Harry Potter

No I didn't go see the midnight show when Harry Potter opened--I wanted to, but I finally went to see it last friday. I have been critized for being so crazy for a kids book, but I don't care--I love the Harry Potter series. I must say that the last book was very dark and only love and deep fear that somehow Harry would be killed kept me reading. I can't say that I'm looking forward to the final movies (I've been told that they are taking the last book and breaking it into two movies). Don't get me wrong, I'll be right there for the opening midnight show (unless I get a better offer to watch my great nieces and nephew for the evening), but I'm nervous about whether I will like them. I want to love them.

And so it was that after having read the final book with much trepidation and fear on every page--dreading the entire time I was reading, I went to see the movie of the next to last book I barely remembered. I didn't remember who the half blood prince was and purhaps that was my problem with the movie. Of course--light bulb as I am writing this comment. I was disappointed, confused and concerned that the movie did not deal with the central plot of the book--who was the half blood prince. Of course the movie didn't deal with that issue, we've already read the book (and those of us without memory issues remembered who he was).

The movie was very long, but I was so disappointed at the end. It felt like the Empire Strikes Back in Star Wars--the movie didn't end at the end. Sure they put back Luke's arm and Hans got the girl, but Darth was still out there. So in Harry Potter, Ron doesn't go off with the bimbo and Harry does sort of declare for Ginny, but the death squad is still out there. Further, Voldimore was strangely missing from the movie and they sure were stingy at playing the great Harry Potter theme music.

I thought, maybe I'm disappointed in this movie because the kids are not very good actors, but it's not like I didn't believe them as the characters--those actors are definitely the characters. Then I remembered, this is a kids movie. Maybe my disappointment is that I have much more developed characters in my head and this is geared more toward kids. I don't know. Anyhow, although I left the movie disappointed, I have since remembered each scene as delicious and my memories of the film far make up for any fleeting disappointment that I had leaving the movie. The sound track sounds great in my head and I feel that I got more than I paid for. I guess we all want to win the lottery. I played a $20 ticket and won $100, but I was hoping for a million. And winning $100 is a great prize--it is not like there are many other winners out there, but...