Deathly Hallows Part 2 VS Prisoner of Azkaban

[Noctis]

Probably the two most popular films in the series (alongside DH1)...so, yeah.DH2 for me.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Noctis

[Lumos]

Prisoner of Azkaban!

 

Reading Deathly Hallows was one of the best literary experiences I've ever had!  The book is simply perfect and elicited very powerful emotions for myself, both negative and positive.  It was the climax of the whole series so my expectations for Part 2 were VERY high....especially after DH1 which is my personal favourite of the series. This film did not meet my expectations and gets worse on every repeat viewing.  The film is more like a symbol for the Potter fanbase IMO.  Whenever I think of it, I think of the midnight launch and how everyone was so emotional that the series was coming to an end.  It was an event film!  The film could have been complete garbage and everyone would still adore it for what it is....the finale to the HP franchise.

 

The film deserved a better climax.  Scenes like the room of requirement and Gringotts did not live up to what I envisioned in my head.  And quite often the Potter films have exceeded my expectations in that area, the fire storm/inferi at the end of HBP is a great example.  The book was told mostly from Harry's perspective but throughout this film there are scenes that Harry is not apart of.  If they're going to depart from the book I want it to enhance the story but most of their additions did the exact opposite.  Neville running from the Death Eaters, falling and just barely making it to the other side of the bridge was so cringe worthy.  The scene where Ron and Hermione destroy the cup in the CoS could have been a great scene but instead there was just a big wave of water.  BORING!  A serious lack of imagination was put on display here.  And even though there were some emotional scenes like The Prince's Tale, there was nothing that surpassed the book.  Not one single scene could even come close to what was written.  I feel like in every previous film there was atleast some scene that improved on the book, or was an interesting addition.  

 

Prisoner of Azkaban was a breath of fresh air.  It breathed new life into the series and was visually stunning, especially when compared to the previous two films.  The time turning sequence and Buckbeak's flight were standout scenes here.  And it was the first film where the trio really got into their roles IMO.  It is also probably the most rewatchable film of the series....

 

I just scraped the tip of the iceberg, but that sort of sums up how I feel. 

Edited April 26, 2013 by Mr Potter

[Goffe]

Prisoner of Azkaban!

 

Reading Deathly Hallows was one of the best literary experiences I've ever had!  The book is simply perfect and elicited very powerful emotions for myself, both negative and positive.  It was the climax of the whole series so my expectations for Part 2 were VERY high....especially after DH1 which is my personal favourite of the series. This film did not meet my expectations and gets worse on every repeat viewing.  The film is more like a symbol for the Potter fanbase IMO.  Whenever I think of it, I think of the midnight launch and how everyone was so emotional that the series was coming to an end.  It was an event film!  The film could have been complete garbage and everyone would still adore it for what it is....the finale to the HP franchise.

 

The film deserved a better climax.  Scenes like the room of requirement and Gringotts did not live up to what I envisioned in my head.  And quite often the Potter films have exceeded my expectations in that area, the fire storm/inferi at the end of HBP is a great example.  The book was told mostly from Harry's perspective but throughout this film there are scenes that Harry is not apart of.  If they're going to depart from the book I want it to enhance the story but most of their additions did the exact opposite.  Neville running from the Death Eaters, falling and just barely making it to the other side of the bridge was so cringe worthy.  The scene where Ron and Hermione destroy the cup in the CoS could have been a great scene but instead there was just a big wave of water.  BORING!  A serious lack of imagination was put on display here.  And even though there were some emotional scenes like The Prince's Tale, there was nothing that surpassed the book.  Not one single scene could even come close to what was written.  I feel like in every previous film there was atleast some scene that improved on the book, or was an interesting addition.  

 

Prisoner of Azkaban was a breath of fresh air.  It breathed new life into the series and was visually stunning, especially when compared to the previous two films.  The time turning sequence and Buckbeak's flight were standout scenes here.  And it was the first film where the trio really got into their roles IMO.  It is also probably the most rewatchable film of the series....

 

I just scraped the tip of the iceberg, but that sort of sums up how I feel. 

OMG, someone feels the way I feel (except about DH1)   

[Heretic]

Prisoner of Azkaban!

 

Reading Deathly Hallows was one of the best literary experiences I've ever had!  The book is simply perfect and elicited very powerful emotions for myself, both negative and positive.  It was the climax of the whole series so my expectations for Part 2 were VERY high....especially after DH1 which is my personal favourite of the series. This film did not meet my expectations and gets worse on every repeat viewing.  The film is more like a symbol for the Potter fanbase IMO.  Whenever I think of it, I think of the midnight launch and how everyone was so emotional that the series was coming to an end.  It was an event film!  The film could have been complete garbage and everyone would still adore it for what it is....the finale to the HP franchise.

 

The film deserved a better climax.  Scenes like the room of requirement and Gringotts did not live up to what I envisioned in my head.  And quite often the Potter films have exceeded my expectations in that area, the fire storm/inferi at the end of HBP is a great example.  The book was told mostly from Harry's perspective but throughout this film there are scenes that Harry is not apart of.  If they're going to depart from the book I want it to enhance the story but most of their additions did the exact opposite.  Neville running from the Death Eaters, falling and just barely making it to the other side of the bridge was so cringe worthy.  The scene where Ron and Hermione destroy the cup in the CoS could have been a great scene but instead there was just a big wave of water.  BORING!  A serious lack of imagination was put on display here.  And even though there were some emotional scenes like The Prince's Tale, there was nothing that surpassed the book.  Not one single scene could even come close to what was written.  I feel like in every previous film there was atleast some scene that improved on the book, or was an interesting addition.  

 

Prisoner of Azkaban was a breath of fresh air.  It breathed new life into the series and was visually stunning, especially when compared to the previous two films.  The time turning sequence and Buckbeak's flight were standout scenes here.  And it was the first film where the trio really got into their roles IMO.  It is also probably the most rewatchable film of the series....

 

I just scraped the tip of the iceberg, but that sort of sums up how I feel. 

Wow. While I love DH2, I pretty much agree with what you're saying about how some scenes could've been much better. I've always had a problem with the last 15 minutes or so. The climax feels a bit rushed and lazy. But then again, you have The Prince's Tale, which is my favourite scene in the series, and one of the most vital. Now that you say it, Ron and Hermione destroying the cup was a bit...boring. I mean, there is SO much more they could've done, and the kiss!? You couldn't even see it properly.

 

I pick POA. A massive step up from COS, and POS too, from a visual and acting standpoint, especially. 

[lab276]

POA... duh.

[lab276]

I pick POA. A massive step up from COS, and POS too, from a visual and acting standpoint, especially.

Was this deliberate?

[lab276]

If there's one thing I missed in DH2, it was the Agatha Christie-esque explanation of what happened. What we got instead was the same duel we'd seen since GOF.

Edited April 26, 2013 by lab276

[Heretic]

Was this deliberate?

 No.

[RyneOh1040]

Talk about Sophie's Choice.

 

I reread the series once a year so the details are always pretty fresh.  This series helped me to understand that film adaptations can't (and shouldn't) be regurgitated source material.  Years 1-3, the shortest novels of the series, stay very close to Rowling's telling.  Then I remember seeing Goblet of Fire and realizing just how different some things were.  Order continued this trend and then came part 6, which I very near hated after my first viewing.  Yates helmed some of my favorite moments of the film series but is also responsible for some of the moments that make me cringe.

 

That being said, Cuaron brought something the Potter series hadn't seen until Azkaban; style.  Even at a young age I remember thinking 'this is haunting'.  For the first time, I felt that Harry was in very real danger.  And that darkened tone paved the way for the rest of the series.  So ultimately, I think without Cuaron's telling, the rest of the series would have suffered greatly and the ship would have sailed adrift.  The material isn't as implicitly important as Deathly Hallows but I can't help but think things would have fallen apart without having this piece in place.

 

Now onto Deathly Hallows.  I remember the first time I saw DH Part 1, I was leveled.  I thought it was a near perfect adaptation of the material.  Coming off of Half-Blood Prince, which has the scene I hate most of all (Harry watching Dumbledore being killed while NOT being petrified) I had a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.  For me, it's the most polarizing entry.  As someone else said it has moments of greatness.  The cave scene is one of the best of the series and gives me goosebumps every time I see it.  I've come to like Prince more with each viewing but I still have issues with it and think the tone is VERY different from the book.  

 

DH: Part 1 just got it right.  And I mean all of it.  The grave scene at Godric's Hollow with Harry and Hermione is probably the most touching of the series.  Watson took control of that movie in every sense of the word.  I saw Part 1 at midnight and then again the very next day.  I just couldn't get enough.  It's the most I've liked any of the Potter films on one single viewing.  Part 2, was a different story.  Going into the theater I was distraught.  I knew I was going to cry.  I knew I was leaving a huge part of my childhood behind.  So everything just felt different than any Potter movie.  A completely different experience.  

 

On my first viewing, I was actually disappointed in Part 2.  I think some things are just absolutely brilliant (Gringotts, in particular) but coming off of Part 1 where I thought they nailed everything, Part 2 felt a bit lacking.  For me, it's almost all battle related.  The Battle of Hogwarts could have been bigger, grander on scale.  Small deviations from the book had drastic changes in the film and I didn't think they were for the better.  Deathly Hallows, is in my opinion, a perfect book.  Every time I read it I try to think of ways it could be better, but it simply couldn't.  Rowling did what almost every other author of a series fails to do, and that is bring the story home.  Her ideas were fluid, and her vision is clear.  The fact that the Final Battle didn't take place in the Great Hall really detracted from the atmosphere.  In the book, we have ultimate good and ultimate evil facing off for the final showdown.  For the first time, both are equals.  And everyone is watching.  The filmmaker's choice to have the battle in the courtyard, with no audience, detracts from this sense of finality.  And the fact that the outcome determines everyone's future.  It also detracted from the scene with Mrs. Weasley who's final battle is unbelievably rushed and feels like a swing and a miss.  She doesn't get the sense of vindication she gets in the novel.

 

That being said, the characterization of the final film is what saves it for me.  Snape's story, in particular, is just riveting.  I LOVED the flashback sequences and the humanity/vulnerability it gave to the character.  The scene where Harry leaves Hermione and Ron also gets me every time I watch it.  Hermione's line of 'I'll go with you' is just too much.  Overall, there is a sense of reunion in the film that is often weighed against the sense of loss, and it makes everything mean more.  And the film does a great job with this juxtaposition.  

 

For me, Deathly Hallows Part 1, is actually my favorite of the series.  Then to answer the question of this thread, I would give the edge to Azkaban, but only by a hair.  It shouldn't be able to compete with the final chapter but somehow it does and that's ultimately why I think it is the superior film. 

Edited April 26, 2013 by RyneOh1040

[Heretic]

PERFECTLY said.

[RyneOh1040]

Ha, why thank you.

[Dilusha Bandara]

Again, you can compare POA with any other movie except, Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Part 2. But anyway DH2 is the best of the franchise.

[RobinHood26]

POA all the way! 

[CaptainJackSparrow]

DH2, POA hasn't aged well.

[John Marston]

DH2 without a doubt. I like POA but it has too many cheesy stupid moments that prevent me from loving it (The  Shrunken Head on the Knight Bus, the boys eating those things that make them sound like animals (the fuck?), the "He was Their Friend!" scene, Hermione calling Malfoy an "Evil cockroach",  the extremely rushed Shrieking Shack scene, the freeze frame ending) 

[The Dark Rock]

While POA was very artistic and great, I feel overall DH2 have more repeat value as its more epic and emotional. So DH2 for me followed by POA.

[peludo]

I pick Prisoner of Azkaban without any doubt. IMO, not only the best Potter film, but one of the best fantasy films I have ever seen. It is just great.

[Noctis]

DH2.

[XenoZodiac]

POA over DH2 by a hair, which in turn is over DH1 by a hair.