camums08 Reviews

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

A Fantastic Movie

[9/10 · 19 November 2005]

After the third movie, I thought the fourth won't match up to it. But, lo and behold, it was, in my opinion, the best Harry Potter adaptation yet. It was faithful to the text most of the time, which is great because it gives the other people (who haven't read the book) the opportunity to watch and understand it based on the real story. It is fantastic how the movie people were able to add humor and romance to it. The visual effects were AWESOME. I, as a reader, couldn't imagine it any less than the effects they showed on screen. It was a little disappointing, though, that the Quidditch World Cup wasn't shown fully. But the presentation of the leprechauns (of the Ireland team) was enchanting! (too bad they weren't able to show the performance of the veelas). I was also a bit sad that they didn't show Bagman and all the other important characters (like Dobby and Winky) although I commend the cast for their excellent acting. They are indeed growing up (Radcliffe, Watson, Grint, and the others) however they still are the perfect actors for the characters of Harry, Hermione and Ron. No one can do it like they can. Cheers to another great Harry Potter movie! Hats off to the actors and to the people who worked behind the scenes, you've done a marvelous job. Overall, it was a movie definitely worth watching and would be an outrage to miss.

Helen of Troy (2003)

Behind the Script of Helen of Troy

[7 August 2005]

In connection with mythology, our class was given the opportunity to view the film, Helen of Troy, last July 26 to August 2, 2005. Helen of Troy, released during the year 2003, is a movie produced by Ted Kurdyla and directed by John Kent Harrison. It was based on Homer's "Iliad" and its primary focus is "The Trojan War", which is one of the greatest stories in Ancient Literature. The film involves the story of Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, being married to Menelaus in a land called Sparta. When Prince Paris comes to seek peace with Sparta, Helen falls madly in love with him and follows him to Troy. Enraged, Menelaus calls upon the Greek army to fulfill the oath they once swore: to defy anyone who stole Helen. From thus, the battle for Helen's love was started, putting the lives of many great warriors at stake. Although, the story presented a different plot from the text, people who haven't read it would be able to grasp the main idea from the movie. I was disappointed by the way the writers portrayed the character of Achilles, especially his line: "I stand before High King Agamemnon". Achilles was not under anyone, not even the highest of Kings; he cared for his own skin and fought for his own glory. Making him faithful to Agamemnon and responsible for no one else was a mistake because it means to show there were no other people involved who concerned Achilles. I also did not like the reason the writers made for Achilles killing Hector. According to the text, Achilles kills Hector to avenge his best friend's death – not to save Agamemnon. Another significant difference was Helen begging for the body of Hector from Agamemnon, which was wrong; I believe it's important that Priam, Hector's father, was the one who asked for his son's body from Achilles because it shows that despite all the people Achilles has killed, there was still compassion left in the heart of even the most ruthless warrior. What worked particularly well for the film was the focus on Helen's royal family; it explained a lot about Helen's background, thus giving the audience more information than in the text.

I give this movie, a final rating of 4. The setting, effects and the cinematography was great. It made me feel as if it's the exact place where the battle happened. Helen of Troy is a movie that immediately captures its audience, engraving into their hearts the message it wishes to impart, which is: there will always be people who are ready to fight, whether it be for love of country, love of glory, or simply loving someone.