Oooops, my bad

I admit it, I didn’t realize I had the wrong Harry Potter movie until I sat down to read the reflection. That being said, I observed a few things I’d like to put down, if not for everyone else, at least to clear my thoughts.

Although I haven’t read the books, Harry looks right at home on film. There is a nice blend of the current and the fanciful/historic, making it feel real without being too close to home. Recent advancements in special effects allow for fantasy style movies to be fare more realistic than, say, Willow.

In regards to the sorcery or magic, I think we need to examine closely the criticism. While there is certainly a pervading theme of magic & sorcery throughout the film, it is far less a weapon or tool than it is a convenience. In addition, it is used both positively and negatively, so that the battle between good and evil is a fair fight. Notable is Voldemort’s comment that there is no good or evil, only power and those too weak to use it. While Harry does not hesitate to use power to the extent we would like, he does use it for good, rescuing friends and saving the free world.

Finally, why these movies, and the books before them ever caught on, seems to be a deeper question than whether or not this is particularly well written. Poorly written fantasy and SF books have made money for years. Harry Potter, however, taps into a much deeper cultural vein.