Countdown

It's Harry Potter week here at Distant Wanderings!!! So a word of warning for all of you non-fans: be prepared for bizarre vocabulary and themes that might suggest I've joined a cult. Apologies in advance for you who have no idea what I'm talking about.

With four days to go until the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I'm re-reading book six, listening to some Wizard Rock, and have located all (two of) the Potter fans at work for daily debates about the characters and predictions for the end of the series.

Last week I went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on opening night, and enjoyed it very much. My main issue with the book was twofold: it was too long and complicated by too many sub-plots; and Harry was kind of a jerk in it. It got tiring to read about Harry repeatedly snapping at his friends, feeling sorry for himself, hating everybody around him and being an all-around prat, as they say. I was therefore pleased that the movie made delicate adjustments to lessen both of these problems while still retaining the emotional core of Harry's story. Harry's still a jerk sometimes (well, wouldn't you be if you saw your friend die and nobody believed you and the only authority figure who supports you ignores you all year? And you were 15 years old?) I also appreciated how the film streamlined all the many plot lines, eliminating those that were unnecessary to the continuation of the story, and even changed some details in order to move the plot along. One disappointment (which is unavoidable in a story with such a huge, famous cast) is that some characters get far too little screentime for my tastes, notably Luna Lovegood, Tonks, and Bellatrix Lestrange. (Isn't Helena Bonham Carter fantastic??). I also missed Firenze, the Centaur and substitute Divination professor; I was looking forward to his arrival (not least because of his reputed good looks) but I can understand why he had to be cut out of the story. Oh, and I feel a needed moment of comic relief was lost by not showing Ron trying to keep his balance and looking utterly terrified while riding an invisible horse.

One thing I realize about these movies is that I can't remove myself and watch them independently--I will always compare them to the books and debate how well they were adapted, and wonder how the director will handle a certain scene or character. Part of the reason I love watching them is that I love to see JK Rowling's amazing, vivid descriptions of places and people brought to life--they nearly always look on screen exactly the way they did in my head as I was reading. And I love that, because I have read the books, I recognize subtle scenery or background elements, such as the plant that Neville carries onto the train at the beginning, or the fact that Percy Weasly (who remains unnamed and line-less, and whose family estrangement is cut completely) stands prominently next to Cornelius Fudge in all the Minister's scenes. I can't help but wonder what the experience is like for those who haven't read the books. Are the movies confusing? Scary? Bizarre? Or is the discovering the crazy wizarding world as much fun when it happens in a cinema as when it happens while reading? Are there any movies-only participants out there? Care to comment?