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Harry Potter

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  • #31
    Originally posted by Zymologist View Post
    I read the books like 8 years ago. Thought they were ok, I guess. I'm watching the movies now. These are just random thoughts of mine...

    Is it just me, or is suspension of disbelief impossible with the Harry Potter series? Something about it just utterly fails to click with me. Maybe it's how annoying the characters are (e.g., Harry Potter), maybe it's how dumb most of them seem to be (e.g., Harry Potter), or maybe it's how utterly helpless all these ultra-powerful wizards seem to be (e.g., Harry Potter, Voldemort).

    If the intention was to make Voldemort look scary, they failed. I think his man-rat minion is a better villain than he is. In the first two movies, Draco Malfoy looks like he's trying to impersonate Donald Trump with that hairdo. His dad is a lousy LotR elf impersonator.

    The school seems like an exceptionally dangerous place with very poor security. (For example, the troll from the first movie, the petrification in the second, the escaped prisoner and demented Nazgul wannabes in the third, Moldy's minion in the fourth, and I haven't gotten further yet.) And Albatross Dumbly (this might sound better than his actual name) does...nothing about it all, apparently? What exactly does he do at that school, anyway?

    Everyone is scared to death of Voldemort for some reason, even though he's repeatedly defeated by Harry, a prepubescent kid who's not exactly a bright candle himself.

    I watched Omelet of Fire last night, and at one point Harry said something like, "I don't know what my strengths are."

    Yeah, me neither.
    Disclaimer that I don't find the books or movies particularly interesting, but...


    1) A different perspective might help. Viewed from a different way, Harry Potter isn't the hero so much as the rallying point. Everyone else does significantly more to effect Voldemort's demise (except at the very end, perhaps). Harry isn't a hero, he just happened to survive. That shows that it's possible, and people are a lot more willing to try with a little hope.

    2) People clearly have no idea how to handle dark magic. This has always bothered me about magic settings in general, but it's particularly true here. There's some class of super awesome wizards whose job is supposedly ferreting out dark wizards, but they don't get much air time. I think this is the source of the Voldemort frenzy. He breaks the rules and no one knows how to stop it.

    3) For all that they are powerful magicians, the majority of the cast is either a student or a teacher. There's like two people who actually know what they're doing (Snape and maybe Sirius).


    I generally agree, though. I think there's one movie I actually liked most of, and then only parts of it. The most interesting character by far is Luna. Most of it is too trite and way too prophecy/destiny driven for my taste.
    I'm not here anymore.

    Comment


    • #32
      Originally posted by Carrikature View Post
      Disclaimer that I don't find the books or movies particularly interesting, but...


      1) A different perspective might help. Viewed from a different way, Harry Potter isn't the hero so much as the rallying point. Everyone else does significantly more to effect Voldemort's demise (except at the very end, perhaps). Harry isn't a hero, he just happened to survive. That shows that it's possible, and people are a lot more willing to try with a little hope.

      2) People clearly have no idea how to handle dark magic. This has always bothered me about magic settings in general, but it's particularly true here. There's some class of super awesome wizards whose job is supposedly ferreting out dark wizards, but they don't get much air time. I think this is the source of the Voldemort frenzy. He breaks the rules and no one knows how to stop it.

      3) For all that they are powerful magicians, the majority of the cast is either a student or a teacher. There's like two people who actually know what they're doing (Snape and maybe Sirius).


      I generally agree, though. I think there's one movie I actually liked most of, and then only parts of it. The most interesting character by far is Luna. Most of it is too trite and way too prophecy/destiny driven for my taste.
      I'm probably judging them too harshly*, but I find Harry Potter to be uniquely fun to mock for some reason. Hope that doesn't rub anyone the wrong way.

      There are some things, after all, that I do actually like about them, and that I think Rowling did well. Snape, for example--he was the best part of the entire series for me, hands down.

      SPOILER

      The realization that Dumbledore was actually pretty ruthless, and not really the nice old wizard you think he is, was also pretty cool.

      END SPOILER



      *On second thought, nah.
      I DENOUNCE DONALD J. TRUMP AND ALL HIS IMMORAL ACTS.

      Comment


      • #33
        Originally posted by Zymologist View Post
        I'm probably judging them too harshly*, but I find Harry Potter to be uniquely fun to mock for some reason. Hope that doesn't rub anyone the wrong way.

        There are some things, after all, that I do actually like about them, and that I think Rowling did well. Snape, for example--he was the best part of the entire series for me, hands down.

        SPOILER

        The realization that Dumbledore was actually pretty ruthless, and not really the nice old wizard you think he is, was also pretty cool.

        END SPOILER



        *On second thought, nah.
        It definitely doesn't bother me. I don't think you need a spoiler after this many years though.
        I'm not here anymore.

        Comment


        • #34
          Originally posted by Carrikature View Post
          Disclaimer that I don't find the books or movies particularly interesting, but...


          1) A different perspective might help. Viewed from a different way, Harry Potter isn't the hero so much as the rallying point. Everyone else does significantly more to effect Voldemort's demise (except at the very end, perhaps). Harry isn't a hero, he just happened to survive. That shows that it's possible, and people are a lot more willing to try with a little hope.
          Harry actually makes a point of this in book 5 when Hermione and Ron are trying to get him to run the defense against the dark arts club. He didn't actually know what he was doing at any given point in time. He just had a lot of help and luck.

          "Fire is catching. If we burn, you burn with us!"
          "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay here and cause all kinds of trouble."
          Katniss Everdeen


          Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast.

          Comment


          • #35
            I disliked prisoner of Azkaban for its believability but that's because time travel always throws me off. Aside from comedies, Lost, Game of Thrones, and the Back to Future movies made time travel work for me.

            There were a few other things that didn't make sense to me. Such as why isn't everyone using the luck potion all the time, or that why Quidditch isn't the most objectively deadly sport of all time and so forth, why you would even consider telling a bunch of hormonal nerdy kids that there is such a thing a love potion..

            Still great series though.

            Comment

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