When "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" came out in 2002, there wasn't a single movie theater in the remote town where I lived. My Harry Potter wizarding journey started with the "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" DVD played on the TV at home.
Unexpectedly, 18 years later, I can make up for this regret and see "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" on the big screen. This may be one of the very few benefits that Covid-19 has brought.
During the entire movie, only a dozen people were sparsely seated in the IMAX theater.
Because I have watched it too many times on the computer and on TV, the plot is very familiar and flowing.
When I saw Harry wearing a Gryffindor House scarf, walking on the Hogwarts campus in the snow, when Hedwig the owl fluttered from his arm, my heart seemed to fly with Hedwig. The sky above the spires of Hogwarts is extremely light.
At this moment, I understand why I love Harry Potter so much.
1
Growing up, we've heard too many stories about wizards and magic.
In Andersen's fairy tale, the witch in the sea prepared a potion for the little mermaid. After she drank it, the fish tail turned into human legs, and she could follow her beloved prince on land.
Grimm's fairy tales tell us that witches have long, twisted nails and a crooked nose that reaches down to their chin.
In Russian folklore, witches live in chicken-foot huts in the swamp, surrounded by a fence of dead people's bones.
These stories are too old to be appealing to the modern man entering the age of nuclear energy and Internet communications.
But the wizarding world of Harry Potter is refreshing to us.
After experiencing the beatings of the society, many people miss the carefree life of studying. And is this kind of reading life something you can't even imagine in your best dreams?
An 11-year-old child received an admission notice from an owl; before going to school, he needs to prepare his own wand, teaching material, and owl (communication tool); he takes classes in a magnificent castle that hides countless secrets; Medicine making, Defence Against the Dark Arts; taking to the skies on a broomstick and playing exciting Quidditch...
The setting of the magic school is like an anchor. Once the anchor is nailed down, the illusory magic world that was originally imagined suddenly becomes very real, it seems to be within reach, and wizards live by our side. Wizards in London need to go to Diagon Alley to buy necessities for study and life, they need to go to platform 9 3/4 to take the train to Hogwarts, and after graduation they can go to work at the Ministry of Magic or go to other countries to do research.
Those big men in the wizarding world who are the most powerful or frightening people, were once little children, just like 11-year-old Harry Potter, tremblingly stepped into the door of Hogwarts, learning clumsily how to pronounce in class. Mantra, how to ride a broomstick.
2
The prototype of Rowling's Hogwarts school should be inspired by the British aristocratic high school.
These noble middle schools have a long history and are located in beautiful countryside. The beauty of the school buildings is no less than the Hogwarts in the movie, and some of them are well-known tourist attractions.
There are many similarities between the lives of students in aristocratic schools and Hogwarts students. For example, the famous Eton College in the UK, students enter the school at the age of 13 and graduate at the age of 18. As soon as elementary school students enter the school, they will live in dormitories of 50 people. Each dormitory has a dormitory teacher who is responsible for taking care of and managing the students. There is a student president in the dormitory. The president's responsibility is to urge students to participate in various campus activities organized by the school.
Students attend classes in tuxedos embroidered with the old school badge, and sometimes robes. After school, he learns horseback riding, rowing, and hockey at school.
Does it feel familiar?
Of course, in addition to Hogwarts, there are many places in Harry Potter that I am also very interested in, such as the various strange shops in Diagon Alley, and the Gringotts Bank run by the elves. There is also the mysterious Forbidden Forest next to Hogwarts, Hogsmeade where Hogwarts students often go to relax on weekends, and when the weather is hot, I also want to go to Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer.
When watching Harry Potter, I really hope that Rowling will describe these places as much as possible.
Instead, it is the battle of life and death between Harry and Voldemort that constitutes the mainline of the 7-part series. I have to admit that my interest is not that strong. The Ministry of Magic, which played a major role in the development of the story, was also less impressed. There are so many officials at the Ministry of Magic, except for Umbridge, I remember one ordinary employee, Arthur Weasley, an employee of the Ministry of Magic Misuse of Muggle Substances Division, because he is Ron's father.
What is the reason? I examined myself deeply and felt that I lacked the necessary sense of justice and had no heroic complex.
Of course, there are also objective reasons, that is, the topic of the war between good and evil in the magical world is really too old-fashioned. And Rowling's theme isn't as refreshing as the wizarding school Hogwarts.
Compared to the dark horror, "The Lord of the Rings" and "A Song of Ice and Fire" are in the first place. The struggle between good and evil written by Rowling is too bland and normal compared to them, lacking the huge power to destroy the world, and the sense of fate that humans and gods are powerless.
After reading the eight parts of Harry Potter, what can be recalled in my mind now is more of the pictures in the first part.
Like Harry and Ron spending their first Christmas since school at Hogwarts.
On Christmas morning, the fireplace in the Gryffindor lounge was warm, and there were many Christmas gifts piled up by the fireplace. Ron stood aside and told Harry to get up and open the gifts. Ron's mother also had Christmas gifts for Harry. Knitted sweater with Harry's initials on the chest.
After 11 years of living in the shadow of others and no one cared about, little Harry has a school he loves and friends around him, and his future has become new and full of hope. I am happy that his dream has come true.
In the next few films, as Voldemort's influence grew stronger and stronger, the picture became darker and darker (physically), and the atmosphere became more and more terrifying, and such warm and homely scenes became less and less.
3
Too bad I can't write fanfiction. Otherwise, I will continue the style of the first three films, put all the scenes of Harry Potter in the school, write about them every day after class, play truancy and make trouble, explore the strange shops in Diagon Alley, and wander in Hogsmeade , and even go on an expedition to the Forbidden Forest.
As for Voldemort, you don't have to work so hard to play the ultimate boss. The level can be lowered to a level similar to the Gargoyle in the Smurfs. From time to time, he comes to Hogwarts to make a mess, and it's enough to brush his presence and create a little thrill. The last episode was successfully killed, and everyone was happy.
However, will such a Harry Potter series become too bland and too childish to be spurned by many?
Rowling also understands that the greatest magic of the Harry Potter series lies in their studies, putting Harry and Voldemort's final battle when Harry is 17, because that's the age Harry left Hogwarts.
After that, the camera zoomed out quickly and briefly explained the adult status of several protagonists. The series also came to an end.
Rowling wanted to continue telling the story of this magical world, and had to start over and find new themes and characters, so there was a series of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find It.
But I still hope that Rowling's Harry Potter can continue, not the kind of graduation.
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