Just had a convo with my now-almost 18 y.o. son about Harry Potter (the franchise). As I mentioned previously, he had to age into the books which were first issued when he was nine years-old, before he began the series. I'd heard at the time that they were more appropriate for age 12-and-up, not that he expressed desire to read them then.
He started reading and re-reading them at about age 11 and the films starting being released then, too. We've seen all the films so far at the theatre (also, hard to avoid if you have pay cable TV) and I've read most of the books. (I think it was "Azkaban" that I simply couldn't plow through--liked the film tho'.)
Even though she created an interesting universe with intriguing characters I was never particularly impressed with Joanne Rowling's writing chops but, not wanting to discourage my kid's reading endeavor didn't say so at the time. Seems now my son holds the same opinion. He's read hundreds of books over his 17 years, maybe 1000 or more, so I think he's qualified to espouse that opinion.
Though only fractionally the reader of my son, I'm sort of picky about book details and he is, too. Part of our convo involved Rowling's retconning in regard to the Horcruxes, which are prominent in the last two Harry Potter films. Retconning--to change details of something already published to make them fit with what you are now writing--is annoying. Another bit that is a puzzle to me that the animals that the kids kept close had no special connection to them beyond being pets.They were not familiars, they were simply pets. My son cited the fact that the pets had free will with the example of when Harry mistreated Hedwig and Hedwig took off for a period before giving Harry a chance to feel better about driving him away. A familiar couldn't/wouldn't do so.
Just the same, we are definitely seeing the films. The supporting characters, almost all British, have been fantastic over the years and I expect they'll be no less so in both parts of "The Deathly Hallows."
Ginny Weasely & Harry
Hagrid & Harry
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Official Full Trailer [720 P HD]
Official Trailer in REAL 720 P HD 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I,' directed by David Yates, hits theaters on Nov. 19, 2010.
EW Scans from RupertGrint.net
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