I've decided that, with the final one coming out in 10 days, I will watch every one of the Harry Potter films a day apart. I've read the books also. For those of you who are not familiar with the movies, let me explain what they are about, in the words of the writers of The Harry Potter Lexicon:
“The books” (and movies) “tell the story of a boy named Harry who was raised by an abusive aunt and uncle from age 1 to age 11. On his 11th birthday, he learns to his amazement that he is a wizard and that he will be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The installments tell of his years at Hogwarts, one book for each of the seven years.
“As Harry learns more about his true identity, he learns that he is part of a larger saga, an almost legendary confrontation between good and evil, between him, along with his friends and allies, and the greatest Dark wizard of the age, Lord Voldemort. Harry discovers his place in this great struggle as his years at Hogwarts go by, and as he finds himself becoming enmeshed in battles and conflicts.”
The movies are based a series of books written by the Scottish writer Joanne Rowling, who writes under the pen-name J.K. Rowling, though in reality she has no middle name and the “K” is modeled after her grandmother Kathleen. I will now attempt to put those who have never read the books or watched the movies because their families have condemned them for featuring witchcraft as a big part of the plot, in other words completely missing the point, but I'm not sure I will be able to tell so many details in this blog, so if I overlook something important, please forgive me.
The wizarding world has many of the dynamics that our world does. Several dilemmas that the wizarding world faces several times over the course of the series include good vs. evil, the rule of thumb vs. the rule of order, corruption vs. democracy, corruption itself, the right choice vs. the easy choice, etc. The series is also of multiple genres. Fantasy is just one among many, including but not limited to political thriller, coming-of-age, action-adventure, horror, comedy-drama, and a little bit of romance. In many works of art like that, the mish-mesh of genres would keep it from any real complexity (i.e. depth in the characters, etc.), the characters are continually and consistently three-dimensional.
If you have heard this for the very first time because of your parents’ flawed rules, I encourage you to watch along with me. Here are the films in order of release and watch date:
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (July 8th)
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (July 9th)
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkeban (July 10th)
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (July 11th)
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (July 12th)
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 13th)
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (July 14th)
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (July 15th)
The seventh book is split into two movies, so their are seven books in the book series but eight in the movie series. The movies are currently available on Ultimate Edition DVDs and Blu-Rays, with the possible exeption of the seventh, which, if you can't find it in the aforementioned editions, can be found in a regular edition.
Before you start watching the movies, though, I'll have to warn you: J.K. Rowling is one of the rare writers of today who understands that if you want to write about evil, you can't have him be totally silly, so (and I'm genuinely sorry to say this), I'm afraid there will be casualties, even incredibly sympathetic and beloved ones. Also, as Harry grows up, the movies get more mature and darker, so please prepare yourself for that.
Hope to see you write comments about this!
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