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| movie poster images courtesy of IMDB |
For more than a week now, most of the social networking sites I'm subscribed to are inundated with status messages, posts and tweets about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Pictures of pre-sold tickets are uploaded, and laments of inability to find Harry Potter paraphernalia abound.
While I share the masses' excitement for the last installment of the movie adaptations of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, Marvin and I decided not to watch the movie just yet, which opened June 14 here in the Philippines.
First, we know everyone's going to want to watch it the first day or the first weekend. Which means people scrambling for tickets, and, when you're watching in cinemas that don't offer reserved seating, people scrambling for good seats. Sure, it's a good thing to be around fellow fans, but a packed cinema means that there will either be people who talk too much or too loudly, or parents bringing kids who will be fidgety. I prefer not to be stressed when I intend to just enjoy a movie.
And second, we decided to have a Harry Potter movie marathon to help refresh our memories and create a sense of continuation when we get around to actually watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 on the big screen. I've already seen all of the previous films, but I found that my first time watching everything in a marathon a wonderful experience. Much like rereading your favorite books, re-watching enjoyable movies not only allows you to revisit your favorite parts, it also allows you to take note of interesting details you may have missed the first time.
There are some people who claim sacrilege whenever a book is adapted into a movie. With the challenge of trying to fit hundreds of pages worth into a running time of just over two hours, there would be scenes missing, or worse yet, there would be blatant discrepancies. I would usually be one of the firsts to point out those discrepancies, since I can be obsessive about them. But I am also a firm believer of appreciating the movie as it is, and as long as they are not excessive, just consider any discrepancies as bits of trivia. With the Harry Potter film series, any discrepancies and omissions are carefully thought out (kudos to screenplay adaptations by Steve Kloves and Michael Goldenberg), and you will find that there are more important and impressive things to pay attention to.
One of those things is the casting. I believe it was vital that they adhered to author J.K. Rowling's desire to keep the cast mostly British, and it lent a sense of gravitas to the storytelling. Always remember that despite the fantastical aspects of the wizarding world may be, it is still very much grounded in British culture. The primary cast of Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, may be the obvious choices for audience favorites. While I find nothing wrong with that, I also have to point out that the supporting cast is nothing less than stellar. So far, I have yet to encounter a miscast in my opinion. My standout favorite would have to be Alan Rickman as Severus Snape. I always find myself riveted by his voice and the tiny little mannerisms in his movements, and impressed even if his character's point of view and evolution is rarely witnessed onscreen.
The film series experienced director changes. Chris Columbus (Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets), Alfonso Cuaron (Prisoner of Azkaban), Mike Newell (Goblet of Fire) and David Yates (Order of the Phoenix, Half-blood Prince and Deathly Hallows Parts 1 & 2) have helmed the different parts of one of the most successful film franchises of all time. With each director came a different set of changes, whether in cinematography style, production design, and even character portrayals in their actors. I know that many people felt that with the different directors that it sometimes felt disjointed, yet, I felt that each film is still wholly and completely part of the whole of the series. My favorite director would have to be Alfonso Cuaron who was able to successfully meld the childlike wonder in his work in The Little Princess, and the visual signature and defining character emotions from Y tu Mama Tambien. I got a kick out of the Y tu Mama Tambien homage with the three main characters holding each other after thinking that Buckbeak the hippogriff was executed.
And at the core of everything, of course, is the source material for the film. J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series is no fluff piece of fantasy literature for children. While the first book may seem to be just that, you will eventually find yourself reading on increasingly darker and more mature material, relative to the character's growth, in the next installments. Even if the setting is a world full of magic and fantasy, there are very true lessons to be learned. Bad things happen to good people, but it is good to remember that there is always hope, and that bad things can happen to bad people, too. It is a great work of fiction that resonates with our non-fiction world. If you love the movies but haven't read the books, I suggest you try reading them. I still attest that the movies do not leave me wanting, but it's always interesting to see how the story unfolds without the time and budget constraints of movie-making.
I have read the books and watched the movies of the Harry Potter series for the better part of ten years. I know that for most who have done the same, there is a certain sense of finality in watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Yet, contrary to the movie's tagline "It All Ends", I believe that my Harry Potter experience, whether printed or in celluloid, will endure for as long as I read books and watch films. The Harry Potter series, like few other works before it, will forever be a definitive fantasy fiction of a generation. And whoever you are, whether you are a fan or not, whether you consider yourself a part of that generation or not, are witness to that.Labels: Book Series, Books, Fantasy, Film, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, Musings, Must-Watch, Reading List
