MovieChat Forums > Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) Discussion > When did the nature of the complaints ch...

When did the nature of the complaints change?

posted 7 years ago by Night_Entwined
6 replies | jump to latest

I was a lurker mostly back when the original HP film were coming out. Back then the complaints were, interestingly, focused on the film-makers not making the series ‘dark’ enough. There were demands for more gore, more violence, more dark scenes, and endless blathering about how Yates/Heyman/Kloves shied away from making the films truly as adult and dark as the books. (I don’t believe Potter fans, in general, had much experience with actual dark fantasy if they thought the books were so unflinching). But now this has been inverted: looking at a lot of peoples' issues with Fantastic Beasts and more recent complaints, people now bemoan Yates not having enough lightness in his films. They’re too dark, grim, bleak. There’s not enough whimsy. So what’s prompted this? Is it a matter of fans growing up somewhat, realising the complexities of the real world, and wanting this world to remain in the light, flighty mode?

The Potter fandoms nit-picking, however, seems to remain in tact.

[–] themodmazza 7 years ago

Sorry, but the Harry Potter books are not are dark, as people initially thought. I always assumed, that Killing Curse was J.K. Rowling's way of sanitizing murder. The issue, with Fantastic Beasts is that the two storylines did not mesh well, to create a cohesive film. That was more because the script was subpar.

[–] TheBigYawn 7 years ago

The films got the darkness just right. However, you can make a somewhat grounded and dark fantasy movie without making it dull. Cuaron was the only director who truly understood this. Columbus was too saccharine, Yates too dull at times.

[–] themodmazza 7 years ago

Cuaron was the only director who truly understood this. Columbus was too saccharine, Yates too dull at times.

Is there anyone, from the original demographic, that can sit through the Columbus films? Those two films have not aged well, and look so dated. Cuaron made a great choice, when he modernized the aesthetic of the costumes, and set Hogwarts in the Scottish Highlands.

I will give Yates credit for allowing Stuart Craig, and Colleen Atwood to fully embrace the Roaring 20's. Otherwise, Fantastic Beasts would have stuck with dull sets and costumes. Kudos to whoever decided to hire Atwood, for this film series. She is one of the most imaginative costume designers in Hollywood. So, who better to combine the historical and fantasy aesthetic?

[–] TheBigYawn 7 years ago

Is there anyone, from the original demographic, that can sit through the Columbus films? Those two films have not aged well, and look so dated.

Oh, actually a lot of people I know like the Columbus films. My dad thinks the first two are the best because they are more whimsical and supposedly have a better plot (rolling my eyes), but I doubt he has watched them all from beginning to end.

[–] niceguy11122 7 years ago

I may watch Sorcerer Stone if it's playing on tv, more because of nostalgia than anything else, but Chamber is pretty hard to sit through. Running time aside, it's odd how that movie is so much less watchable than Sorcerer Stone even though it's the better made of the two.

[–] christianhgrey 7 years ago

I loved the first two movies.... they reminded me closer to the books then the rest.. i hated yates movies.