by Ethan Johnson
November 25, 2002

I refuse to do it.

I flat out refuse, under any circumstances, to link to the Slate article I read recently trashing the whole Harry Potter experience.

Not for reasons of censorship or any other high-minded yet ill-conceived purpose, but because the author would like that very much. And I refuse to give in.

But, and this is very likely a victory on some level for the author of said piece, I will comment on it briefly to say that if you don't like Harry Potter books, movies, or anything else that bears that name or likeness, then interest yourself in other things. I can't stand [insert disposable teen icon name here], but I don't spend my time ranting and raving about it, especially in the hopes that I'll irritate some percentage of the vast readership out there in internet-land with the sole purpose of driving hits to my site (to paraphrase Zonker from the Doonesbury strip, 'Great, I'm a nationally known idiot.').

That said, the movie was good. We saw it in DLP, which automatically adds 2 stars to any movie's overall rating. Even Pluto Nash on DLP would be, well, 2 stars.

Richard Harris is dead, and I watched the movie thinking, "are they seriously considering Ian McKellen as Dumbledore?" I watched most of X-Men prior to going to the show, and I just don't see it. Maybe if Dumbledore starts up the "Brotherhood of Wizards" or refers to himself as "Dumbledore the Grey." But that's up from Christopher Lee, who would either advise Harry that "we must join with Voldemort," or tell him that "our skill in wands is evenly matched, so let's try light sabres." Face it gang, you're going to have to look elsewhere for Dumbledore II.

The acting was less wooden this time, however I trust they were true to the book (for the most part) as nobody said something schlocky like "make my day" or "hasta la vista, baby." This crap about Harry (that is, the actor that plays him) going through puberty and therefore ruining everything is just that, crap. Comments like that make me think that I've found JonBenet Ramsey's fan base. What do you expect when Harry hits the teen years, Peter Pan? I shudder at the thought.

As will be the case year after year with the Harry Potter franchise, either you're in tha house, or you're out tha house. Hopefully they don't give it the Star Wars treatment in 12 years.

But while the movies remain enjoyable enough, we'll have room on the DVD shelf for each. <EM>