By now I’ve made it clear that I haven’t read the Harry Potter books and I never will. I’m not really even a fan of the character, to me Harry Potter as a person has always seemed pretty lame. He succeeds mostly through luck, not because of any special ability or hard work of his own, and that grates against the blue collar work ethic my father instilled in me summer after summer slaving in the 120 degree heat of his transmission shop helping him yank out the greasy guts of automobiles.
Yet in spite of that, every time Warner Bros. releases a new movie, I find myself quite happily returning to that universe. Sometimes I even fall in love with it, as I did with Prisoner of Azkaban and now David Yates’ excellent Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The truth is that you don’t have to be a fan to enjoy Harry Potter. You don’t need to read the books to find something special in this 6 going on 8 movie universe. You don’t have to wear funny wizard outfits or spend your time debating the minutiae of JK Rowlings paragraphs with your friends. You don’t even really have to care that much. Harry Potter works in a way that anyone can simply show up, by a ticket, and walk out with genuine smile.
What’s the deal? I’ve got my theories. Here’s a few reasons why you don’t have to be a fan to love Harry Potter:
Hair In Strange Places
It’s the kids that have made the Harry Potter franchise such a unique cinematic experience, and no I’m not talking about those tiny terrors in the audience. If I want a Twizzler shoved in my ear I can damn well stay home and do that myself. No it’s Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and all the rest from that kid who plays Malfoy to that fat kid who always seems to suffer. Watching these movies allows you to sit and see them grow up right before your eyes. In any other franchise there would have been that inevitable place where Daniel Radcliffe disappears and is replaced by Hayden Christensen, but not in Harry Potter. For better or worse we’ve been allowed to follow along as not only the film’s characters, but the kids playing them fight through growth spurts, training bras, and hair where there was none before. Looking back on the movies now is like flipping through an old family photo album. We’ve been through all of this, audience and actors, together.
Britain Is Rapidly Running Out Of Elderly Actors
Name a great British actor. Odds are he or she has been in Harry Potter. While George Lucas scoops up NYPD Blue leftovers for his effects-heavy fantasies and while Michael Bay casts actresses based on how they wash his Ferrari, the Potter universe has made a habit out of casting the best and brightest talent England has to offer. Beneath those pointy hats walking the halls of hallowed Hogwarts are a cavalcade of bonafide cinematic legends from Richard Harris to Dame Maggie Smith to Gary Oldman to the utterly brilliant Alan Rickman. Never has any other blockbuster assembled such a wizened group of elder acting talent. No matter how much effects magic is thrown in, this is a cast that cannot be upstaged by hollow animation.
It’s The Next Best Thing To Lord Of The Rings
If you’re a fan of the fantasy genre, you really have no choice but to love the Harry Potter franchise. It’s not like there’s anything else. Since Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter first appeared in 2001 there’s been no shortage of copycats, pretenders, and attempted cash-ins on the fantasy genre but almost none of them have panned out. The ones that were great, like City of Ember, never earned enough attention to make it on anyone’s radar and the rest, like The Golden Compass have been flatly awful. Until Lord of the Rings returns in the form of Guillermo del Toro’s The Hobbit, fantasy fans really have no choice but to embrace the boy who lived. Even at its lowest of lows, Harry Potter is still better than Nim’s Island.
Chris Columbus Is No Longer Involved In This Franchise
Harry Potter started out on shaky ground, in the hands of a director with a big name whose talent was dubious and intentions suspect. Since his departure after the second film though, they’ve abandoned the notion of bringing in big commercial names as helmers and instead done their best to give true talent a shot at wizarding. Alfonso Cuaron, who directed the third film is an artist in every sense of the word and David Yates, who made a few missteps on the third movie has stuck around long enough to figure things out and put his stamp on it. And really, give Warner Bros. a lot of credit here, because they’ve given these directors enough freedom that they can put their own stamp on it. Every movie is a Harry Potter movie through and through, but it’s also an Alfonso Cuaron movie or a Yates movie, in a way that makes each film uniquely its own.
Everybody Secretly Wants To Be One Of The Cool Kids
Every once in awhile it just feels good to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Yet while the unwashed masses flooded into theaters for crummy movies like Wolverine and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, a lot of us were left sitting on the sidelines throwing rotten tomatoes. Harry Potter and in particular this latest Harry Potter movie, is one of those rare confluences of circumstance where literally everyone can get together and agree: hey this is a lot of fun. Film snobs don’t have to feel guilty about lining up at midnight with the Potter nerds and the Transformers idiots can sit comfortably next to the explosion hating critics who bashed their shitty giant robot flick. Harry Potter brings people together, all people, and that can be a lot of fun. Walk into a midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and you’ll see people there of all ages and walks of life. Hold hands with the guy in the pointy hat sitting next to you. We’re all in this Potter thing together.
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By now I’ve made it clear that I haven’t read the Harry Potter books and I never will. I’m not really even a fan of the character, to me Harry Potter as a person has always seemed pretty lame. He succeeds mostly through luck, not because of any special ability or hard work of his own, and that grates against the blue collar work ethic my father instilled in me summer after summer slaving in the 120 degree heat of his transmission shop helping him yank out the greasy guts of automobiles.
