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[RangersFan]

the books are great, the movies not so much. even though i disliked the movies the one thing i will give them credit for is the casting and the setting were top notch (except for radcliffe, radcliffe was a bad harry, hermoine and ron were spot on). the movie setting for the world described in the books were excellent so much so i pretty much pictured everything from the movies while reading the books (saw movies 1-3 before i started reading the series).

 

[BertramCooper]

The books got progressively worse as the plot focused more on the Voldemort/Harry narrative and less on Hogwarts.

Harry and Voldemort are a very weak protagonist/antagonist pair, whereas Hogwarts itself is the most compelling part of the series.

 

[CrankyJay]

I don't get it. Grown adults walk around telling me how great this is. I didn't read the books, but I've now watched all the movies.

Books are almost universally better than the movie adaptations, ok. But the generall plot and story just seem... Dumb.

I love fantasy stuff and am a huge nerd, but Harry potter does nothing for me. Am I missing something or do people like crap?

I feel exactly the same way.

 

[brandonh83]

Harry and Voldemort are a very weak protagonist/antagonist pair, whereas Hogwarts itself is the most compelling part of the series.

I don't give a fuck about Hogwarts and I immensely enjoyed watching that bitch burn. Without Harry and Voldemort there's no way I would have read about that crap.

 

[BertramCooper]

I don't give a fuck about Hogwarts and I immensely enjoyed watching that bitch burn. Without Harry and Voldemort there's no way I would have read about that crap.

Voldemort is a bumbling idiot who screwed up pretty much everything he attempted. He's a shitty James Bond villain with superpowers.

JKR provided some interesting backstory, but the actual character sucks.

 

[brandonh83]

oh dude Voldemort is a complete imbecile but desperation oftentimes leads to stupidity.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

It's for children.

Wrong.

 

[Emerson]

Feeling old now complete.

Haha apologies, I wasn't even the first in the thread to say so either. I guarantee there are people on GAF that could make me (22) feel old too. The worst feeling.

 

[ascii42]

They showed he clearly loved his mom... Is a really a stretch they had sex and he was the father?

I think that's why I didnt really care for the series. Everything is supposed to be super dangerous and WHOA dark lord but he never really does anything THAT evil. Snape kills dumbledore? Oh no it was assisted suicide he was about to die anyway. Harry you have to kill yourself to defeat voldermort? Not really you get to live if you want.

I was never really concerned for the characters, because I didn't really like them, and nothing bad really happened.

Well, it's only stated a million times that Harry looks like his dad, James Potter, but with Lily's eyes. That's why Snape hated him. Every time Snape looked at Harry, he saw the women he loved's eyes, on the man he hated's face.

 

[BertramCooper]

oh dude Voldemort is a complete imbecile but desperation oftentimes leads to stupidity.

It's not a coincidence that the only Voldemort-free book in the series, Prisoner of Azkaban, is the best one.

 

[ascii42]

It's not a coincidence that the only Voldemort-free book in the series, Prisoner of Azkaban, is the best one.

Yeah. Half-Blood Prince is the only other book where Voldemort doesn't show up at the end, but it of course has Tom Riddle in flashbacks.

Incidentally, those are my two favorite in the series.

 

[MC Safety]

Wrong.

Well, there's no denying the first few books are written very much for children.

The later books are horror novels, written more for adults than kids, and more focused on the jargon and lore of witchcraft than they are the characters.

 

[FillerB]

Well, there's no denying the first few books are written very much for children.

The later books are horror novels, written more for adults than kids, and more focused on the jargon and lore of witchcraft than they are the characters.

I think that this is/was one of the greatest things about the Potter-series. The books grew up alongside it's audience.

 

[Tashi]

I never read the books and I've watched all the movies out of order besides the last 2. Awesome movies.

 

[planar1280]

Is there a harry potter comic book version which I can read for all the book

 

[The Librarian]

It's not a coincidence that the only Voldemort-free book in the series, Prisoner of Azkaban, is the best one.

Half-Blood Prince is better.

 

[brandonh83]

Half-Blood Prince is better.

Hell I thought every book after Azkaban was better than Azkaban. Way better in fact. Dunno, never got the love for that one. I liked it because it introduced Sirius and that whole angle was interesting but I found every single book after that one to be far more compelling.

Goblet of Fire immediately face-raped it. Reading that graveyard scene the first time scared the fuck out of me. That shit was intense.

Deathly Hallows is my personal favorite book for many reasons. The lore it delves into was fantastic. They finally got away from that piece of shit Hogwarts and when they came back it got fucked up. It resolved the story, had the best emotional aspects, it was almost laughably dire and lacking a shred of hope... just loved it. Was by far the best for me.

 

[Jarmel]

I don't get it. Grown adults walk around telling me how great this is. I didn't read the books, but I've now watched all the movies.

Troll thread.

Deathly Hallows is my personal favorite book for many reasons. The lore it delves into was fantastic. They finally got away from that piece of shit Hogwarts and when they came back it got fucked up. It resolved the story, had the best emotional aspects, it was almost laughably dire and lacking a shred of hope... just loved it. Was by far the best for me.

The problem with Deathly Hallows is the fact that Rowling had all these books to set up the wand stuff other than a couple of lines in previous books and then using it in the most important plot line of all, how to defeat Voldemort.

I think that this is/was one of the greatest things about the Potter-series. The books grew up alongside it's audience.

Definitely agree with this sentiment. The whole franchise is very much a generational thing in that people like me grew up with the franchise.

 

[ascii42]

Hell I thought every book after Azkaban was better than Azkaban. Way better in fact. Dunno, never got the love for that one. I liked it because it introduced Sirius and that whole angle was interesting but I found every single book after that one to be far more compelling.

Goblet of Fire immediately face-raped it. Reading that graveyard scene the first time scared the fuck out of me. That shit was intense.

Deathly Hallows is my personal favorite book for many reasons. The lore it delves into was fantastic. They finally got away from that piece of shit Hogwarts and when they came back it got fucked up. It resolved the story, had the best emotional aspects, it was almost laughably dire and lacking a shred of hope... just loved it. Was by far the best for me.

I'm not sure if I'm glad or angry that after repeatedly escaping Voldemort because of chance and technicalities, he finally defeats Voldemort...because of chance and technicalities. I suppose given that Voldemort should be able to annihilate Harry in a duel, it was really the only way things could go.

 

[brandonh83]

The problem with Deathly Hallows is the fact that Rowling had all these books to set up the wand stuff other than a couple of lines in previous books and then using it in the most important plot line of all, how to defeat Voldemort.

Eh, each book was pretty episodic and revolved around their own subplots which made them feel different from one another, if not admittedly formulaic. So that didn't really bother me at all in the grand scheme of things.

I'm not sure if I'm glad or angry that after repeatedly escaping Voldemort because of chance and technicalities, he finally defeats Voldemort...because of chance and technicalities. I suppose given that Voldemort should be able to annihilate Harry in a duel, it was really the only way things could go.

Hah, well, the way I look at it is kind of... well, Harry "did not ask for this." Voldemort killed his parents and made his life a miserable, living hell for 17 years and only because he wanted to be immortal. Harry was just thrown into it at all, an unfortunate victim of a dumb prophecy. Therefore in that regard I don't think that Harry was ever obliged to face Voldemort and win in a fair duel or whatever, it was just something that was always going to be inevitable because of Voldemort's motives. I liked the irony and circumstance behind it all.

You're right though, Harry couldn't win in a no holds barred duel against Voldemort unless the entire series was about Harry training to become as good of a wizard as him. It's not like Rocky, where you have relatively equal opponents at each side of the ring. Harry just wanted out of it all and I thought it was fucking hilarious how Voldemort tried so damned hard and ended up killing himself.

 

[bigboss370]

I read the first one when I was eleven, same age as the character in the book. although as time went on the ages didn't match since the books released at different times, i still enjoyed it for the most part.

everything except the climax was good. in the last battle-

Spoiler

expelliarmus? really, thats it? after all this damn time thats all harry has to offer? fuck!

on reflection i was also pissed how a villain who was so evil that he could not be named really didn't amount to much.

 

[brandonh83]

on reflection i was also pissed how a villain who was so evil that he could not be named really didn't amount to much.

That was... kind of the point. Everyone was so scared of him that irrational behavior and decisions ensued, making those people (like Cornelius) look like complete morons. That being said, Voldemort made a name for himself and was very dangerous, and the whole Horcrux thing did make him immortal.

 

[Hot Coldman]

Other things that would be dope: a 7 season, 10 episode-per-season, Harry Potter HBO series in like 20 years.

By time that's feasible, maybe HBO will even be able to get their shows to younger folk without them resorting to piracy!


...lol

 

[bigboss370]

That was... kind of the point. Everyone was so scared of him that irrational behavior and decisions ensued, making those people (like Cornelius) look like complete morons. That being said, Voldemort made a name for himself and was very dangerous, and the whole Horcrux thing did make him immortal.

what do u mean it was the point? he was the best wizard in the world before Harry was born, but then after his come back...in the 3 books thereafter he didn't really do anything significant personally that would warrant such fear.

 

[Cheebo]

Is there a harry potter comic book version which I can read for all the book

too lazy to read a young adult novel?

 

[brandonh83]

what do u mean it was the point? he was the best wizard in the world before Harry was born, but then after his come back...in the 3 books thereafter he didn't really do anything significant personally that would warrant such fear.

But... he did? He was on the verge of taking over the entire wizarding community. He had the entire Ministry under control in the final book. Before that he murdered a number of people and continued to murder people at Hogwarts. I thought the final book drove the point home when the trio infiltrated the Ministry to find the Horcrux and it was under this fucked up Nazi like rule. Even in the film version David Yates was inspired by Brazil, as a couple of shots during the Ministry sequence were lifted from it (which I found to be very cool).

What I was trying to say was that despite this, the only people really putting any effort into taking Voldemort's power down was the Order. Had the Ministry, instead of being a concentration of pussies, collaborated with the Order could have yielded some much better results than they got. Instead they waited until the fucking Ministry was overtaken and Harry and Dumbledore pretty much had to handle that shit on their own.

With some help, obviously.

 

[ascii42]

what do u mean it was the point? he was the best wizard in the world before Harry was born, but then after his come back...in the 3 books thereafter he didn't really do anything significant personally that would warrant such fear.

His obsession with Harry probably played a part of that. Though you should consider that by the 7th book, he had basically taken over the ministry and was in the process of achieving his goal of wiping out mudbloods.

As for what he did personally: consider how much, for example, Hitler himself actually did.

 

[bigboss370]

But... he did? He was on the verge of taking over the entire wizarding community. He had the entire Ministry under control in the final book. Before that he murdered a number of people and continued to murder people at Hogwarts. I thought the final book drove the point home when the trio infiltrated the Ministry to find the Horcrux and it was under this fucked up Nazi like rule. Even in the film version David Yates was inspired by Brazil, as a couple of shots during the Ministry sequence were lifted from it (which I found to be very cool).

What I was trying to say was that despite this, the only people really putting any effort into taking Voldemort's power down was the Order. Had the Ministry, instead of being a concentration of pussies, collaborated with the Order could have yielded some much better results than they got. Instead they waited until the fucking Ministry was overtaken and Harry and Dumbledore pretty much had to handle that shit on their own.

With some help, obviously.

His obsession with Harry probably played a part of that. Though you should consider that by the 7th book, he had basically taken over the ministry and was in the process of achieving his goal of wiping out mudbloods.

As for what he did personally: consider how much, for example, Hitler himself actually did.

ah yes its been a while (long while) since i read the books and i didn't bother with the movies after the 4th/5th..thanks for reminding me. i just wish for such a great wizard he had some unique impressive spells up his sleeve, more than just those 3 forbidden ones.

i also feel the movies' portrayal of his appearance is terrible, even though they got the technical details correct.

 

[Houston3000]

I didn't read the books. I watched all the movies.

The first two were very lighthearted and childish, I found them terribly boring to watch when they came out (I was 15/16 years old) and didn't keep with the series after that. Years later I saw Half-Blood Prince in the theater with a friend, rather liked it and decided to rewatch the previous ones on DVD. The first two still really sucked, the third one was a bit kiddy but had some cool sci-fi like elements and a werewolf, the fourth was long and boring but overall not the worst movie I've seen. I still ended up going to see the last two films and really enjoyed them, great ending movies IMO.

So basically 1/2/4 suck; 3/5 were good; and 6/7 were excellent. My opinion obviously.

 

[Hawkian]

Hi everyone, I'm just popping my head in here to crack up at the absolutely, patently ludicrous interpretation of anything that was mentioned, described, or implied leading to Snape being Harry's father.

I mean goddamn.

 

[brandonh83]

My only regret about the Half-Blood Prince movie is that it didn't have the part with everyone sitting around the aftermath of Dumbledore's death and the invasion, and then they start hearing Fawkes singing.

fuck that would have destroyed me. It did a serious number on me in the book. Thankfully other than that I thought they did a great job with Dumbledore's death and everyone raising their wands with the music and shit, pretty good. I liked it. But that Fawkes part would have fucked me up.

 

[ToxicAdam]

I read the first 5 books and only saw the first movie.

It's pretty assine to complain about 'the story' in any fantasy book. They are all 'dumb' to a certain degree because they are all rehashing similar ideas, plots, characters, paradigms that have been done a thousand times. It's the little details and nuance that seperates the bad from the really good.

In the movies you really lose all that and just get the highlights of the book.

 

[bigboss370]

Hi everyone, I'm just popping my head in here to crack up at the absolutely, patently ludicrous interpretation of anything that was mentioned, described, or implied leading to Snape being Harry's father.

I mean goddamn.

hey now, who knew Dumbledore was gay? anything is possible

 

[makingmusic476]

You're right, it was Lily not Harry. But the scene still implies the possibility of Snape being the father.

This is an example of why I think 4-7 were far less faithful to their books than 3. There should have been NO QUESTION that James was Harry's father and Snape was just smitten with Lily, but the glossing over of occlumency and other details in the last few movies could easily lead those who haven't read the books to infer otherwise.

 

[herbert²]

If you're going to read the books, make sure you check out the editions with the dark and mature adult covers.

Lol these are terrible. I liked some of the french covers :

 

[apana]

Half Blood Prince was horrible, the way they killed Dumbledore was so lame. Also the new Dumbledore they hired after Richard Harris passed away was just inconsistent in his performance. I think my favorite film was Deathly Hallows Part 1 or the first one. I think the first one does a brilliant job of setting up this world and there are a lot of touching moments.

The books got progressively worse as the plot focused more on the Voldemort/Harry narrative and less on Hogwarts.

Harry and Voldemort are a very weak protagonist/antagonist pair, whereas Hogwarts itself is the most compelling part of the series.

Harry vs Voldemort was an important part of the story, it's just that Voldemort wasn't a very menacing villain by the end. I really enjoyed the ending and the last book, but I guess I wanted it to be something more than it was because I was such a huge fan of this series and waiting for a really big mindblowing ending.

 

[Mr. B Natural]

Could we get a version of this saying "stop disliking what I like" so we can end the use of this stupid meaningless picture?

 

[-COOLIO-]

Ha, me too. It was pretty cool going through school and reading the books as they came out.

ya same here : ]

 

[-COOLIO-]

Could we get a version of this saying "stop disliking what I like" so we can end the use of this stupid meaningless picture?

that wouldn't really make sense because it's enjoyable to like something but unenjoyable to dislike something

in other words, people prefer to like something rather than dislike something so you dont have to tell them to stop

 

[ascii42]

Also the new Dumbledore they hired after Richard Harris passed away was just inconsistent in his performance.

I think that was the director's fault. I felt he was only actually bad in GoF, and the director of that movie had his own idea of how Dumbledore would act. Overall, I liked Gambon as Dumbledore. I don't think Richard Harris could have pulled off some of the scenes in the later movies.

 

[apana]

I think that was the director's fault. I felt he was only actually bad in GoF, and the director of that movie had his own idea of how Dumbledore would act. Overall, I liked Gambon as Dumbledore. I don't think Richard Harris could have pulled off some of the scenes in the later movies.

You mean just physically? It would have been a challenge for him but I think with the right director it could have worked. They never had him scale mountains or anything. I think Harris captured both the gentle and fiery side of Dumbledore perfectly, it's just that we did not have too many opportunities to see the fiery side before he left. Michael Gambon isn't bad but he would have been much better if he didn't try and overdo it and add his own strange quirks to the role.