10 Out Of 10 - A Decade Of Harry Potter

Rating: Null/10 (10 August 2011)

It seems these days, that we have come to we live in a world of cynicism and low expectations, punctuated by mediocrity and ignorance, a world whose only highlights are a mindless pursuit of fame and notoriety. In this seemingly bottomless void, stepped JK Rowling and Harry Potter, with and old-fashioned tale of loyalty, friendship, courage, self-sacrifice, love, care and the understanding that sometimes there are undertakings and noble pursuits greater than ourselves, actions worthy of a common goal, whose end result will benefit a cause worthier than our immediate selfish wants, namely the greater good (which is a recurring theme in the books and the movies). No matter what one might think about the whole Harry Potter phenomenon, one cannot deny the impressive and positive impact upon the world.
I did not start out as a Harry Potter fan, my own life being too busy and hectic to allow me paying attention to what I saw as a fanciful children's tale. For the turnaround I credit, as strange as it might seem, Alfonso Cuaron. I was a fan of his previous movies, and I was drawn and curious by the fact that he should choose to work on the Harry Potter franchise. After I saw "The Prisoner of Azkaban" everything changed. I was lucky enough to discover the world of Harry Potter through this master movie-maker's lens, and what a wonderful introduction it was! Subsequently I watched all the movies and became more and more impressed.
You have to understand that I saw the movies first long before reading any of the novels. In time however, after all the books had been published I went back and saw each movie and read the corresponding novel. In hindsight I think, I was lucky to do it that way, since I had no pre-conceived notions or expectations.
Now that I have seen the last movie and read the last novel, I can see it all stretch before my mind's eye, the wonderful complexity, the imagination, originality and great sense of wonder these works, both books and movies, contain and impart on all its fans, both readers and viewers.
No, the movies are not perfect, far from it, they are at times quite uneven in vision, style, understanding of the material, but overall I think that they retained the essence and spirit of the books, and gave a wonderful visual rendition of Rowling's work. My favourites remain to this day "The Prisoner of Azkaban" and "The Goblet Of Fire".
Alas, my thanks and appreciation go to JK Rowling whose brilliant mind gave us this gift, and to Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell, David Yates, as well as Steven Klovis and David Heyman, the group of people who worked tirelessly in bringing to life, on the big screen, the universe of Harry Potter and his friends. I would be remiss not to also say a big thank you to Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint as well as the rest of the cast and crew of these movies who literally inhabited these characters and their world, and created such a believable and authentic version of them before our very eyes. Whatever they may choose to do with their lives, and whatever their lives might become, I wish all these people nothing but the best and good luck always. A nod also to Warner Bros. for their support and commitment to this whole project.
It was a wonderful adventure and I'm privileged to have been part of it in my small way!
"Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1+2" 8 out 10 / "Harry Potter"-the entire movie franchise 10 out of 10