I think the first three books are the best, after which Rowling began to suffer from writer's "bloat". Goblet of Fire has a runaround (the contest) which just takes up time; it is like the endless car chases that padded out 60s TV detective shows. The Order of the Phoenix has a running battle between Harry and Umbridge, which goes on and on - more padding - and also has a lot of teenage anger portrayed in an embarrassingly unrealistic way, with lots of dialogue in capitals to denote shouting (the baneful influence of the Net!). The Half Blood Prince has a search for the Horcruxes which is another excuse for a run-around (so many to collect and destroy). Compare these with the tight plotting and unwasted words of the early books!
The films, on the other hand, have got better as time has gone on. The first was horribly long and plodding, the second was better paced but still took ages. The third was darker and more action packed. Condensing the fourth down improved that immensely; if only the book had a good editor to make sure JKR trimmed that!
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment