Why We Watch

Oct 07, 2008

Posted by: John Admin

Uncategorized

I’d like to apologize, I know its been forever and a day since I last blogged. Things have been a bit crazy at work. We are about to deliver the first episode of the show I’m currently editing, and its been a bit of a madhouse at the office trying to get it into top notch shape. Its really gotten me thinking about what makes people interested in the shows and movies they love to watch. What gives a show its draw?

As this relates to the Harry Potter films, its sort of a double edged sword. Many people go see the films because they are fans of the books. Yet, I doubt there are many die hard book fans who’ve walked out of a Harry Potter movie saying “Wow, that was perfect! Everything I hoped for and more!” It just doesn’t work that way. I can’t think of a single book that I love (and I’m talking about ALL books here, not just Harry Potter) that’s been adapted to a movie that I didn’t have a least a few problems with. So again, I ask the question “Why do we watch?” What brings us millions of fans into the theaters every time a new Harry Potter film is released? Especially when we know ahead of time that we are most likely going to be disappointed, at least on some level.

I think therein lies the reason I DO go to see the films. Not because I want to be disappointed, but because I’m so curious to see what the filmmakers DO leave in, and how they do it. For every moment in a Harry Potter film I’m disappointed in, there’s at least one or two that I am blown away by. There is something so magical about seeing that one perfect moment from a book being portrayed just the way I pictured it on the screen. Remember back to Sorcerer’s Stone, when Hagrid first showed up and knocked down the door to the shack on the lake where Harry and the Dursley’s were staying? That was a perfect moment. I can remember vividly being so excited when I first saw that scene in the theater. In The Prisoner of Azkaban, when Harry screams out “Expecto Patronum!” by the lake to defend Sirius and Hermione, I was blown away. It’s the excitement for these moments that draw me back to the box office each time. And its because of these moments that I can forgive those not so perfect ones.

Even within the amazingly loyal fandom of Harry Potter, there is a lot of rampant criticism of the Harry Potter films. To be honest, I’m usually at the forefront of those lines. But I think its important that we all remember why we DO go see these films. It is NOT just because we love the books, its because, despite their mistakes, time and time again, the filmmakers manage to blow us away at least a few times each movie. In my opinion, that is why we watch. So as we get closer (sort of) to the release of Half-Blood Prince, try and keep that in mind 🙂





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.