The Boy Wizard In All His Glory
One of my favourite series has been J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter;
the boy wizard who overcomes all odds to triumph over evil. I know, I know,
this is one of the most popular books I could have started off with, but I
truly loved reading the books and thoroughly enjoyed watching the movies (not
to mention all the Harry Potter memorabilia I have collected over the years!).
I also selected this series because it is one that transcends all generations.
I have had requests for it from 7 years-olds to 70 year-olds! Some come in to
get the book before they watch the movies, and some come in to get the books because they have watched the movies.
Although there were moments where I would say, or think, “Hey!
They left that part out!!” I thought the movies were well made
and easy to follow.
For those of you that have read the books and seen the
movies, what are your thoughts? Did the movies do justice to the books? And for
those that have only seen the movies, what did you think? Were they able to portray
all the events of the books in way that was easy to follow and understand?
13 thoughts on “The Boy Wizard In All His Glory”
I had always loved the Harry Potter franchise until I became heavily invested in the Lord of the Rings.. has anyone else noticed that J.K Rowling basically took J.R.R Tolkein’s story and made some minor changes? You can look it up further but here’s 2 examples I’ve found to put things into perspective for you readers:
http://iwastesomuchtime.com/on/?i=76783
http://ifoughtthelaw.cementhorizon.com/hplotr.html
I still have a soft spot in my heart for Harry Potter but personally I prefer Lord of the Rings despite the similarity of these 2 series’
Harry Potter is awesome. I liked everything except for the sixth movie. They left out too much.
I see what you mean. But to be honest, if it were such form of “plagiarism” it would have not gone completely in general unnoticed. I am an utter Harry Potter series fan. Having grown up with it, and having learnt how to read with it, makes the passion for it even more strong. Lord of the Rings is good too though.
I couldn’t ignore a post on Harry Potter – thank you, Monica! I think many people who have read the series will say “I’m the biggest Harry Potter fan”. Admittedly, I am included among those people. The books are just so easy to enjoy.
Having read the books and watched the movies, I believe that the books are better, but the movies do an excellent job at capturing the events that take place in the books. I have difficulty choosing a favourite book, but my favourite movie has always been “The Prisoner of Azkaban”. If you’ve seen this movie, then you’ll know that it veers away from certain details in the book (example: Sir Cadogan is excluded altogether), but this, in my opinion, has no effect on the movie’s charm. In fact, I sometimes find that parts of “The Prisoner of Azkaban” are better than those in the book (example: “Take it away Ernie…it’s gonna be a bumpy ride!”).
I felt that the first four movies, as well as the last two, were terrific. The fifth and sixth were not as great because they diverted significantly more from the story. For me, this made the fifth and sixth books better than their movie counterparts.
Overall, the Harry Potter series, whether on page or screen, is a great form of entertainment. If you haven’t read or seen them (and I’m sure many of you have), I highly recommend you do.
I like to compare a book series to the fil adaptions, but I refuse to take it really far. After all, the written word and vistual appearance are two very different mediums. Thus, people who complain about movies that failed to replicate the books (or vice-versa) completely really annoy me.
That being said, I immensely enjoyed both the Harry Potter books and the movies. I usually enjoy the books more than the movies because of the characterizing little details that the movies simple do no have time to fit in. For instance, I quite enjoyed the fact that Ron and Hermione fell asleep almost holding hands, and that Harry befriended Krether in Book Seven, when the three flee to 12 Grimmauld Place. I think the books are better suited for those who really pay attention to characterization and plot, and who do not want things to be rushed. The movies are more for those who like things to happen quickly. I would have preferred if the movies had kept in some details, but I more or less liked the length they turned out to be. All in all, I believe that both mediums have their benefits, and people should indulge in both.
The movie adaptations were okay with me. I wasn’t following the chronological order of the books while watching the movies, so comparing them would be hard for me. However, the books are always better than the movies.
To be completely honest, I have yet to read the LOTR series. I have seen all the movies, and really enjoyed them, but this one series that I just couldn’t get into. I will definitely give them a try again, and will keep your post in mind.
HP is awesome! 😀
There was a lot going on in books 6 and 7, and you’re right, they did have to cut a lot out. Did you still enjoy the overall experience of watching the 6th movie despite the missing parts, or did you not like it at all?
Hi Rajiv! Thanks for the post 🙂
I think you’re definitely a bigger fan than I am… I don’t think I’d be able to quote lines from the books or the movies so I really enjoyed reading your post!
I also feel as that as the series progressed, and the story became more developed and detailed (i.e. the books got a lot bigger!!) a lot of the details had to be skipped over in the movies. Despite this, I think they still did a good job of progressing the storyline and making it relatively easy to follow, especially for those who had not read the books.
I would also highly recommend the series (book and movie format) to anyone who has not read them, and is looking for some great summer reading.
Couldn’t agree with you more. Both mediums do have their benefits, and different individuals will perceive them differently and will prefer one over the other, so it’s always a good idea to give them both a shot. I think it also depends a lot on the book itself. It’s funny that sometimes you’ll enjoy the book and not the movie, and sometimes you’ll try to read the book, won’t be able to, but will really enjoy the film adaptation. Has that ever happened to you?
Hi William, did you read the books in order and then watch the movies out of order?
Harry Potter is such a remarkable series! I grew up with both the books and the movies. I still remember I got my first Harry Potter books when I was around five years old. Like many fans, I read the books, especially the first one, a couple of times. With a book series, the first book always ends up as my favourite. This is the part where it all starts.
With regards to the movies, I thought they were great. I would agree that in most cases when a book is turned into a movie, the books are always better. The book series had a number of details that they changed up and missed in the movies. However, I think they still did an awesome job.
Now that I have seen this post, I am going to read and watch the Harry Potter series again this summer.
More like the other way around. I couldn’t get hold of the books at that time that’s why.