Humor – Harry Potter Humor

Harry Potter meets Snoop Dog

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Overall Thoughts on the Harry Potter Books and Movies

Note – There are spoilers for various events across the series in this post, so if you have not read all the books, or at least seen all of the movies, then you may want to skip this.

I just re-read and re-watched all of the Harry Potter books and movies, then wrote posts on each.  You can find info about this and links to all related posts here. 

When I started this I was wondering if I would be able to do all seven in eight days.  I managed to read a book, watch a movie, write a review, and post a review for four straight days at the start, but then I had to slow down.  I read the fifth book over three days, the sixth over two, and the seventh over two.  I also took a day off between books 5 and 6 and books 6 and 7.  In the end, it took me two weeks to re-read the seven books, re-watch the eight movies, and then write and post the seven reviews.  As the books got longer and longer, so did my reviews.  My thanks to those people who took the time to read them.  While doing all of this I noted some things that I felt didn’t fit into any one review, but were more for the series as a whole.  Here are those observations.

Movies and Book – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010) and Part 2 (2011)

I am re-reading and re-watching all of the Harry Potter books and movies.  You can find info about this and links to all related posts here. 




In addition, you can read my original review of the Part 2 movie here.

Plot (no spoilers):  After the events of the last book, Harry, Ron, and Hermione do not return to Hogwarts for their final year.  When the Ministry of Magic falls to Voldemort they go on the run.  They try to figure out how to locate and destroy the remaining horcruxes (items with pieces of Voldemort’s soul in them).  Only once they have done that can Voldemort be defeated.  This mission drives some wedges between their long standing relationships with each other.  They find out about the Deathly Hallows and try to decide if they should search for them, too.  The stakes keep rising as they end up having to break into the Ministry of Magic, then the impregnable goblin bank Gringott’s, and finally into the now Death Eater controlled Hogwarts.  Much is learned about Dumbledore’s past and not all of it is good.  Much is learned about Snape’s past and not all of it is bad.  All of these things lead to a final showdown between Harry and Voldemort.  Many familiar characters do not survive this final book in the series.

Movie and Book – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

I am re-reading and re-watching all of the Harry Potter books and movies.  You can find info about this and links to all related posts here.

Plot (no spoilers):  Death Eaters are launching attacks across Britain.  Dumbledore collects Harry and takes him to recruit a new professor.  It turns out this man has some vital information and Dumbledore needs Harry to get it for him.  There is a sixth Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in six years, but this time Snape has finally been given the position.  Romantic feelings bloom between Harry and Ginny Weasley and between Ron and Hermione.  Draco Malfoy has been given a task by Voldemort, possibly as a punishment for his father’s failures.  Draco’s mother begs Snape to protect her son and he agrees to an Unbreakable Vow to complete the task Draco has been assigned, if it is needed.  Snape’s loyalties appear to be clear by the time all is said and done.  Dumbledore shows Harry Voldemort’s origins and this reveals a way he might be defeated.  A very major character dies. 

Movie and Book – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

I am re-reading and re-watching all of the Harry Potter books and movies.  You can find info about this and links to all related posts here.

Plot (no spoilers):  Dementors attack Harry and his cousin Dudley.  Harry manages to drive them off.  Since he used magic in front of a “muggle” he ends up being tried by the Ministry of Magic to see if he should be expelled from Hogwarts.  Dumbledore defends him, so Harry wins, but Dumbledore is distant.  At school yet another Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is introduced: Dolores Umbridge.  She is an appointment from the Ministry because Dumbledore and the Minister are at odds about whether Voldemort is back or not.  Umbridge manages to take over the school, causing all kinds of trouble.  Harry starts to teach a group of students the real way to defend themselves in a dual.  He also gets his first kiss and finds out girls are a lot harder to understand than any class he is taking.  He is frustrated by the fact that none of the adults will tell him what is going on, and he keeps having dreams that seem to be connected to Voldemort.  All of this leads to a big confrontation at the Ministry of Magic and the death of a major character.

Movie and Book – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

I am re-reading and re-watching all of the Harry Potter books and movies.  You can find info about this and links to all related posts here.

Plot (no spoilers):  Harry attends the Quidditch World Cup and sees an attack from Death Eaters – supporters of Lord Voldemort.  When he gets to Hogwarts he finds out that there is going to be a Tri-Wizard tournament featuring champions from Hogwarts and two other wizarding schools.  Even though there is an age restriction that he doesn’t meet, Harry’s name is somehow picked as a second representative of Hogwarts.  The challenges in the tournament are deadly, so someone may be trying to kill him by placing him in the tournament.  There is yet another Defense Against the Dark Arts professor – one who teaches them the three Unforgivable Curses (control, pain, and death) because he feels they need to be prepared to defend themselves from them.  Harry, Ron, and Hermione are growing up and experience their first Ball.  Meanwhile, Voldemort is plotting his return to full strength.

Movie and Book – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

I am re-reading and re-watching all of the Harry Potter books and movies.  You can find info about this and links to all related posts here.

Plot (no spoilers):  Harry runs away from home after an incident with his adoptive family.  He gets picked up by a wizarding bus and taken to safety.  He finds out that a dangerous man named Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban prison.  On the way to Hogwarts the train is stopped and the Azkaban guards, creatures named Dementors, search the train and attack Harry.  He is saved by the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin.  During the school year Harry learns that Sirius Black has a connection to his parents.  Things really start happening when Black and Harry come face to face.

Movie and Book – Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

I am re-reading and re-watching all of the Harry Potter books and movies.  You can find info about this and links to all related posts here.

Plot (no spoilers):  Harry has had a miserable summer back with his aunt and uncle.  Not only does a house elf named Dobby show up giving dire warnings to Harry not to return to Hogwarts, but he ends up literally becoming a prisoner in his own home.  He escapes with the help of the Weasleys and after a misadventure with a flying car, manages to make it back to Hogwarts.  He finds the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is a self-promoting book author with a legion of female fans.  The threat this year is that a Chamber of Secrets has been opened and a monster unleashed on the school.  It attacks several students and suspicion falls first on Harry, then on Hagrid.  Harry has to figure out what is going on in order to set everything right.

Movie and Book – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

I am re-reading and re-watching all of the Harry Potter books and movies.  You can find info about this and links to all related posts here.

Plot (no spoilers):  Harry Potter grows up not realizing that he comes from a legacy of wizards and witches.  He is raised by his aunt and uncle after his parents die and they keep this a secret from him.  It isn’t until his eleventh birthday when he gets contacted by Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that he realizes that he has some special gifts.  He makes friends with fellow first year students Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and the three become the main characters for the entire series.  Each book covers the next year in Harry Potter’s life, up to age 17.  He finds day to day challenges in learning magic and in the actions of some of his schoolmates and professors.  He finds bigger challenges in the danger provided by Voldemort, the evil wizard who killed Harry’s parents.

Harry Potter Books and Movies

“Harry – yer a wizard […] an’ a thumpin good’un, I’d say, once yeh’ve been trained up a bit.”– Hagrid, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

I first remember hearing about Harry Potter when the third book was coming out.  I caught a news story about the anticipation for it.  I didn’t think any more about it.  When the fourth book was coming out, the news stories were almost constant.  I decided to see what all the fuss was about.  The first book was available in regular paperback, so I bought it and read it.  I was able to see why it was so popular with kids.  None of the other books were available in paperback yet, so I didn’t know if/when I might read them.

I mentioned this to a friend and he said that he had the next three books – he had bought them for his son and daughter, but he and his wife had read them, too.  He loaned me the second book, which was a quick read like the first one.  I returned it to him the next day and asked if I could borrow the third one.  Because the weekend was coming he brought in both the third and fourth books.  This was fortuitous for me because if I had not already had both of them in front of me I probably would not have read any more than the first three.  The third book just seemed like more of the same to me and I wasn’t looking forward to reading a fourth that just rehashed the first three.  I read it anyway and it became my favorite of the four because this was the first one with a story that was obviously geared more to adults than children.

Of course, once I got caught up on the books, author J.K. Rowling decided to take three years off to get recharged and plot out the remaining three books.  When the wait was over I bought each of the next three books in hardcover and read them the day they were released.  I also rented each of the movies as they came to DVD.  While I did re-read book 4 at some point, I have never re-read the series or re-watched the movies until now.

I already owned all seven books.  A few weeks ago when all eight movies became available on Blu-ray in a single set, I picked them up.  That was the genesis for my idea to do these reviews.

My plans are to pair books and movies together and read/watch them in order.  I will then write and post a review of each book/movie before moving on to the next one in the series.  I am curious what my impressions will be of them now that I know how the whole story is going to play out.  What things did I miss the first time around because I did not know the part they were going to play later on?  How well did the books translate into the movies?  Will my ratings for the movies change?  Let's find out.

Here are links to my posts on the books and movies.  I will update this list as I post each one.

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Overall Thoughts on the Harry Potter Books and Movies

Here's some Harry Potter humor.

One other bit of fun in regards to Harry Potter: what if the Harry Potter characters appeared on classic album covers?  You can find those here. 

On to the reviews…

Movie – In Bruges (2008)

In Bruges has multiple great performances in it, including the best performance I’ve seen from Colin Farrell.  It won him the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical over his co-star Brendan Gleeson.  I wouldn’t exactly call this movie a comedy, but it does contain quite a bit of humor within a crime drama plot.  The result is a very good movie.  It is number 4 on my list of the best non-traditional Christmas movies.

Humor – Harry Potter Album Covers

Ever wonder what some classic album covers would look like if Harry Potter characters were on them?  Me neither, but seeing them gave me a good laugh.

(And if your response is “What’s an album cover?” then, yes, I am much older than you.)

Here is my favorite – Snape as Elvis:

Click “Read more” for the others.

Movie – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

As the poster says, “It all ends.”  This is the eighth and final Harry Potter movie.  The prior seven have all been very popular and this one may end up being the most popular of them all.  Critics almost universally approve of the movie.  People who have read the books have been a little more critical of it, and not in a nitpicky “he wore a RED shirt in the book, not a GREEN one!” kind of way.  Reactions have been the strongest to the moviemakers choosing to weaken the intensity of the final Harry vs. Voldemort battle.  The result is that many readers who were looking forward to this incredible scene got something that was more anticlimactic than they were expecting.  I share this feeling.  Personally, while watching the movie I was figuring I would give this film five stars, but the last 15 or 20 minutes were a little bit of a let down.  It’s still a very good four star movie, though.