Favorites: The Harry Potter Series

And so it is that after a decade and eight films, the Harry Potter series comes to a close with an action-packed and emotional finale that is quite satisfying for any fan of the series. Thankfully, David Yates uses the same visual style he used starting with Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince and the first half of Dealthy Hallows. The final film is a fitting end to a series that began in 1997, a few years before I even knew of its existence. However, I'm not going to write about the last film in the series. Like I stated in my previous review of Transformers, reviewing something like Harry Potter is almost pointless. Even if a critic said it was utter crap, the devoted will still make the trek to the theater. Mercifully, the Harry Potter series has experienced a rare phenomenon where critics and audiences agree for the most part, and the series has meant more to me than examples of good literature and filmmaking.

I came to the Harry Potter series only after the first film had had a very successful run at the theaters and was on its way to becoming a top-selling DVD. There was no desire in me to see the film as it was a child's film, nothing more. Thankfully my mind was changed, for it was in a child's film that I found a new spark of curiosity and creative inspiration.

Sometime between my high school graduation and my first year of college I became depressed. Of course, depression doesn't announce itself with any kind of visual symptom, expect for those who know you best, so I was unaware of any change in my behavior. Yes, I was rarely happy; yes, I hardly found enjoyment in anything; reading and writing no longer held my interest, and even school had lost its luster, but that didn't mean I was depressed, at least not in my mind; it simply meant that I was bored, nothing more.

Oh, how wrong I was.

Indeed, it took a film (two films in fact, but I'll leave the other film that helped for another post) for me to realize just how far I had sunk into a mentally debilitating depression. While visiting my parents house one evening I noticed they needed to return a DVD to Blockbuster (ah, remember those days, not that I miss them much). They had just watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and had quite enjoyed it. I had heard of the film and was curious, not enough to run to the video store myself, but curious enough to promise to return the film once I'd watched it that night.

And watch it I did. Twice. It is an entrancing film. Witty, mysterious, and magical. Yes, I'd have to say the first is still the best. None of the subsequent films have a moment as wonderful as when Hagrid (that soft-hearted half-giant) says the words that forever change Harry's life: "You're a wizard, Harry." Even today when watching the film, those words are enough to send chills down my arms. And none of the films provides a moment as uplifting as the end. No, not when Harry defeats Voldemort, but when a boy of no remarkable magical talent, who is socially awkward and has a low self-esteem wins the House Cup for Gryffindor. It is a wonderful moment for Neville Longbottom, a touching moment for the audience, and my favorite moment of the film series, right next to his other act of bravery in the final film, but I won't give it away in case those of you reading this haven't seen it nor read the books. Those of you who have see the film or read the books will know which moment I'm writing about.

Now, even though I loved the first film from the moment I watched it, I was still unconvinced as to picking up the series, which by that time had just published the fourth book in the series, I believe. I was a serious English student and above such trivial pursuits as children's literature. Not until the second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets did I yearn for more, more than the celluloid versions could give. And so, after a couple of years without reading anything remotely interesting, I bought Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; and yes, I did feel foolish buying a child's book for myself. However, I didn't care. I had to know what happened next.

From the first book to the seventh (with a few midnight releases thrown in for good measure), I was propelled on a journey as intriguing and magical as any I've read since, and the films continued to provide some great entertainment as well, although I must confess there was building gap between the quality of the books and the quality of the films, something which could not have been helped, and the fact that the filmmakers continued to produce such quality films is as much a testament to their abilities as to J.K. Rowling's invention. The problem lay in the best quality of Rowling's writing: her ability to create elaborate plots. Each book is essentially a mystery, with each previous book's events setting the scene for the next. Take one plot detail out the books and the whole thing would fall apart. And that's exactly what the filmmakers had to do: disassemble the plot from the books and put it together to make a film everyone would want to see. Only hardcore Harry Potter fans would want to sit through the eight-hour film version of their beloved series, myself included.

The journey did not end with the publication of the final book, at least not for me, and not because there were still more films to go. No, the final book was published at exactly the right time because I was in graduate school and had to write a thesis. I was struggling over what to write my thesis over. I had written a well-received paper on The Matrix trilogy and was considering expanding it into a thesis, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it; I wasn't inspired to write a longer version of that paper. So I looked back at what had inspired me in the past. Not long into my first year of graduate school, I decided what better way to end my academic career than by dedicating myself to the very books that made school tolerable while still a Freshman. My thesis was to cover the entire book series. The original plan was to include a couple of the films as well, the ones that fit within my thesis, but that was not possible; after all, my thesis could only be so long.

The process of writing my thesis was difficult, but fun nevertheless; and after a forty-five minute defense, I passed, receiving my Master of Arts in English in May of 2009. Receiving an education took a lot of hard work on my part, but I don't think it would have been possible if not for J.K. Rowling's books and the films they inspired. It's hard for me to see exactly how I would have made it through, educationally speaking. So much of the university experience requires dedication and devotion, neither of which I had until I was reminded just how much I love books, movies, school, and writing.

So for that, I thank J.K. Rowling. And I thank my parents, for they are the ones who introduced me to the series in the first place. Hopefully, I can one day return the favor by passing the gift of inspiration to others; whether through teaching or my own writing doesn't matter, what does matter is that the gift is passed on to others.