Early this afternoon, I went with my friend Tracey and her daughters to see "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I". In my estimation, it was the best of the movies in the series thus far in that it stuck with the plot, didn't leave gaping holes as previous movies did (which this movie had to fill in either seamlessly in the case of Bill Weasley or not at all in the case of the mirror fragment), added a few wonderful elements (an early scene with Hermione as she left the Muggle world behind her), allowed me to wonder (what's going on with Hedwig?!?! along with maybe Alan Rickman's performance could have given me clues to Snape that I refused to see in the books), and best of all, the movie didn't make me nauseous (that happened in Goblet of Fire and Half Blood Prince when I saw them in the theater originally).The movies do not at all compare to the books - most movies never really will when it comes to stories that originally spring to life on the pages of a book. And it is easy to become critical of an actor's interpretation or a director's vision when they aren't yours. But this one did ok in my mind, better than what I was expecting, but then, like most of my friends who love literature or Harry Potter, we just set our expectations low after the first six movie releases and decided to enjoy the ride.
When I reflect on the fact (some) friends think I'm a Harry Potter nutter, (I am not, by the way, because I know at least a half dozen people who are likely to read this blog who know they can wipe me off the floor with their wizarding world knowledge - one couple named their pair of Honda cars 'Sirius Black' and 'Remus Lupin' in accordance to the exterior color of each respective car and another friend sent me the British version of Deathly Hallows you see on the right (which I arranged 'just so' for this photo)) I laugh because back in the day, these books didn't register on my radar at all! I didn't have an informed opinion when the debate started raging on campus at Asbury about whether or not a Christian should read Harry Potter back when the fourth book was released.
I only bothered to start to read them nine years ago right after Thanksgiving because I managed to get ahead of the semester's work load during Reading Week and a friend (that's you, Joy!) had them all in her personal library. I thought I'd just read them to judge for myself how I could intelligently answer any concerned parishioners I might meet in parish ministry. By the end of that weekend, I was a fan and halfway through Book 2. I waited to read Book 3 when I finished that semester's workload and refused to read Book 4 till I finished my last paper prior to graduation that spring. And then the only sage advice I could offer was, "I have no personal problem with the books, and I think you should read them for yourself if you have reservations about your children reading them" the half dozen times I was consulted on the issue (and each time I wondered/hoped that I could be responsible for helping to create a new fan!).
Since then I've been to the midnight release parties for the last three books, driven thousands of miles while listening to Jim Dale read the whole series on audio book, knitted a several bookmark scarves or little sweater Christmas tree ornaments for HP fan friends who have gone out of their way for me and dressed as Minerva McGonageal for Halloween one year. Since I have no foreseeable plans to visit the theme park in Florida and haven't even thought about registering for a HP convention, I am pretty certain I haven't gone over the edge. I figure the now and again escapism the movies afford isn't such a bad thing, especially since the last one is coming this summer.
1 comment:
hello, i'm bill weasley. you might not recognise me now, because of a run-in with a werewolf. seriously, we laughed so hard at how they had to work in all those people they've left out previously. hilarious. =D it was better than the ones before, but i'd still say it was just okay. i read all four books out in my first term at ats-- my sister sent them to me, and i neglected my greek homework for a week because i couldn't stop reading. i also created a few fans myself... i lost count of the number of times i loaned my copies out. and have been to release parties, and dressed up as hermione, and... i'm a bit over the edge, perhaps. these books and their controversy are the reason i did this phd. =D
Post a Comment