Oh, Potter

While I don't like reading books, especially reading huge books that seem to take forever to finish, in order to create a semblance of objectivity I will ignore my prejudice and instead build upon logical ideas. For the remainder of this passage I will concentrate on the Harry Potter phenomenon, but much of what follows applies to most book/movie storylines.

First I want to discuss the anger or disappointment associated with discrepancies between what occurs in print and on screen. Often these feelings are short lived, but for some they are much deeper. Those who experience such strong emotions due to discrepancies need to get a grip. Since it is so long, the book has more going on than can be fit into a 2 or even 3 hour movie with any success. Also, the movie likely elaborates on certain parts of the plot that would benefit from good use of special effects and CGI to create something more visually captivating. I don't understand why someone would want to read a book and then watch a movie based on the book, especially for someone who is enamored with the story. It seems to me that someone who wants the movie to be the same as the book really wants an excuse to complain. If the movie really was the same, since the two are released within a couple of years of each other the story is still vivid for the reader and I can't see how the movie wouldn't become boring. If the movie was different people would say that the director shouldn't have the right to change the story and would harbor negative feelings toward the movie. I think that those who enjoy the books should realize that movies derived from books are made for those who like watching movies, not for those who enjoy reading books. I want to be clear that the two are not mutually exclusive. However, while books allow the reader to be creative and imaginitive to develop the story, movies allow the watcher to be lazy because the story is already fully developed. I don't mind you investing so much time and concentration to read a book, just let me be lazy and watch a movie without hearing you provide a running commentary about its faults in the theater.

Second, I want to address something that that's really bugging me. I've heard that there are parents who have set up counseling sessions for their kids because it is rumored that Harry will die. It's a book, and you've allowed your children to become so emotionally involved that you need to pay someone to counsel them because you're so inept. I'm astounded. In fact, I almost considered going to counseling so I could come to terms with how ridiculous today's parents have become before I reminded myself that psychiatrists are worthless. I'm serious. I had to go to counseling when I was a kid because I was a jerk to my sisters and all we did was play Connect Four for an hour or so until I could leave. It didn't help at all. Eventually I realized that being a jerk wasn't so great and I stopped picking on them, for the most part. Anyway, back to Harry Potter. While I'm not enthralled with the story, I can see how some people are fanatics. But mourning a fictional character is absurd. Since the book hasn't been officially released yet Harry's death is supposition, but let's suppose he doesn't survive the entirety of the series. I've heard that Rowling killed off his character just so nobody could create a spinoff, which is feasible, but I bet that she did it so she didn't have to worry about it anymore. I'd bet that, despite the incredible success of her books and the amount of money she's made, she was likely getting fed up with the pressure from the media by book 4 or 5 but knew they wouldn't be satisfied until the series was finished. So to those of you who are getting upset about how this book might end, I have the same thing to say to you as I did to those who were so pissed about how The Sopranos ended. You're not entitled to anything, and the writer can choose to end it in any manner. Were I Rowling, I might not even write the ending and simply tell the media that "I'm working on it" every few years until people stop caring about it, just so they realize that there are much more important things in life than the ending of a story.

This post has been so long that I have forgotten why I started, and now I don't know how to end it. I guess I'll just post this for the time being and read through it a time or two so I know what to put in the conclusion, then I'll add the conclusion once it's finished.