Books:
1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997)
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Published: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
Originally I wasn't sure if I wanted to write a review on the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Everyone has read the books and the few who haven't are unlikely to be swayed. But after careful thought, I figured I wanted to share my views on both the books and the movies.
A lot of people have criticized the movies for not staying directly on the storyline, but I have to admit that the movies are what got me interested in the books in the first place.
In my grade six class, after much gushing about the series by the majority of the class, my teacher gave into having our co-op student read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. This was spring of 2000 (before the films had been introduced). My first reaction:this book is complete and utter nonsense. I mean I had just turned 12 and you want me to get into a story about a boy who attends a magic school and spends his spare time fighting off mountain trolls and flying on broomsticks in a game referred to as Quidditch. It didn't help that it was being read (in a monotone voice) by an unenthusiastic grade 12 student who couldn't properly pronounce any of the magical lingo. Thank god it was already June and we didn't have to finish reading it.
A year and half later, the movie was set to be released in November and my parents had promised to take my brothers to see it. Though I wasn't a fan, I was not one to turn down a free movie and popcorn. Who knows, maybe it would all make more sense on the big screen. I was hypnotize by it to say the very least. The wizarding world came to life before my eyes and I loved it.
Surprisingly though, it didn't entice me to pick up the second book. I'm not sure why. Maybe I thought I would be disappointed once again by the writing. The following November 2002 released the second movie and though I didn't find it as intriguing as the first, I also wasn't left disappointed.
I decided over the Christmas holidays to read the Prisoner of Azkaban. By the end of my two week break, I was also done with the Goblet of Fire. It was fun reading about characters who were the exact same age as myself at the time. Rowling had the ability to make her characters relate to kids who didn't have magic in their own life. Though they were studying fictional subjects, they still were going through the same stresses of being a teen.
I had to wait until the summer for the 2003 release of the Order of the Phoenix, which came out days before my big swim meet. I sucked it up and waited an extra two weeks before venturing into the fifth book in order not to loose my focus.
At this point the movies were now coming out one and half years apart. The third movie was released in June 2004. With a different director, the third movie cut out a lot of the book, but showed a more artistic view of Hogwarts.
In 2005, the sixth book was released which quickly became one of my favourites. With many twists and surprises throughout the Half-Blood Prince, I wasn't able to put it down and I finished it in days. I ended up re-reading it more slowly through a second time.
When the final book was released in 2007, all the fans were extremely excited. I was excited as well, however I hit a roadblock along the way. I began reading it and got stuck. Stuck at about page 250. I couldn't focus. I couldn't read. I remained stuck for two years. It wasn't just Harry Potter, but all books. I had a reading roadblock until the summer of 2009.
Maybe it was just fear of the end. What was I going to look forward to every few years? I did finally read it and I was relieved by the end results. And it wasn't really over. There were still more movies to be released.
Over the next few years, the movies progressively got better with each release. When I had heard that the final installment was to be released as two films, I was glad that the writer was aiming to stay true to the final chapter of this epic series. I naturally watched all the films before each of the final parts. The new films quickly became favourites.
A few days after watching the final installment, I realized I wasn't really ready for it all to be over. I could watch the movies over and over, but it wasn't the same as reading the details of Rowling's writing. I decided to spend the summer reading books one through seven. The first four books I had only ever read once each and these weren't read in order. While waiting for the fifth book, I read the Philosopher's Stone and the Chamber of Secrets. This time I was going to do it the right way.
I wasn't sure if it was a good idea. I might be trying to fill a literary void in my life. All great novels make the readers wish there were more books to come. A continuation of the story. But this wasn't just one book, it was seven and with all the books in the world, was I wasting my time by reading some over again? I'm glad to say I didn't waste my time and one summer I will likely read them all again.
1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Book: Sets up the wizarding world. Hogwarts comes to life and the audience meets a boy who has not realized and could never comprehend his full destiny.
Film: The actors are only young children when they are thrown into their roles. Acting is moderate though well-done for kids who haven't experienced their full emotional range needed for these characters. Director Chris Columbus gives vision to Rowling's world.
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Book: Actually found the book far more interesting than the movie. Begin to learn specific traits in the three main characters.
Film: Found the film to be the worst of all eight films. Actors haven't learned their characters. Professor Lockhart comes across as obnoxious in the film rather than comical as Rowling portrayed him in the novel. Director Chris Columbus has little creativity in the second film. Though many complain some films do not stick enough to the plot, the second film seems to lack any originality.
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Book: It was a personal favourite of mine. First book that really allows the reader to explore outside of the castle and into the entirely magical town of Hogsmeade. There are new teachers such as Professor Lupin and Hagrid that every reader is cheering for. The constant presence of Sirus Black and the Dementors is felt on a continual basis. There seems to be little concern about Voldemort and this book really sets up the fourth in the series.
Film: This film was directed by Alfonso Cuaron and unlike Columbus, he took his creativity almost too far. There were a lot of complaints about this film cutting out too many important scenes from the book (for example they do not include a scene when Sirus Black breaks into the boys' dormitory). This film however shows far more diversity in both the scenes and in the characters' acting and for this Cuaron should be applauded.
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Book: This book is almost a two-part story. The first part is the triwizard tournament competition between the three competing schools. The three tasks take up majority of the storyline as Harry competes in a series of challenges far above his wizard knowledge. There is a constant mystery surrounding this novel and we see different characters' viewpoints in this story. The second part of the story is the return of Lord Voldemort. Though they coincide with one another, the author still keeps the stories separate in their own way.
Film: This film was directed by Mike Newell. It was a good film, however the book was so long that much of the story was eliminated in the film in order to fit it in the time frame. In reality, this film could have been made in two movies due to the novel's length. If you hadn't read the book, the movie tends to be confusing for the viewer because of the choppy plot. This film shows the characters becoming teenagers and dealing with typical teen dilemmas such as asking someone to a dance.
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Book: In the Order of the Phoenix, we see teenage angst at its best. Harry is a combination of angry, sulky and depressed throughout most of the story and therefore is constantly putting up a wall against his friends. After many people think he is crazy and attention-seeking for his tales of Voldemort, he finds himself very alone throughout the year. He does help form a secret student group called Dumbledore's Army which takes on the new teacher and headmistress, Professor Umbridge.
Film: The rest of the films are all directed by David Yates. The fifth film doesn't portray Harry's pain and feelings of being alone nearly enough. The character of Professor Umbridge steals many of the scenes. Played by Imelda Staunton, she is the useless Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and ears for the Ministry of Magic. She later becomes the Headmistress of Hogwarts and her tyranny is felt throughout the school. It is under the direction of Yates that these films truly hit their stride in my opinion. Until this point, many of the true Potter fans never really felt that the films lived up to the epic novels by Rowling.
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Book: As previously mentioned, the Half-Blood Prince was one of my favourite books of the series. This is the first time the author really lets you into the past life of Voldemort. Harry and the reader go back into people's memories of Voldemort and his history. The twists and turns let the reader realize how Voldemort came to power and how there is only really one way to destroy him through Horcruxes (objects that contain small bits of his soul).
Film: The film showed depth in both its direction and characters. We see many different aspects come into play. We learn more about Voldemort's past, but we also see the change in friendships between the characters of Hermione and Ron and between Ginny and Harry. Again there is a lot of teenage drama unfolding throughout the script that keeps things interesting.
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Book: This book takes place mainly outside of Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are out searching for ways to find and destroy Horcruxes. They spend the first half of of the book in the wilderness of Britain trying to figure out a plan on what little information Dumbledore has left them. Throughout the book their friendships are tested and they often find themselves alone and aggravated. Eventually they find themselves back at Hogwarts because they know that the only way to find all the Horcruxes is to return to the one place where Voldemort felt was his home and naturally this is where the final battle unfolds.
Film 1: The producers did the final book justice by splitting it into two separate films. In order to preserve the books integrity, the first film took place mainly in their forest travels which they searched for Horcruxes. The three main characters find themselves turning on one another out of frustration and searching for any possible lead in desperation. They wind up at the Ministry of Magic, the house of Luna Lovegood, and Harry's birthplace in Godric's Hollow.
Film 2: The final film mainly consists of the long-awaited battle between Voldemort and Harry. Everything comes together when Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide to return to Hogwarts to search for a Horcrux that was once a possession of one of the Hogwart's founders. We also learn the truth about the role of Severus Snape and we say goodbye to a lot of good characters because of the battle. It has good triumphing over evil and the film is a great finale to the series.
