WARNING: fearful Snape-fan awaits book #7
In less than five days, my heart may break for a character who only exists in Harry Potter books, and I am going to be depressed. This is a rant, so don't read if you're already feeling low.
Jo Rowling has been entertaining us for years with her books and characters. But I fear that in this last book, she may go for the predictable child-pleasing route. Blech.
What would be predictable and child-pleasing? Harry and his friends live, and Snape dies. It would be much more challenging to have Harry and gang grow up enough to see Snape and Slytherins in a less hostile light.
I'm still certain that Snape will be vindicated and proven to be a good guy, but all along the books, Rowling permits the leading characters (Harry, Ron, Hermione) to be nasty to anyone not in their clique (read: not Gryffindor) or not part of the "Beautiful People." Pansy Parkinson is "a hard-faced Slytherin girl" who looks like a pug. Vincent Crabbe is stupid and has a bad haircut, Gregory Goyle looks like a troll, Millicent Bulstrode is ugly, Snape has greasy hair and a hooked nose - and all of them are in Slytherin. So therefore it's okay to mock them and make them into caricature bad guys, because they're ugly and not popular. Well, excuuuuuuuuuse me for being a non-member of the Beautiful People.
I wish that Rowling had skipped making couples in her books. Her 'ships include Ron and Hermione, and Harry and Ginny. It would be best if she leaves things open-ended in book #7, but I fear she will have the kids married and living happily ever after in Gryffindor-land. Frankly, I think it's unrealistic for her to suggest to kids that at the age of eleven or twelve, you will meet the person you will marry; most American couples don't meet their spouse in school.
Thanks to subvers via
tudorpot for the link to a very thoughtful essay by author Orson Scott Card, who believes Snape will die a la Darth Vader - a noble self-sacrificing death. Bah! And thanks to
ancientgirl for pointing me to an article by Keith Olbermann who predicts Harry will live, because otherwise Rowling will lose money as nobody will want to see movie #6 or #7. (I admit, I won't want to see them if Snape dies. Okay, maybe later, on DVD.) Plus future generations of kids might not want to read the books if they know Harry will die in the end.
I started feeling low after seeing the OotP movie this weekend.
I saw it with a group of eight others, but they weren't all Snape fans, so I had to keep quiet. I was sorely disappointed in this movie, and the next movie has the same director. The director boasted that the movie (based on the longest HP book) was the shortest HP movie at only 2hrs, 10min. It felt like the 2005 "Pride and Prejudice" movie - too short, too many changes from canon in order to keep it short, and thus you could get lost if you hadn't read the book already. The flashback scene with Snape's worst memory, etc. - too short! No reaction by Harry about "my dad was a bully??" No visit to Neville's parents, to explain why he hates Bellatrix so much. Kreacher was there briefly, but without Mrs Black's painting, it wasn't clear that Kreacher was still loyal to "his mistress" and was as prejudiced against "blood traitors" as she was. This is important if Kreacher ends up with a key role in the last book, which I suspect because Rowling insisted on keeping him in movie #5.
The effects were mixed - many were spectacular (Fred and George escape Hogwarts, the Dept of Mysteries and Ministry of Magic facilities), others not. Fred and George just Apparate without any bells and whistles, but in the Dept of Mysteries battle, the good guys Apparate in with floaty white light, and the bad guys Apparate with floaty black light; no sneaking in quietly for the adults. The Patronuses in the Dumbledore's Army scene were all floaty white light, so I got rather tired of floaty light effects. Enough!
The kids wore Muggle clothing throughout most of the movie. Hey, isn't this supposed to be a magical school?? Emma Watson's overacting got on my nerves; really, in comparison, William Shatner is an understated actor. Draco had too little screen time, considering he should be a pivotal character in the next movie. Luna was wonderful - I really like the actress, and she did a great job. The Umbridge actress was appropriately evil. Brrrr!
Thanks for reading. I'm feeling better just posting this, because I know some of y'all will understand my grieving for this last book. I'm going to perk myself up by reading and watching fluff.
Jo Rowling has been entertaining us for years with her books and characters. But I fear that in this last book, she may go for the predictable child-pleasing route. Blech.
What would be predictable and child-pleasing? Harry and his friends live, and Snape dies. It would be much more challenging to have Harry and gang grow up enough to see Snape and Slytherins in a less hostile light.
I'm still certain that Snape will be vindicated and proven to be a good guy, but all along the books, Rowling permits the leading characters (Harry, Ron, Hermione) to be nasty to anyone not in their clique (read: not Gryffindor) or not part of the "Beautiful People." Pansy Parkinson is "a hard-faced Slytherin girl" who looks like a pug. Vincent Crabbe is stupid and has a bad haircut, Gregory Goyle looks like a troll, Millicent Bulstrode is ugly, Snape has greasy hair and a hooked nose - and all of them are in Slytherin. So therefore it's okay to mock them and make them into caricature bad guys, because they're ugly and not popular. Well, excuuuuuuuuuse me for being a non-member of the Beautiful People.
I wish that Rowling had skipped making couples in her books. Her 'ships include Ron and Hermione, and Harry and Ginny. It would be best if she leaves things open-ended in book #7, but I fear she will have the kids married and living happily ever after in Gryffindor-land. Frankly, I think it's unrealistic for her to suggest to kids that at the age of eleven or twelve, you will meet the person you will marry; most American couples don't meet their spouse in school.
Thanks to subvers via
tudorpot for the link to a very thoughtful essay by author Orson Scott Card, who believes Snape will die a la Darth Vader - a noble self-sacrificing death. Bah! And thanks to
ancientgirl for pointing me to an article by Keith Olbermann who predicts Harry will live, because otherwise Rowling will lose money as nobody will want to see movie #6 or #7. (I admit, I won't want to see them if Snape dies. Okay, maybe later, on DVD.) Plus future generations of kids might not want to read the books if they know Harry will die in the end.
I started feeling low after seeing the OotP movie this weekend.
I saw it with a group of eight others, but they weren't all Snape fans, so I had to keep quiet. I was sorely disappointed in this movie, and the next movie has the same director. The director boasted that the movie (based on the longest HP book) was the shortest HP movie at only 2hrs, 10min. It felt like the 2005 "Pride and Prejudice" movie - too short, too many changes from canon in order to keep it short, and thus you could get lost if you hadn't read the book already. The flashback scene with Snape's worst memory, etc. - too short! No reaction by Harry about "my dad was a bully??" No visit to Neville's parents, to explain why he hates Bellatrix so much. Kreacher was there briefly, but without Mrs Black's painting, it wasn't clear that Kreacher was still loyal to "his mistress" and was as prejudiced against "blood traitors" as she was. This is important if Kreacher ends up with a key role in the last book, which I suspect because Rowling insisted on keeping him in movie #5.
The effects were mixed - many were spectacular (Fred and George escape Hogwarts, the Dept of Mysteries and Ministry of Magic facilities), others not. Fred and George just Apparate without any bells and whistles, but in the Dept of Mysteries battle, the good guys Apparate in with floaty white light, and the bad guys Apparate with floaty black light; no sneaking in quietly for the adults. The Patronuses in the Dumbledore's Army scene were all floaty white light, so I got rather tired of floaty light effects. Enough!
The kids wore Muggle clothing throughout most of the movie. Hey, isn't this supposed to be a magical school?? Emma Watson's overacting got on my nerves; really, in comparison, William Shatner is an understated actor. Draco had too little screen time, considering he should be a pivotal character in the next movie. Luna was wonderful - I really like the actress, and she did a great job. The Umbridge actress was appropriately evil. Brrrr!
Thanks for reading. I'm feeling better just posting this, because I know some of y'all will understand my grieving for this last book. I'm going to perk myself up by reading and watching fluff.