Re: Of the 6.5 Harry Potter films made,what 3 are your fave ones and w
I don't get the logic in ignoring DH Part 1 (even though I haven't seen it yet), but here's my top 3 fav HP films thus far:
Half-Blood Prince
Although his directorial style is much less whimsical and much more gritty than Alfonso Cuaron's, David Yates shares with Cuaron an understanding of how to translate HP from page to screen that is incredibly profound, and it's on full display in HBP; it also doesn't hurt that screenwriter Steve Kloves - in returning to the series after taking a hiatus on Order of the Phoenix - once again demonstrates that he truly is a fan of the novels and understands how to successfully adapt the plotlines while also simultaneously cutting down on significant amounts of tedious exposition. There are a few things that probably could've been included, but the fact that they're absent doesn't negatively affect the film - or the way that its story unfolds - in any significant fashion.
Order of the Phoenix
As much as I like some of Steve Kloves' script adaptations, the way that Michael Goldenberg adapted OotP was absolutely BRILLIANT. David Yates' first directorial foray into the HP world is also pitch-perfect, and perfectly suits Goldenberg's script; the only thing that, in hindsight, probably could and should have gotten more focus is the 'Snape's Worst Memory' sequence, but that's really neither here nor there.
Prisoner of Azkaban
There are so many things that I love about Alfonso Cuaron's adaptation of Prisoner of Azkaban that I could spend an entire thread talking about them, and the only reason his film is ranked third on my list of favorites is because of how brilliantly David Yates was able to adapt Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince; the stylistic choices that Cuaron made in adapting Kloves' script - including the inclusion of shrunken heads aboard the Knight Bus, the decision to have Emma Watson's Hermione actually punch Tom Felton's Draco Malfoy as opposed to the slap that is described in the novel, and the use of the Whomping Willow to indicate the passage of time and the changing of the seasons - lends PoA a whimsical quality that surpasses even that of the first two films. Another thing that make's Cuaron's HP film stand out is that it actually inspired J.K. Rowling to retcon her own text in order to match the way he'd adapted said text.
