dianaschnuth

Don’t worry; no spoilers here. Not even for the movie that just came out. I know there are people like my friend Mark who only watch the movies and don’t read the books, for whatever reason.

So, I just finished re-reading Book 6 (Half-Blood Prince) this evening, and saw Movie 5 (Order of the Phoenix) on Sunday. Suffice to say, I am completely stoked for Saturday’s release of Book 7 (Deathly Hallows). The only problem is going to be staying spoiler-free until I can finish the book!

I have an aikido seminar on Saturday, so Aaron will get a few hours of reading time while I’m off being tossed about (10am to noon and 3pm to 6pm, I believe). Then we’ll be spending Sunday together, as per usual, but I’ll get a little reading time while I’m doing laundry and he’s off doing grocery shopping. By the time I really get into the meat of the book (Monday evening after work), most hardcore HP fans will have already finished this final book of the series.

I don’t remember how I got spoiled for HP6, but I do remember that I was halfway through reading it when I heard the big spoiler about the ending. Granted, I still didn’t know how said event would take place, and it may have even made me more jumpy about every little plot twist… but I knew what would happen in the end, and that took just a little wind out of my sails, and took just a little of the Oh Shit moment away from the inevitable.

So, here I declare that I intend to remain SPOILER FREE about the final book of the series for as long as possible. Woe be unto anyone who spoils the story for me, for I will be Pissed Off. Please, *please*, at least ask me what chapter I’m on before blurting out something in conversation (verbal or otherwise).

Staying spoiler-free is a challenge already, though, because the HP books make me want to speculate about the characters and their motives. That’s one of the great things about JKR’s universe. Granted, I can see what some authors and critics say about her writing style in places; but once I get wrapped up in the story, the adverbs honestly don’t act as speed bumps. Hell, I have a hard time not letting my eyes stray to the facing page to see what will happen next, more often than not.

Back to the point, though: JKR’s characters just invite speculation and introspection. That, to me, is the sign of a successful and highly engaging universe. However, one can’t go speculating too much right before the release of a new book, or one is likely to have the book spoiled for oneself. So, no Leaky Cauldron or Mugglenet for me — not like I’m a frequenter of either under normal circumstances. However… if you ARE looking for spoilers, Mugglenet might be where you want to go, from the looks of some of their link titles. *I’m* certainly not clicking on the link that says, “Confirmed Information: What we actually know about Deathly Hallows.”

Regarding the Order of the Phoenix movie… I haven’t historically been a fan of the HP movies. I watched the first movie on DVD, and half of the second, but I just couldn’t get into either. I vastly preferred the characters and settings that had been painted in my mind already. I couldn’t get behind Alan Rickman as Snape, although he really does fit the part. (I was still hung up on him as Metatron from Dogma.) After seeing Order of the Phoenix, though, I’m going to have to at least go back and watch Goblet of Fire.

Without giving away any plot points in particular, let me just say that, as in all book-to-movie adaptations, a good deal of characterization was dropped from the story in favor of proper cinematic pacing. The book was a major building and backstory piece, whereas the movie seemed almost frenetic in getting all the necessary plot points in. Nothing was dwelt on quite long enough, it seemed. A very few minor plot points were changed completely, either to cut down on the number of major characters involved or to close some loopholes (one in particular to which I had been desperately clinging).

The special effects, for the most part, were amazing. Broomstick rides, magic duels, settings in general were well-done; they didn’t eject me from the movie (“Wow! Those are cool special effects!”), but rather drew me into the magical world of Harry Potter. The acting was greatly improved from what I’d seen in the earlier movies, of course. Some of the lines that were added near the end, though, that weren’t originally in the book, did come across as overly hokey and out of place.

I know I’m not a movie reviewer (nor do I play one on TV), but I did want to go over some of my thoughts about the movie while it was still fresh in my mind.

Not long now until the final installment is available for public consumption! And remember… no spoilers!

CONSTANT VIGILANCE!