was all SHOT and still cut out), the lack of colour, barely any focus on the Half-Blood Prince, and the lack of Voldemort flashbacks, stupid added borrow attack, and too much focus on the love subplots in HBP, the non-stop shaky-cam and people disintegrating, and ending the series with Harry [BLACKOUT]NOT HAVING A WAND ANYMORE[/BLACKOUT] in DH was face-palmable.

Even Cuaron skimmed over some important things like the Marauders, but I'm willing to forgive that because it was beautiful.

 

[Victarion]

Yeah, those looks into Merope's life were integral to understanding Voldemort's character.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

Yeah, those looks into Merope's life were integral to understanding Voldemort's character.

It's the entire reason he is who he is.

 

[Snow Queen]

Yeah, I find Half Blood Prince to be a pretty major misfire.

 

[Victarion]

The Burrow Attack seemed odd. I had figured that, if they wanted more action, they'd film that giant attack we were told about via Scrimgeour in the prologue of Half-Blood Prince.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I thought that the first two films were far weaker than the the later six. They are too long for the stories being told and just in general are lacking in the imagination and wonderment of PoA on.

They made the mistake with the first two of just filming the books, rather than truly adapting them for the different medium. Fortunately, they learned from their mistakes before they got too deep into the series.

Special mention goes to Order of the Phoenix which was rather lacking in the book series, but was improved substantially in the transition to screen.

 

[flickchick85]

I love, love LOVE these books, and have only ever mildly enjoyed the movies.

The one exception was PoA, which, while the self-proclaimed "true fans" complain it is the one that changed too much, I believe is the only one to capture the true essence, spirit and tone of the books, which I find to be much more important when adapting something for another medium. It is also the one film of the franchise that I would actually call a great film.

But behind PoA, I do believe Yates' films were the strongest entries, and I think if they couldn't get Cuaron back, Yates was the second best and solid choice to finish out the series. I don't love his installments, but I do think they were good films. I don't feel the same of the first two films and have mixed feelings on GoF.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

I loved the direction of the first two - script could have definitely used work, but Columbus was the only one to show the lighter side of Hogwarts in addition to the darker side - ESPECIALLY in the first one. Williams's score was phenomenal too! PoA was fantastic too - I just wish we had a bit more of the "warmer" "brighter" Hogwarts to contrast the darkness.

 

[Soapy]

I posted this in another thread, can't remember which, but I believe there's a really great trilogy hiding somewhere in these movies, unfortunately it was buried under a mountain of seemingly endless subplots and other distractions from the core narrative.

There are some of the movies I like more than others, but the only one I can say I truly enjoyed was Prisoner of Azkaban. By and large the series feels just too bloated and stretched out for me to enjoy.

 

[mclay18]

But behind PoA, I do believe Yates' films were the strongest entries, and I think if they couldn't get Cuaron back, Yates was the second best and solid choice to finish out the series. I don't love his installments, but I do think they were good films. I don't feel the same of the first two films and have mixed feelings on GoF.

I think what Newell really nailed in GOF was the camaraderie between the students, especially in the events leading up to the Yule Ball and during the Triwizard Tournament drawing. Especially the classroom scenes, the wonderful Rita Skeeter scene, and during study hall. (And kudos to Newell for coaxing a decent performance from a pre-Twilight Robert Pattinson.)

My main problem with GOF is that it's far more theatrical than the story needs -- except the pivotal graveyard scene, which is beautifully done. (It doesn't help that Patrick Doyle's score just makes things worse.) Like when Dumbledore pins Harry against the trophy exhibit once his name is picked -- the real Dumbledore would NOT do that at all. And then bringing in the Bulgarian headmaster but not even tying in his Death Eater past... why keep his character if you're not going to use him? (That was a wasted opportunity.)

I think Yates did a decent job with finishing the series off. I liked what he did with OOTP -- cutting the story down to its essence but omitting too much. HBP was beautifully shot but it had the same problems OOTP did story-wise. DH1&2 were wonderful -- extremely faithful to the book but they did a great job. I can understand people not liking DH1 for its lack of action, but I loved how character-driven it was and letting that dictate the story rather than the other way around. DH2 was the big climatic finale, and it did not disappoint. (I still would've cut out that epilogue though.)

 

[DarthSkywalker]

The first two stick out like a sore thumb to me. I like them but after that there is a huge jump in quality. 3 is possibly the most fantasy/mystical of them all which is why it's my favorite. That tone should have been the tone for all of them.
4 seemed to be quite.... different. There has always been something off about GoF to me. 5 is amazing. 6 is really good, 7(a) I really enjoy and 7(b) is a proper epic finale.

The only thing I didn't like was visually how dark the films were. Dark themes/tone sure but these could have been a visual marvel but instead there were many moments in Half Blood Prince that were hard to make out!

They are different kind of films, but I wouldn't say the quality is lesser. They match the tone of the first two books extremely well imo. If you read the series, the change in PoA is as apparent as it is on film.

I think how important the first two films are is underestimated. They really brought the world of the books to life, making the series accessible to the masses. All the while being quite good.

Yeah, I find Half Blood Prince to be a pretty major misfire.

It is the film where hormones take center stage, and the plot goes missing. I still like it, but it is definitely the weakest film by quite a margin imo.

I posted this in another thread, can't remember which, but I believe there's a really great trilogy hiding somewhere in these movies, unfortunately it was buried under a mountain of seemingly endless subplots and other distractions from the core narrative.

There are some of the movies I like more than others, but the only one I can say I truly enjoyed was Prisoner of Azkaban. By and large the series feels just too bloated and stretched out for me to enjoy.

Explain please. One of the reasons why the films work so well is they center around Harry. They streamlined a lot of material. A lot.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I think what Newell really nailed in GOF was the camaraderie between the students, especially in the events leading up to the Yule Ball and during the Triwizard Tournament drawing. Especially the classroom scenes, the wonderful Rita Skeeter scene, and during study hall. (And kudos to Newell for coaxing a decent performance from a pre-Twilight Robert Pattinson.)

My main problem with GOF is that it's far more theatrical than the story needs -- except the pivotal graveyard scene, which is beautifully done. (It doesn't help that Patrick Doyle's score just makes things worse.) Like when Dumbledore pins Harry against the trophy exhibit once his name is picked -- the real Dumbledore would NOT do that at all. And then bringing in the Bulgarian headmaster but not even tying in his Death Eater past... why keep his character if you're not going to use him? (That was a wasted opportunity.)

I think Yates did a decent job with finishing the series off. I liked what he did with OOTP -- cutting the story down to its essence but omitting too much. HBP was beautifully shot but it had the same problems OOTP did story-wise. DH1&2 were wonderful -- extremely faithful to the book but they did a great job. I can understand people not liking DH1 for its lack of action, but I loved how character-driven it was and letting that dictate the story rather than the other way around. DH2 was the big climatic finale, and it did not disappoint. (I still would've cut out that epilogue though.)

Gambon's Dumbledore was all over the place in terms of tone until the last OotP. I don't know if he never read the books, but he didn't seem to get the character like Harris until Order and no one seemed to want to correct him. Kloves also isn't the best writer. I think it is pretty telling he didn't write OotP and yet it easily has the strongest narrative. If we ever got the near 3 hour cut, I don't think it would be close. It could be stronger then PoA.

Yates two best films are OotP and DH1. I understand why people like DH2 so much, but it isn't a complete film. They could have made it one with stronger writing and a bit of expansion, but they didn't. DH1 is a full, complete and very good film imo. Arguably only behind PoA and OotP in terms of quality. DH2 is a great culmination of the series, but not the best movie. Good, at times great, but incomplete. Which makes little sense, it is easily the shortest.

GoF gets beat up at times, but I like it a lot and I think it is a very strong film. It is what HBP wanted to be, but never got close to. Hogwarts is alive with young love, while the main plot moves along at a brisk and exciting pace. It also has an extremely strong third act. Right up there with PoA and OotP. It hits on emotions in a very real way imo. Fleur and Cedric's father's reaction still get me every time. The only problem I ever had was the obvious tell from Moody.