Thursday, July 14, 2011

5 Reasons Why I Don't Care About Harry Potter


Not the best picture but you get the point.
 Wow, that title is a little harsh.  It isn't that I don't care, it is more like I haven't been consumed for hype about the conclusion of the movie series.  Well on to the list.

5.  Edward died in the 4th movie.  So that is already done. 
4.  The actors are like 30 or something now.  They have to shave Ron after every scene, Emma Watson has to debeautify (should not be allowed) in order to look younger (plus she has to snog Ron, Yuck!)  Radcliffe still only looks twelve and it makes it hard to take him seriously when he is the only kid in a movie full of adults.
 
3.  Order of the Pheonix killed the magic.  Harry was tolerable before then, but I never could really like him after that book.
 
2.  I am not in my early twenties.  Harry Potter isn't my Star Wars;  Star Wars is my Star Wars (all three and 1/2 movies).  I didn't read the books until I was majoring in English in college.  While Rowling is a good writer and improves throughout the series, the series and writing are just okay.  Full of tropes and cliches, they are very formulaic.  Shakespeare it isn't.  Jane Austen it isn't.  Heck, Stephen King the early years plus his short stories it isn't. 

1.  I have read the books.  I know exactly what happens.  While I read a movie plays in my head.  Since I saw the first few HP movies before I read the last book, the movie in my head has all of the stars except that Hermione wears a bikini throughout.  Also in my head version there is Hermione and Cho Chang make out scene (Cho also wears a bikini(sorry, couldn't find a picture of that)).  I would say my head version is the better version. 

Did I miss anything? Disagree?  Let me know in the comments. 

16 comments:

The Angry Lurker said...

Never got into the franchise, watched the first 2 movies and thought Ho Hum and never went forward, your comment on Star Wars reflects mine but 3 and 1/2 movies?????

Budd said...

the original trilogy and parts of episode 3.

SilverPixieFly said...

The problem is you read the books! :-P Not in my early 20s, but in my 20s none the less and I enjoy the movies. When they first came out, I refused to get into them. My little cousin got me to watch the first movie on video and I loved it. I am waiting to read the books after this last movie. I find reading the book first tends to ruin a movie, because the movie very rarely compares favorably no matter how good it is. And for the record, Star Wars original trilogy is my Star Wars too. I was raised on that.

SteveB said...

That is a little harsh and too dismissive. Just because something isn't your Star Wars (a great comparison) doesn't mean it's not quality viewing. Nothing is going to be our Star Wars or our Indiana Jones.

The books are good -- moving from kiddie fare to more complex story arcs. The only one of the more recent ones I didn't like that much was Phoenix, which I thought the pacing was too uneven.

As for the movies, they've been generally well done -- especially since they jettisoned Columbus' "wonder' for a darker and more balanced feel. None have been GREAT, but they've been consistently solid.

I'm hardly a fanboy and i definitely won't be out at midnight tonight (or tomorrow or whatever day it is) but I'll catch the finale before it leaves the theater.

newman said...

well said - come my my blog sometime

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That was really funny, Budd. I've never read the books, but the movies have been enjoyable. Not my craze either though. I'll see the last one tomorrow sometime.
Now when the Hobbit movies come out, I might get a little geeky about it!

Anonymous said...

You don't know what you're talking about. Harry Potter IS this generation's Star Wars. You just don't know how to really appreciate the series for what it really is and what it means to this generation.

Budd said...

Anon, I never denied that Harry Potter was this generations Star Wars. In fact by saying that it wasn't mine, I was inferring that it was other's. Star Wars also isn't the best written movie and is also full of tropes, but it speaks to a generation, like potter. Unfortunately, Potter didn't speak to my generation (for the most part) they way it did to your generation. We all thought it was pretty cool though.

Budd said...

Steve, I wasn't trying to come off as harsh, maybe a bit flippant, though. I probably will watch it eventually although I don't think I have seen past #4 (my favorite book of the series). I haven't seen a single potter film in the theater. I tried to get the girls to read the books and they just don't care about him. Riordan is taking the place of Rowling for this generation.

sfdada said...

What? No extra Bellatrix scenes? Or does that go without saying? {Perhaps it did.}

Too bad all these kids mess up the story about the cool teachers and evil wizards, eh?

DEZMOND said...

he he a good one, Budd.
I don't watch and don't like HARRY PLOPPER movies because those three young actors are truly horrible. I watched the first film, got horrified by their acting and fell asleep at least five times.

MRanthrope said...

I was already in High School when the first movie came out and i didn't give two shits about "kid stuff" like that. I've never read any of the books or seen any of the movies but I seriously wouldn't mind seducing Emma Watson. That's all this entire franchise has to offer me.

SteveB said...

One thing I will say is that it seems that Rowling is treating her franchise and hopefully her legacy with more care than Lucas treated his.

I hope in 20 years, the Potter-fanboys don't feel betrayed by her like we do by him.

Budd said...

I can see it now, James Potter was a magical car racer as a child and Lilly was actually a Queen of a majical kingdom that has adolecent rulers. Sirius and his mentor dumbledore meet lilly and subsequently james by trying to stop a trade blockade set up ultimatley by Voldemort.

Nick P said...

Being even older than thou I was not very interested in them at first.

I succumbed to the hubbub and bought the 1st book, it's definitely dullsville as an adult, which is unsurprising.

But I started to find the movies endearing in their way. They are kids books and not especially groundbreaking, but they've grown on me.

Somewhere before The Order of the Phoenix movie came out I started getting the Harry Potter books on tapes. Jim Dale made all the difference. If he didn't narrate there's no way I'd have bothered to read the books.

The movies have been hit and miss, but in all honesty Order of the Phoenix is an unfilmable book.

I'm usually into the weird, unpredictable, and sometimes challenging, but HP is a guilty pleasure for me.

I see why it's the Star Wars for some of these younguns, but it has the same kind of flaws that Star Wars did.

Always remember Han shot first.

Pat Tillett said...

I've never seen any of the movies, but your post was great!