Running through an entire film franchise, weekend marathon style, truly takes a certain measure of dedication. I'm not talking about your average trilogy, those are pretty easy. In fact, I just saw all three entries in the Back to the Future franchise last weekend, which is nothing when spread out across three days. No, what I'm talking about are the big'uns. You know, the uncut version of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, or the sextuple Star Wars set or even the redundant, yet massively sequel-heavy treatments that the horror genre has seen with the likes of A Nightmare on Elm St, Friday the 13th, Saw, and Final Destination. Anyone who chooses to re-watch any of these back-to-back has to be ready for a hefty time investment, on top of combating some level of boredom. Let's face it, if you are going to sit and watch an entire film series in a single showing, odds are, you are a big enough fan to have already seen each film at least once, and thereby already know how everything shakes out. That doesn't stop us though, now does it? True fans will always find something to get out of the experience, be it a greater appreciation for the work itself or to pick up on some of the more subtle nuances that one may have missed during initial or separate viewings.
Which leads me to the Harry Potter series. The final film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt2, will be launching on Blu-Ray and DVD November 11th, 2011. I missed out of the theatrical release this past summer, so, as a huge fan of the HP universe, I've been hotly anticipating seeing how everything wraps up on-screen. Yes, I already know how it ends, I've read the books a few times and getting ready to start them again once I complete the Game of Thrones series. But I've approached the film franchise as a separate entity from the books, so my anticipation of the final film is just as strong as now as it was on July 21st, 2007 (the day the final book hit my hot little hands).
In preparation for this, I decided to make the run. You know, sit through all currently-available films across a single weekend. Daunting? Yes. But exciting as well since I haven't seen some of these in several years. And watching them all sequentially like this allowed me to do exactly as I noted above: Appreciate the subtleties. Most notable is just watching the stars grow up. The biggest jump in age was between the first two films, but that was because they hadn't set out on their accelerated filming schedule by that point. They had to be sure the first film would be received well and warrant the significant time and resource investment. Films based on other media properties can be a hit-or-miss venture. While Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter were smash successes, others didn't fare so well, such as Percy Jackson and, to a lesser extent, The Chronicles of Narnia. Needless to say, it was almost shocking to go back to the first film and see how tiny Radcliffe, Grint and Watson (Harry, Ron and Hermione, respectively) were back then. It's been 10 years since the first film hit theaters. These kids have literally grown up before our eyes, and that point is driven home all the more when viewing all the films like this.
I've always been a bit of a purist when it comes to transitioning properties from one media to another. I understand why changes have to be made, but I still don't like them. You can thank Rob Reiner and William Goldman for that. They ruined me at a young age. As the 1980's came to a close, I was a budding Stephen King fan. I adored books like It, Cujo, and The Stand. Thus, as the film adaption for Misery was being put together, I read the book first, so I would be ready for it. Big mistake. The changes they made for the big screen pissed my 15 year old self off so much that I immediately panned all book adaptions on principle alone. It wasn't until I gained a few years and began to understand why such changes are made before I began to accept Hollywood's attempt at literary adaptions. Now, I expect it. I focus more on crediting Hollywood for what they manage to keep instead of coming down on them for what they omit. In most cases, I approach them (the films) as a completely separate entity from the work they are based on, more of complementary material rather than a visual adaption. Really, it's the only way to not walk away from the theater completely pissed off. Just look at Will Smith's I Am Legend. Anyone who has read the Richard Matheson original won't even acknowledge the film as a related work.
The Harry Potter series is no different. Given the fact that the now eight movies have had four different directors, along with the sheer size of the source material, it is understandable that some things didn't make the cut. The final four books were huge, with Order of the Phoenix clocking in the biggest at a whopping 870 pages (and, oddly enough, was the shortest of the films). Getting all of that faithfully on screen would put the expense well out of normal range, on top of making the film much too long for the average film goer to handle in a single sitting. Fortunately, the adjustments made for the films didn't bother me too much. Probably the worst of them all was the Harry/Cho relationship, which played a much more prominent role in the books. Regardless, I'm good with what they have on film. I already know and accept that if I want a more fleshed out experience, I'll read and let my mind create the pictures for me.
As I said though, watching these again have allowed me to appreciate the little things a bit more. Snape's dialog was always the best of any character in the entire series, and arguably one of the best characters as a whole, but Alan Rickman's performance is nothing short of phenomenal. One may not see it as award winning, but the life he breathes into the character enhances it in every conceivable way. And yes, I did say Snape is potentially the best character in the series. He might seem to be a bad guy, but he isn't without his reasons. And the journey JK Rowling took us on, making us despise him, then almost like him (with a measure of distrust always lurking behind the scenes), then feel sorry for him, then hate him all the more by the time the final book unfolds, is simply wonderful. By the time it is all said and done, Snape steps out from behind the curtain and becomes the core of the entire tale, something that I, for one, never saw coming. And it made me appreciate the character even more. Alan Rickman embodies that from beginning to end.
While Snape may be one of the best, if not the best overall, there are others that have my heart as well. Oddly enough, my favorites are all apart of the supporting cast. I would have loved for people like Lupin, Tonks, Sirius, and Bellatrix to have bigger roles. Lupin and Tonks sit right next to Snape as my favorites of the entire series, and Sirius was probably the least utilized, but had the most potential. Oh, and Bellatrix? She's just fucking batshit, and I loved that about her. I loved it in the books and I loved it even more so in the films with Helena Bonham Carter's portrayal. I can't forget Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody either. He was one of the most gruff, yet entertaining parts of the HP equation and I would love to see him spun off into his own series, maybe covering his time as an Auror.
It isn't all about what I loved though. Watching these movies again reminded me of what I didn't like as well. I don't care for Malfoy in any way. Set to be Harry's rival, he lost his purpose after the second chapter and never quite got his mojo back. It was hard to take him as a serious antagonist. Even later on when he picked up a bigger role in the The Half Blood Prince. It almost felt like Rowling knew he sucked, so she was trying to inject a little more into him, unsuccessfully so. However, the award for worst character still sits on Dolores Umbridge's mantel. In the books and on film, she is the most vile character of all. I don't hate her for any reason beyond the fact that she is simply a straight up bitch. At least with Snape, and even Voldemort, I understand their motivations. But her? She really doesn't have any. I detest her on every level and she isn't an enjoyable character to experience. I didn't like reading her and I don't like seeing her on screen.
One of the positives about seeing these films again is the fact that I know how it all comes out. Watching the relationship between Ron and Hermione slowly develop was great, especially given how well the film makers danced around it. It was flirted and teased forever and the payoff was well worth it. Having that big goofy grin hit my face as Harry and Cho kiss for the first time, just to feel it slowly fade away with the knowledge that it just isn't to be, sucked. Although, it could have been worse. This aspect was always a secondary priority for the films. The romantic relationships, be it Ron's, Hermione's, or either of Harry's, are much more developed and impactful in the books. So if you are looking to see that in a better light, go hit the library and check them out. Especially Harry and Cho. The films really fucked that one up.
And finally, I appreciated the performances and casting on the whole a lot more this time around. Beyond what I have already covered with Helena Bonham Carter and Alan Rickman, Evanna Lynch was perfect for Luna Lovegood. Just the dreamy eyed look she always has on her face was enough to bring the character to life for me. And I don't know if I can read any scene with Hagrid in it without picturing Robbie Coletrane. Also, little did we know when we first saw them that Fiona Shaw and Robert Pattinson would catch our attention later on in True Blood and Twilight (respectively). Lastly, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Richard Harris. To me, even though we didn't have him for very long, he was always the better Dumbledore. No offense to Michael Gambon, I just thought that Harris embodied the character better.
Now that I'm done, was it worth the time investment? Most certainly. Even with the things that were cut, and the things that just never make it on screen in any adaption, I still love this franchise. Both the films and the books. While the novels will always be far superior to the movies, Hollywood did a decent job of putting the adventure of Harry and his gang, along with the ins and outs of Snape, to the big screen. Goblet of Fire is still my favorite, with Order of the Phoenix not far behind, but all the films are still enjoyable to watch, no matter how many times I have seen them. Not only am I now set for November 11th, but my desire to re-read through the books just jumped ten fold.
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