(no subject)
The golden age age of Harry Potter fandom was back around the time of books 3 and 4 -- when it was already a Big Thing that everybody knew about, but JKR hadn't yet agreed to any merchandising deals, and the first movie was still something anticipated; we could sit around on the beach and wonder how they were going to manage the Quidditch scenes.
I sort of tolerated the explosion of Hogwarts sweatshirts and the like as an inevitable consequence of HP's popularity. (And by "tolerated," I mean "bought a lot of.") I kind of liked the first two movies, and adored the third. Then there's the Movie of Which We Do Not Speak, which fills me with foreboding for the fifth.
But this time they've gone too far: I'm not ready for Potterland. It's not that I'm anti-theme-park; I love theme parks, and have a Disneyland Annual passport to prove it. And it's not that I'm anti-commercialism, even if I haven't yet gotten around to buying my Lucius Malfoy pimp cane. It's just that at some point it stops being fun and starts feeling forced. Like this: I love Pirates of the Caribbean - it's one of the most perfect movies ever made. (Again, there's a Sequel of Which We Do Not Speak, but that's another matter.) I loved the way it incorporated the ride, revealing the story that had been there all along.
What seems unnecessary is the revamping of the POTC to match the movie. I don't mind Jack Sparrow popping up here and there, but Squidface is totally uncalled for. Still, it's a lot better than the seasonally-revamped Haunted Mansion. Disney wisely decided not to invoke the Eddie Murphy live-action dud, but instead uses a Tim Burton theme. At some point it's just too much endless sales pitch.
So no Potterland, please! I'd like to still have something to leave to my imagination.
/Although I do like Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
//Except the booger and vomit-flavored ones.
I sort of tolerated the explosion of Hogwarts sweatshirts and the like as an inevitable consequence of HP's popularity. (And by "tolerated," I mean "bought a lot of.") I kind of liked the first two movies, and adored the third. Then there's the Movie of Which We Do Not Speak, which fills me with foreboding for the fifth.
But this time they've gone too far: I'm not ready for Potterland. It's not that I'm anti-theme-park; I love theme parks, and have a Disneyland Annual passport to prove it. And it's not that I'm anti-commercialism, even if I haven't yet gotten around to buying my Lucius Malfoy pimp cane. It's just that at some point it stops being fun and starts feeling forced. Like this: I love Pirates of the Caribbean - it's one of the most perfect movies ever made. (Again, there's a Sequel of Which We Do Not Speak, but that's another matter.) I loved the way it incorporated the ride, revealing the story that had been there all along.
What seems unnecessary is the revamping of the POTC to match the movie. I don't mind Jack Sparrow popping up here and there, but Squidface is totally uncalled for. Still, it's a lot better than the seasonally-revamped Haunted Mansion. Disney wisely decided not to invoke the Eddie Murphy live-action dud, but instead uses a Tim Burton theme. At some point it's just too much endless sales pitch.
So no Potterland, please! I'd like to still have something to leave to my imagination.
/Although I do like Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
//Except the booger and vomit-flavored ones.