Mayhem and Magic oh My
Few people are able to appreciate the beauty of exquisitely created movies. Even fewer endeavor to watch multiple movies of such high quality in a row, but my roommate and I are adventurous people who do not fear the risks that sleep deprivation may cause to the body. In all seriousness, how could you watch only one of these magical movies? I know most people are biased against movies that have been adapted from books. I solemnly swear that I always prefer the book to the movie, but sometimes it’s hard to squeeze three or four books into one evening (or in my case, seven books). The second you see the Warner Brother’s logo and hear the familiar theme played on the flute, it’s completely impossible not to smile, or sing along. Harry Potter is absolutely gorgeous in every possible way.
Sadly, my roommate and I were unable to watch all eight movies in one night. After some minor calculations, we reasoned that the first four would be a suitable start for our viewing pleasures. As we prepared for our first journey to Hogwarts with Harry and his friends, some interesting things struck me. This movie does so much more than just entertain. It covers several real life topics that many people don’t enjoy dwelling on. There is no sugarcoating of the difficult and mature themes; rather, they are entwined with the magic and the coming of age story that bind the whole series together.
Each character brings along a set of problems. Harry is grief stricken by the loss of his parents, abused by his aunt and uncle, and in later books and films he has survivor’s guilt over the death of his friends, anxiety from his visions of Voldemort, and minor depression due to the knowledge that more will die in the impending war. Ron has severe anger management problems, becomes easily jealous of others, and he constantly doubts himself and how powerful he actually is. Hermione is bullied because of her lineage, is called racist slurs, and, in the final book and seventh movie, she choses to protect her parents by wiping herself from their memory, a decision not many would choose. These characteristics make the main characters more human and more relatable. If they were perfect, readers and viewers wouldn’t be able to relate so readily with them. There are more adult topics addressed, too, such as the enslavement of house elves and certain character, like Lupin and Luna, are often isolated because they are different from everyone else.
These stories also have many virtues to redeem the serious topics they cover. One of the most prominent virtues is the emphasis put on family. We see this throughout all of the movies and books with characters like the Weasleys, who would to anything for their sons and daughters and anyone they invite into their family. They let Harry and Hermione stay with them for a few summers and many winter breaks during their years at Hogwarts. Harry comes to regard them as his family and their home as his home away from Hogwarts.
Another key virtue in these books and movies is loyalty. Everywhere in these stories, fans see the importance of loyalty. Harry is loyal to his friends and family to a fault. He actually goes to face Voldemort in the seventh book/eighth movie because he believes that it will keep his friends alive, as Voldemort has told him it would. Ironically, another place we see loyalty is with Voldemort. He demands the utmost loyalty and respect from his followers. If he is not shown it, he delights in torturing them. Loyalty is also one of the characteristics used to describe the students who are placed in the Gryffindor house.
Harry Potter covers all of the themes mentioned above, and more, while still having a beautiful storyline. It is a coming of age story about a boy who realizes his destiny is to fight the most powerful dark wizard of all time. It may seem a little cliché, but the individual stories that are told through each year at school have such elaborate details to make them easily able to standalone. Each year tells a new adventure for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and as the years go on, the stories get more complex and the adventures grow more perilous, all while dealing with normal prepubescent and teenage drama. This set up allows the fans to watch Harry and his friends grow up and become more independent. We watch them go to school, grow up, and learn important lessons to help them survive in their world and to defeat Voldemort. This is how the stories ultimately tie into the main story arch. The benefit from having books that are so different from one another is that it makes the audiences crave more and more of this series.
There are a lot of people who see Harry Potter as something specifically made for young adults, even though it deals with themes we see in books that are deemed as classic literature. Racism is a theme addressed in great literature like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and isolation is addressed inCatcher in the Rye. People slander Harry Potter for not having the maturity of a book of classic literature, but the two above classic works were written for and loved by teenagers, making the argument that Harry Potter isn’t great art because of the demographic it targets inconsequential.
Referring to the Harry Potter movies and books as just stories for children is an insult to their creator, and an insult to the millions of adult fans who have enjoyed these stories from their start to their finish. Harry Potter is a critically acclaimed, beautifully filmed, and wonderfully acted movie series. Don’t let it pull the magic over your eyes, though. It’s so much more than a child’s bedtime story.
Sadly, my roommate and I were unable to watch all eight movies in one night. After some minor calculations, we reasoned that the first four would be a suitable start for our viewing pleasures. As we prepared for our first journey to Hogwarts with Harry and his friends, some interesting things struck me. This movie does so much more than just entertain. It covers several real life topics that many people don’t enjoy dwelling on. There is no sugarcoating of the difficult and mature themes; rather, they are entwined with the magic and the coming of age story that bind the whole series together.
Each character brings along a set of problems. Harry is grief stricken by the loss of his parents, abused by his aunt and uncle, and in later books and films he has survivor’s guilt over the death of his friends, anxiety from his visions of Voldemort, and minor depression due to the knowledge that more will die in the impending war. Ron has severe anger management problems, becomes easily jealous of others, and he constantly doubts himself and how powerful he actually is. Hermione is bullied because of her lineage, is called racist slurs, and, in the final book and seventh movie, she choses to protect her parents by wiping herself from their memory, a decision not many would choose. These characteristics make the main characters more human and more relatable. If they were perfect, readers and viewers wouldn’t be able to relate so readily with them. There are more adult topics addressed, too, such as the enslavement of house elves and certain character, like Lupin and Luna, are often isolated because they are different from everyone else.
These stories also have many virtues to redeem the serious topics they cover. One of the most prominent virtues is the emphasis put on family. We see this throughout all of the movies and books with characters like the Weasleys, who would to anything for their sons and daughters and anyone they invite into their family. They let Harry and Hermione stay with them for a few summers and many winter breaks during their years at Hogwarts. Harry comes to regard them as his family and their home as his home away from Hogwarts.
Another key virtue in these books and movies is loyalty. Everywhere in these stories, fans see the importance of loyalty. Harry is loyal to his friends and family to a fault. He actually goes to face Voldemort in the seventh book/eighth movie because he believes that it will keep his friends alive, as Voldemort has told him it would. Ironically, another place we see loyalty is with Voldemort. He demands the utmost loyalty and respect from his followers. If he is not shown it, he delights in torturing them. Loyalty is also one of the characteristics used to describe the students who are placed in the Gryffindor house.
Harry Potter covers all of the themes mentioned above, and more, while still having a beautiful storyline. It is a coming of age story about a boy who realizes his destiny is to fight the most powerful dark wizard of all time. It may seem a little cliché, but the individual stories that are told through each year at school have such elaborate details to make them easily able to standalone. Each year tells a new adventure for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and as the years go on, the stories get more complex and the adventures grow more perilous, all while dealing with normal prepubescent and teenage drama. This set up allows the fans to watch Harry and his friends grow up and become more independent. We watch them go to school, grow up, and learn important lessons to help them survive in their world and to defeat Voldemort. This is how the stories ultimately tie into the main story arch. The benefit from having books that are so different from one another is that it makes the audiences crave more and more of this series.
There are a lot of people who see Harry Potter as something specifically made for young adults, even though it deals with themes we see in books that are deemed as classic literature. Racism is a theme addressed in great literature like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and isolation is addressed inCatcher in the Rye. People slander Harry Potter for not having the maturity of a book of classic literature, but the two above classic works were written for and loved by teenagers, making the argument that Harry Potter isn’t great art because of the demographic it targets inconsequential.
Referring to the Harry Potter movies and books as just stories for children is an insult to their creator, and an insult to the millions of adult fans who have enjoyed these stories from their start to their finish. Harry Potter is a critically acclaimed, beautifully filmed, and wonderfully acted movie series. Don’t let it pull the magic over your eyes, though. It’s so much more than a child’s bedtime story.