Harry Potter
(Every time I hear or say "Harry Potter," I think of this video.)
So, David and I just got back from watching the penultimate Harry Potter movie. If you've been hanging around these parts long, you may recall that I read the books for the first time just a couple of years ago. (Also, wow: how did my life get stuck in this weird repetitive loop where I spend every winter grading papers and moping? At least in 2007 I still got to escape to California for a few weeks...)
I hadn't watched any of the movies before I read the books, and many of the movies I didn't even see until last summer. Anyway, I enjoyed them, and saw #6 when it hit the theaters last summer.
The Deathly Hallows, tonight, was more of the same, and generally an enjoyable diversion--although I was disappointed to see almost everyone looking older and rather pudge. (I'm pretty sure the rest of the audience was just disappointed that part two doesn't come out until next summer.) I thought that the latter was noticeable in the very slow pace, which at times felt gratuitous; there are long stretches I'm sure would have hit the editing room floor had they been more pressed for time.
As it was, the movie was 2.5 hours long, so I'm glad we hit the earlier showing. Thankfully, the theater wasn't even crowded, and in fact was surprisingly empty, which suited me fine. We ran into a couple of friends in the lobby and sat together, which was fun.
2 comments:
With the penultimate film coming out, I've been thinking more about consuming Harry Potter. I've yet to read or watch any of it. I'm thinking of just watching the movies. Should I read the books first/concurrently or not bother if it isn't my passion?
ditshic
Daniel, I guess I'd suggest reading them, since they're such a big and sort of defining cultural thing--and because they're really a lot of fun! The first three are very much children's books, but the latter four, and especially books 6 and 7, are definitely at a higher level. And all of them really are quality literature, and super enjoyable. The films are quite true adaptations--but I've always been more of a book person, myself.
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