bestrfcplayer
Steppin' up!
What do you think of the seires (books/movies)? I liked the books, and the movies, but I think that the books are better, because they give out a lot more detail. What do you think?
Harry Potter
- Thread starter bestrfcplayer
- Start date
- Status
Kennigit
proud 2 boxer
Harry Potter (the character) was a prick.
The books were still good though. Or a better way to put it: looking backwards, the books aren't good. But as you read them, they're light and fun. My view of the Harry Potter series gets worse and worse as time goes on. Especially since I was the right age when the series developed- I was a kid and was able to enjoy it more. But I never liked Harry himself.
The books were still good though. Or a better way to put it: looking backwards, the books aren't good. But as you read them, they're light and fun. My view of the Harry Potter series gets worse and worse as time goes on. Especially since I was the right age when the series developed- I was a kid and was able to enjoy it more. But I never liked Harry himself.
Quackers
The Frog
The books were very good the movies sucked I watched the first and second one but lost interest by the 3rd one they were simply boring.
Awful, awful books, terrible writing. Entirely filled with cliche.
scherbchen
well that can´t be good
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2006
- Messages
- 3,530
read all of it so it must have had something to it for me. only thing good about the movies was Emma Watson.
Heretic_Cata
We're gonna live forever
Harry Potter lol
He couldn't even cast magic missile
He couldn't even cast magic missile
SS-18 ICBM
Oscillator
Yes, what Bill said. It was cliched, but it was still entertaining. Mediocre, but popular.
Gilder
Deity
The first three were excellent for children's literature, I could go back and read them again as an adult and still find it entertaining. In that respect, it's a lot like The Hobbit.
But around the fourth book and the transition to a more adult series, it seems to lose momentum. The writing stops being as good, and some of the plot points are almost silly. Harry's angst in books five and six didn't help. But even still, the seventh book was the worst of them all, for sure.
The movies are kind of... passable. The story and character lose a lot in the transition from paper to screen. Although they did give the world Emma Watson, for which they get a kudos.
But around the fourth book and the transition to a more adult series, it seems to lose momentum. The writing stops being as good, and some of the plot points are almost silly. Harry's angst in books five and six didn't help. But even still, the seventh book was the worst of them all, for sure.
The movies are kind of... passable. The story and character lose a lot in the transition from paper to screen. Although they did give the world Emma Watson, for which they get a kudos.
It's not even literature. If you want good children's literature, read Alice. Harry Potter trains people to read Steven King, not Shakespeare.
warpus
Sommerswerd asked me to change this
I've only seen the first half of the first movie - I got bored of it and stopped watching, even though everyone was telling me: "No man, you gotta keep watching, there is this wicked part coming up later where they're playing this cool game and stuff"
scherbchen
well that can´t be good
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2006
- Messages
- 3,530
well good is very much relative when it comes to literature, which, by defenition, it is. it's not like in medicine where cardiac arrest is bad and having the sniffles is, by comparison, good.
Traitorfish
The Tighnahulish Kid
The earlier books were fairly solid as children's literature goes, but the later ones kind of lost me. Rowling's attempts to "mature" the books seemed to amount to little more than overly complex plots, swearing and a little more violence than had previously been in evidence; certainly a lot of the background colour that was fine as a kids books becomes glaringly illogical when read as "adult" fiction.
I can't help but feel that the editorial reigns were eased a bit once it became popular, the jump between books three and four seeming to be the closest I can find to a watershed moment. The third book is quite an exciting, fairly complex thriller for a ten year old, but the fourth, took twice as long to say about half as much. It felt like Rowling was beginning to buy into her own hype, and the whole thing just became a bit self-indulgent.
The films, unfortuanately, emerged after this fact, and seemed to be afflicted by the grandiose, pseudo-"epic" pomposity of the later books, which has also rather turned me off them.
I can't help but feel that the editorial reigns were eased a bit once it became popular, the jump between books three and four seeming to be the closest I can find to a watershed moment. The third book is quite an exciting, fairly complex thriller for a ten year old, but the fourth, took twice as long to say about half as much. It felt like Rowling was beginning to buy into her own hype, and the whole thing just became a bit self-indulgent.
The films, unfortuanately, emerged after this fact, and seemed to be afflicted by the grandiose, pseudo-"epic" pomposity of the later books, which has also rather turned me off them.
I've read the first four books more than 20 times each. 5 & 6 maybe 10 times. 7 was amazing.
The series was just superbly executed. The writing style wasn't always great, but the plot mapping and detail made one of the best series of my life time.
The series was just superbly executed. The writing style wasn't always great, but the plot mapping and detail made one of the best series of my life time.
GinandTonic
Saphire w/ Schweps + Lime
- Joined
- May 25, 2005
- Messages
- 8,898
The change in authorial voice throughout the series as the children grew up was well done, though tailing off towards the later books as she never had the courage of her convictions to carry it through. Increasingly adult concerns entered the world, but only those concerns that were appropriate.
The first two books were finding their feet and genuinely children's books. The third book had genuine literary merit. After the thirds awards they became increasingly flabby and self-indulgent. Enjoyable and page turners but in need of an editor with the authority over JK to make her axe half the book. Very similar to the superstar director syndrome of producing a curates egg of a three hour movie within which is the body of a truly great 90 minute film screaming to be free.
What she did do outstandingly was to create a coherent world. To paint a character - albeit an archetype - with a couple of words. And a world people wanted to return to. This success contributed to the failure of her overarching project, as the shifting voice could not shift as far as it needed to without destroying the mise en scene that was her USP. 11-12-13 the characters and the voice aged naturally, but then their development arrested. Not to put too finer point on it they discovered the shrieking shack and didnt use it to get drunk and stoned and cop a feel.
The first two books were finding their feet and genuinely children's books. The third book had genuine literary merit. After the thirds awards they became increasingly flabby and self-indulgent. Enjoyable and page turners but in need of an editor with the authority over JK to make her axe half the book. Very similar to the superstar director syndrome of producing a curates egg of a three hour movie within which is the body of a truly great 90 minute film screaming to be free.
What she did do outstandingly was to create a coherent world. To paint a character - albeit an archetype - with a couple of words. And a world people wanted to return to. This success contributed to the failure of her overarching project, as the shifting voice could not shift as far as it needed to without destroying the mise en scene that was her USP. 11-12-13 the characters and the voice aged naturally, but then their development arrested. Not to put too finer point on it they discovered the shrieking shack and didnt use it to get drunk and stoned and cop a feel.
MagisterCultuum
Great Sage
They are ok, but still highly overrated. I don't see how they became so popular.
Coincidentally, I read the first Harry Potter book right between reading 2 other (better) books that dealt with the philosopher's stone. I forget the name of the first one, but it was told from the perspective of a boy hired as an assistant to Nicolas Flamel shortly before he "died." The other one was of course that treatise on how widespread literacy and the printing press spelled the end of the era of magnificent church architecture commonly called as The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
I read the first 3 books of the series, but did not bother reading 4 through 7.
Coincidentally, I read the first Harry Potter book right between reading 2 other (better) books that dealt with the philosopher's stone. I forget the name of the first one, but it was told from the perspective of a boy hired as an assistant to Nicolas Flamel shortly before he "died." The other one was of course that treatise on how widespread literacy and the printing press spelled the end of the era of magnificent church architecture commonly called as The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
I read the first 3 books of the series, but did not bother reading 4 through 7.
Zkribbler
Deity
IMHO, the books went from best to worst as they went along. They began with a great amount of humor, but then Rowling began substituting darkness for humor. I made it through all seven, but it was by force of will, not for the love of the books.
Shylock
Hey smiling strange
HP is like literature's fast food. I can plow through the first ones in an afternoon and the later ones in a day. It will take weeks for a more mature book of comparable length.
The books captivated me when I finally submitted to my friends' persistent badgering that I try the first one back in 2007: I read the series through in a month, and re-read it two months later. The movies tend to be hit and miss, although it seems like the misses are the earlier ones -- I'm thinking of two and three. I just watched the sixth one and don't really have an opinion on it yet. It wasn't as enjoyable as the book, but it didn't seem to do it a disservice, either.
- Status
