As the Harry Potter craze becomes more and more of a trend, you notice that commercialism has taken over much of what we've come to know and love of the Harry Potter series. It's hard to find any store that doesn't have Harry Potter merchandise these days. Everyone's vision of the HP trio has become the now famous faces of Dan Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson. It seems that everyone has come out of the woodwork to make a profit off of Harry. What happened to just sitting around in a quiet area and enjoying one of the best stories on Earth? Why must everyone's vision of the HP series become corrected and unified by movies, posters, and memorabilia?
You know when you hear the phrase, "You give different people the same ingredients to make a cake, no two cakes are going to be alike?" That's the way the books were. Three different people could sit in a study group together, read the same chapters, and still have unique visions of what they had just read. I visited my old middle school before the first Harry Potter movie hit theaters. In 6th Grade, there had been a classroom assignment to read the books and draw just one character from the book onto a piece of blank paper. It was so interesting to look at each character; Dumbledore would appear very similar to Santa Claus in some, and look more like Willie Nelson in others. However great these movies may be, it is taking away that element, the imagination, which drives you to read further.
Please don't get me wrong, I love the Harry Potter movies. Certain scenes can unfold upon the screen as far more vivid than I could imagine. The Quidditch matches were so detailed; I was like a kid in a candy store. However, my interpretation of the book came crashing down with the appearance of the characters. In my own little book, Dudley was much bigger, and Hagrid was much taller.
I know that the multimillion dollar companies may ask, "Who cares?" Well, quite frankly, I do. The movies leave out so many details, and sometimes, even entire scenes. Remember the Death Day Party, whatever happened to it. I quite enjoyed the mental pictures of rotten food and hundreds of ghosts. Most importantly, that scene reveals the years that the series took place. If you caught on, it even told you when Harry was born. For those who didn't catch it, the party took place in 1992. If you add it all up, Harry was born in 1980. Voldemort lost power in 1980. This may not seem too big to most, but that is a detail that I wouldn't want to miss.
Although this hasn't happened yet, it is a threat that we are reminded of all of the time. Dan, Rupert, and Emma may eventually grow too old, or may lose interest in the film. Even though only three have been made so far, I have grown a little attached to the characters that star in the films. It would just seem weird to see Emma and Rupert try to act with another Harry, or vise-versa. I would even feel weird to see another minor character on screen. Even with changes that are beyond WB's control, such as Mr. Richard Harris passing away, I still felt a little weird to see another Dumbledore. It's almost like we've adopted all of the previous characters of the HP movies as the real thing, and replacements are like the enemy; the impostors.
I would love for the movies to continue through to the seventh book. However, I just wish that everyone would remember their own story of the Harry Potter series. The books are like that really good rumor that you hear, like the ones in Book 5 involving Umbridge, everyone sees the story for what it is, but before you know it, there are millions of different versions of it. Just keep in mind, your huge Dudleys, your enormous Hagrids, and Dumbledore's beard that just barely scrapes the floor. |
User reviews
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| Fluffy |
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| 2006.04.13 |
Honestly, I don't know why so many people seem to be so affected by the HP ...
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| Danielle |
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| 2006.02.28 |
Oh yes!! I can't agree more with you on the Death Day Party. Another thing...
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| dinoisverypogi |
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| 2005.11.26 |
i feel the same way about the movies. i like the, shall we say, vivid-ness ...
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| jess |
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| 2005.08.28 |
You know, reading this I find it ironic; I actually ran into the same perso...
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| Fantasy Lvr |
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| 2005.07.09 |
How can ANY potterhead disagree about the movies' affects (effects, whateve...
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| Jen |
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| 2005.06.21 |
I wrote an editorial for this website, and was curious as to what other peo...
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| Nick |
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| 2005.06.07 |
Voldemort did lose power in 1981. Thanks to Elisabeth for pointing it out....
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| Elisabeth |
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| 2005.06.07 |
Well, you're right.
I'm in interesting place - first I saw three movies, ...
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| InnocentPasserby |
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| 2005.06.05 |
When was thing thing posted? Well, I don't know how you can love the Harry ...
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| _mtx` |
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| 2005.05.22 |
I can definitely connect to this piece of writing. I will not deny the fact...
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| sara |
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| 2005.05.13 |
thats absolutely correct! when i first saw the movie i was too stuck up in ...
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| Fredesguapo |
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| 2005.04.30 |
I see exactly what you mean. Even though I've seen every movie, I try to sh...
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| Alice |
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| 2005.01.05 |
I can completey relate to what you are going through. I remember when i sta...
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| I_LOVE_RON |
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| 2004.12.25 |
Nick i loved your editorial! It summed up in words what i've been thinking....
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| Nick Marc |
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| 2004.12.17 |
I read this editorial because my name is Nick, but I left feeling a renewed...
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