The Great HP

In a sentence or two, I will start obsessing over Harry Potter. Just thought I should give you fair warning.

As it is the summer time, and as I wanted something to fill my time with, I have been re-reading the entire Harry Potter series. I was reading it casually, and then all of a sudden I was reading it addictively. Today I finished Order of the Pheonix, which has always been my least favorite book in the series. I've always thought it was too long, too angsty, and too political. It was downright frustrating at times. And while all of this remains true, to a certain extent, it's just so much better this time around. He's 15. He has to act like a teenager at some point! And this book introduces so many important and integral characters, places, and ideas that it's made be realize it's really the beginning of the actual HP storyline. (Luna Lovegood and the Room of Requirement, for example. Also, if you pay attention, you can pick up on the idea of horcruxes (Voldemort talks about how he has taken measures to prevent death, and the locket is mentioned when they are cleaning out Grimmauld Place), and the fact that Snape really is good.) I've reread the whole series before after finishing the last book, so I don't know why I didn't pick up on it before.

So I decided to watch the Order of the Pheonix movie tonight, which is still currently playing, having only watched 1 hour and 50 minutes of it. And oh my god, it is terrible. Some of the scenes in it are awkward, acted and edited badly, and don't give the movie any sense of pace or flow. The screen play was adapted horribly, and while I know they have to figure out how to turn 870 pages of angst and oppression and turn it into a 2.5 hour film, I feel like it could have been so much better. I can't even imagine what these movies must look like to people who haven't read a single Harry Potter book. But this movie is pretty terrible. Some actors are wonderful, but I've never been a Daniel Radcliffe fan. He seems awkward, but not in the way Harry Potter would be awkward. He's awkward in the bad actor kind of awkward. The portrayal of Hermione is all right (HOLD ON. SIRIUS BLACK JUST SHOWED UP AT THE MINISTRY, SAID "GET AWAY FROM MY GODSON," AND THEN PUNCHED LUCIUS MALFOY IN THE FACE. UM. NO.), but not as perfect as it could be. I love Rupert Grint.... but that's because I think he's adorable. And his Ron is pretty good, so it's all good.

I hate that the movies insert their own dramatic flair when there's plenty or drama already written into the books. The scenes are just fine the way they were originally written! Some of the lines are taken straight from the book, and it's plainly obvious to spot the ones that haven't been.

Here I am giving a book/movie review of something that's been out for 8/4 years (respectively). I should probably just go to bed.