The Real LJ Idol - Mini-Season - Week 4
This is my entry for Week 2 of LJ Idol ( 
therealljidol).
Prompt: We All Have The Movie. The One We're Supposed to Hate. Talk About... In Depth. Spoil it and explain WHY you love it despite mostly everyone else.
***
“Harry’s eyes aren’t even green! They’re blue! And then they have the nerve, after 7 movies of people going on and on and on about his eyes being like his mother’s, to cut to a young Lily with brown eyes! Brown!”
“I know,” I say and shrug. “I read that Dan had a bad reaction to the contacts.”
“And Hermione’s hair? What’s the excuse there? It’s supposed to be consistently bushy and brown, not progressively blonder and more tamed! Who thought that was a good idea? You know the scene in The Half-Blood Prince where the cauldron explodes in her face and her hair looks like she stuck her finger in an electrical socket? That’s the type of hair she should’ve had the entire time!”
“I agree.”
“I can’t believe how many important characters were left out! No SPEW or Winky, no Teddy Lupin, no Percy or Peeves! What about how they butchered and oversimplified so many story lines. And do not even get me started on how Harry broke the Elder Wand and tossed it into the abyss at the end. HOW!? WHY!?”
I nod.
Let's chat.
There are so many flaws within the Harry Potter movieverse and for every one person who was satisfied, you’ll find four who were deeply disappointed with the adaptations. This was not something I realized right away, however, because every time a movie was released, I excitedly rushed to the theaters to see it (in robes during my younger years and with hidden airline bottles of "butterbeer" when I got older) and every time I would leave the viewing feeling... magical, and filled with an intense longing for a place that didn't really exist. (I am aware that it may be laughably cliche to say that the Harry Potter movies left me feeling magical, but there is really no other way to describe it.) And the people around me in my every day life felt mostly the same. I will readily admit that some of my favorite characters and character arcs were changed or completely left out and I was disappointed to see that some of my most favorite book moments were omitted, but I would’ve honestly been happy to just watch the trio carry out their day-to-day routine at Hogwarts for four hours. Because there was just something so completely right about the way the castle and Diagon Alley and Quidditch and the whole Wizarding World was brought to life on screen, and I think you’ll at least find that most fans can agree on the visuals being phenomenal. Watching the films, I wanted so badly to be a part of it all; to climb up and into the screen and live within this truely incredible vision that was brought to life. But, once I started seeking out more nuanced discussions and opinion pieces on the internet, I quickly learned that not everyone was as enamored with the movies as I was.
And I understand it. I really, truly get it. I see fans’ frustrations and their critiques and they are completely valid. There are definitely some directors who did better jobs than others and I can easily pick out many weaknesses in the storytelling. I know that maybe I should be more critical of how the source material that I loved so much was handled in it’s translation to film, but I just can’t bring myself to dislike the series. In fact, I love it. I love every single movie in all of it’s flawed glory.
Harry Potter was and will always be a huge and important part of my life. I am so glad to have been a part of the generation that got to experience the phenomenon first hand, as it was happening, because it was such a unique cultural experience. Every year, I re-read at least a part of the series and, on average, at least one night a week, I’ll fall asleep to one of the movies. They are a source of comfort - like a security blanket or a stuffed animal. A few years ago, I spent over a month in a physical therapy rehab facility and the only way to get any sleep was to drown out the other strange, unfamiliar noises with those of your own. I played Harry Potter movies every single night. I think I can recite the entirety of Prisoner of Azkaban just from repeated viewings during those weeks alone.
Over the holiday season, my boyfriend and I had a marathon of sorts, watching one movie every weekend leading up to Christmas. Sharing the movies with him meant a lot to me, especially because it was something we'd first talked about doing almost two years ago, when we started dating. He had seen most of the movies, but never all of them in order and watching his reactions was priceless. I bought him Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Botts JellyBeans for his stocking and I think he was just as excited about it now as he would've been had he received them when he was eleven.
My ten year old cousin has been reading the series for the first time and it’s so wonderful to be able to talk to him about the books during family get-togethers and hear his reactions to moments that I experienced for the first time so many years ago. Listening to him make predictions and articulate his theories is just so cool and fun and, well, the kid loves Lupin so with my knowledge it's also a little bittersweet. I promised him that once he's finished the series, he can borrow my DVDs and I hope to be able to watch a few of the movies together. It's so incredible to find a common ground like this despite our very large age gap.
I’ve met and connected with and forged friendships with people through the Harry Potter fandom and that has enriched my life in so many ways. Harry Potter was my very first foray into fanfiction (Portkey! Yes, I was one of ~those!) and I can remember being blown away by the scope of participation and feedback that was out there. Since discovering it, I’ve participated in countless writing challenges and fests and exchanges. My writing has improved more because of fanfiction than because of any writing courses I've ever taken. I’ve made fanvideos and graphics and icons with the movie footage. (Also received my first and only warning letter from my ISP for pirating oops.) Harry Potter is directly responsible for so many unique skills sets I’ve acquired over the years whether it’s a better understanding of Photoshop, proficiency in Sony Vegas or even just the creativity to conjure up a writing piece response to the prompt “Harry enjoys Draco’s wand.” Of course, the fandom existed and thrived before the films, but I credit the movies with giving the fandom longevity and breathing new life into it with every release.
I'm not sure if anything could've ruined the movies for me. Without even realizing it at the time, I went into them with a very open mind, enjoying them for what they were instead of comparing them to source material they would never be able to live up to or completely cover. I was a fiend (and still am!) for any and everything Harry Potter related. I've played every game, collected every "making of" book and given shelf space to an array of Funko Pops and figures. I hope that one day the movies are redone or retold as a miniseries or television show, but not because I think the original adaptations were bad, but because I want MORE. I'll always want more. And, I'll always be waiting for my letter.
therealljidol).
Prompt: We All Have The Movie. The One We're Supposed to Hate. Talk About... In Depth. Spoil it and explain WHY you love it despite mostly everyone else.
***
“Harry’s eyes aren’t even green! They’re blue! And then they have the nerve, after 7 movies of people going on and on and on about his eyes being like his mother’s, to cut to a young Lily with brown eyes! Brown!”
“I know,” I say and shrug. “I read that Dan had a bad reaction to the contacts.”
“And Hermione’s hair? What’s the excuse there? It’s supposed to be consistently bushy and brown, not progressively blonder and more tamed! Who thought that was a good idea? You know the scene in The Half-Blood Prince where the cauldron explodes in her face and her hair looks like she stuck her finger in an electrical socket? That’s the type of hair she should’ve had the entire time!”
“I agree.”
“I can’t believe how many important characters were left out! No SPEW or Winky, no Teddy Lupin, no Percy or Peeves! What about how they butchered and oversimplified so many story lines. And do not even get me started on how Harry broke the Elder Wand and tossed it into the abyss at the end. HOW!? WHY!?”
I nod.
Let's chat.
There are so many flaws within the Harry Potter movieverse and for every one person who was satisfied, you’ll find four who were deeply disappointed with the adaptations. This was not something I realized right away, however, because every time a movie was released, I excitedly rushed to the theaters to see it (in robes during my younger years and with hidden airline bottles of "butterbeer" when I got older) and every time I would leave the viewing feeling... magical, and filled with an intense longing for a place that didn't really exist. (I am aware that it may be laughably cliche to say that the Harry Potter movies left me feeling magical, but there is really no other way to describe it.) And the people around me in my every day life felt mostly the same. I will readily admit that some of my favorite characters and character arcs were changed or completely left out and I was disappointed to see that some of my most favorite book moments were omitted, but I would’ve honestly been happy to just watch the trio carry out their day-to-day routine at Hogwarts for four hours. Because there was just something so completely right about the way the castle and Diagon Alley and Quidditch and the whole Wizarding World was brought to life on screen, and I think you’ll at least find that most fans can agree on the visuals being phenomenal. Watching the films, I wanted so badly to be a part of it all; to climb up and into the screen and live within this truely incredible vision that was brought to life. But, once I started seeking out more nuanced discussions and opinion pieces on the internet, I quickly learned that not everyone was as enamored with the movies as I was.
And I understand it. I really, truly get it. I see fans’ frustrations and their critiques and they are completely valid. There are definitely some directors who did better jobs than others and I can easily pick out many weaknesses in the storytelling. I know that maybe I should be more critical of how the source material that I loved so much was handled in it’s translation to film, but I just can’t bring myself to dislike the series. In fact, I love it. I love every single movie in all of it’s flawed glory.
Harry Potter was and will always be a huge and important part of my life. I am so glad to have been a part of the generation that got to experience the phenomenon first hand, as it was happening, because it was such a unique cultural experience. Every year, I re-read at least a part of the series and, on average, at least one night a week, I’ll fall asleep to one of the movies. They are a source of comfort - like a security blanket or a stuffed animal. A few years ago, I spent over a month in a physical therapy rehab facility and the only way to get any sleep was to drown out the other strange, unfamiliar noises with those of your own. I played Harry Potter movies every single night. I think I can recite the entirety of Prisoner of Azkaban just from repeated viewings during those weeks alone.
Over the holiday season, my boyfriend and I had a marathon of sorts, watching one movie every weekend leading up to Christmas. Sharing the movies with him meant a lot to me, especially because it was something we'd first talked about doing almost two years ago, when we started dating. He had seen most of the movies, but never all of them in order and watching his reactions was priceless. I bought him Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Botts JellyBeans for his stocking and I think he was just as excited about it now as he would've been had he received them when he was eleven.
My ten year old cousin has been reading the series for the first time and it’s so wonderful to be able to talk to him about the books during family get-togethers and hear his reactions to moments that I experienced for the first time so many years ago. Listening to him make predictions and articulate his theories is just so cool and fun and, well, the kid loves Lupin so with my knowledge it's also a little bittersweet. I promised him that once he's finished the series, he can borrow my DVDs and I hope to be able to watch a few of the movies together. It's so incredible to find a common ground like this despite our very large age gap.
I’ve met and connected with and forged friendships with people through the Harry Potter fandom and that has enriched my life in so many ways. Harry Potter was my very first foray into fanfiction (Portkey! Yes, I was one of ~those!) and I can remember being blown away by the scope of participation and feedback that was out there. Since discovering it, I’ve participated in countless writing challenges and fests and exchanges. My writing has improved more because of fanfiction than because of any writing courses I've ever taken. I’ve made fanvideos and graphics and icons with the movie footage. (Also received my first and only warning letter from my ISP for pirating oops.) Harry Potter is directly responsible for so many unique skills sets I’ve acquired over the years whether it’s a better understanding of Photoshop, proficiency in Sony Vegas or even just the creativity to conjure up a writing piece response to the prompt “Harry enjoys Draco’s wand.” Of course, the fandom existed and thrived before the films, but I credit the movies with giving the fandom longevity and breathing new life into it with every release.
I'm not sure if anything could've ruined the movies for me. Without even realizing it at the time, I went into them with a very open mind, enjoying them for what they were instead of comparing them to source material they would never be able to live up to or completely cover. I was a fiend (and still am!) for any and everything Harry Potter related. I've played every game, collected every "making of" book and given shelf space to an array of Funko Pops and figures. I hope that one day the movies are redone or retold as a miniseries or television show, but not because I think the original adaptations were bad, but because I want MORE. I'll always want more. And, I'll always be waiting for my letter.