A&E

Take Five: Lumos!

Note: This article is hosted here for archival purposes only. It does not necessarily represent the values of the Iron Warrior or Waterloo Engineering Society in the present day.

Out of all my fandoms, I think I enjoy the Harry Potter fandom the most. Based on the books by J.K. Rowling which have sold nearly half a billion copies worldwide, it chronicles the coming-of-age of a young wizard who comes to realize that he must make the choice between what is easy and what is right.
The first book was published in 1997, and the first movie hit the screen in 2001.
I enjoy the books more than the movies due to the depth of the worldbuilding within it and the extensive framework it serves for transformative fanworks, but the movies have the ability to compensate for any weaknesses in Rowling’s writing through adaptation into another medium. Because of the extensive changes made to the pacing and plot in later books, they are impressive in their own right.
Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone (2001)
I used to like this movie a lot more than I do now, but as time wore on I realized that Chris Columbus’ vision of the first book was a slavish effort to mirror every cue. And without trying to add anything new, the result was inevitably lesser than the original. I wonder what direction the film franchise would have taken if Terry Gilliam of Monty Python’s Flying Circus had directed instead.
But, eh, Sorceror’s Stone was good enough to usher me into the fandom at an age where the novel lengths were a major deterrent in actually reading the book, so points for enchanting my eight-year-old self.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
I enjoyed Chris Columbus’ second stab at the series more than the first but this was caused by improvement of the source material. Chamber of Secrets is one of the best books in the series because it is tight and hits you with a mystery from the get-go. Columbus benefitted from this and an obvious increase in his special effects budget, so I’m reluctant to say that Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, as a film, demonstrates an improvement over its predecessor.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Why does Alfonso Cuaron end the movie with a cheesy freeze-frame? Why is John William’s score suddenly so sappy? Why does Harry only get his broom after everything, basically killing the quidditch subplot? And what is the purpose of the shrunken heads?
At least Hermione (Emma Watson) punches Draco (Tom Felton).
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
The Goblet of Fire, as a book, is enjoyably structured in that the Triwizard Tournament lends a sense of tension to the proceedings, even if it’s just a high school competition. However there’s way too much stuff happening in the movie and Harry’s adolescent dating woes feel trivial after the excitement of the Iron Ring Ceremony, the Chamber of Secrets, and your Azkaban-mad godfather popping up in a shack.
The movie could have compensated for this weakness with more brooding, more shadows, and more hints that something is weird in the neighbourhood but instead favours a raving Michael Gambon as Dumbledore and a dance between Rupert Grint and the venerable Maggie Smith. You can’t have a farcical rom com through the first two thirds of the movie and then a showdown with the resurrected Dark Lord in the last third. Not impressed.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
At this point you KNOW that Rowling’s editors just threw up their hands and let her write whatever the hell she damn pleased. So David Yate’s editorial team tackled the Herculean task, wrangling the series’ longest book into the shortest movie by focussing on Harry Potter’s struggle against the forces both within and outside of Hogwarts.
This is also the point where Daniel Radcliffe begins to bring his acting chops around the table, rather than getting buffeted around by a host of the most accomplished British actors in business, including Imelda Staunton’s Professor Umbridge, Ralph Fienne’s Lord Voldemort, and the incomparable Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, Manic Pixie Nightmare Girl extraordinaire. He can’t really stand up to them, but he does his best.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
The Half-Blood Prince opens with a waitress who flirts with Harry in a cafe, but he must away with Dumbledore .  It is always difficult for the movies to balance Harry’s destiny as the chosen one and his identity as a schoolboy thrust into the midst of things he isn’t allowed to fully understand.
Anyways, Harry reacts to this by developing the ability to sass, snark, and swagger, sometimes without the influence of luck potion, but all the while remaining the steadfast hero. This is a very good development. I could stand a stronger appearance from the titular “Half-Blood Prince” but the combination of teenage romance and Dumbledore’s literal trips down memory lane lent a bittersweet tinge to the former while lending emotional breaks to the latter.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010)
Well, the good parts first. Emma Watson has begun to tone down her eyebrow tic. The deus ex Dobby was very moving. And Helena Bonham Carter playing Hermione pretending to be Bellatrix was brilliant.
However, the camping parts of Deathly Hallows were incredibly boring and translate equally drearily to the screen. It is not inspiring to watch Harry, Ron, and Hermione trapaise around England in what amounts to a wild goose plot chase.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)
At this point in the plot, Harry and co. have grown some backbone and take charge of the action by robbing Gringotts. This goes over really well with You-Know-Who. The fighting would seem dark and pointless if not for the return of the Love-as-the-power-the-Dark-Lord-knows-not theme, as presented by Snape. Because it’s presented by the perpetually dour Snape, it’s actually touching- unlike when when Dumbledore first introduced it to Harry and the audience interpreted it as the ravings of a senile, sentimental wizard past his prime.
Deathly Hallows – Part 2 began the unfortunate trend of splitting up the last installments in film franchises into two movies (I’m looking at you, Mockingjay) but it handles this gift of additional screentime well. In fact, Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is my favourite movie of the series, as it should be. All is finally well with the franchise.
Until somebody reboots it.
Knock on wood.

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