Harry Potter series is now five movies old and despite being an adaptation of probably the best fiction series ever written, it has not been able to notch its place among the classic movies of all time. And compare it with another fiction movie series, released at pretty much the same time as Harry Potter—the Lord of the Rings trilogy that has carved a momentous place for itself in the history of world cinema. What made the difference?
Why the comparison?
People might ask this question first and for their clarification, I would say that I feel the two stories are very closely related to each other. Some of the characters of Harry Potter seem very much like those of Lord of the Rings Trilogy. A simple example is the character of Albus Dumbledore, who bears great resemblance to Gandalf Greyham—both in appearance as well as the role-play. Both are like counselors—the guiding force in a battle of good and evil. Both direct the protagonist—Harry Potter and Frodo Baggins—to fight against all odds and destroy the mighty Dark Lord. And coming to Dark Lord, it can be said that both Voldemort and Sauron are also closely related.
Now—both of these books are magnificent in their appeal and storyline. Lord of the Rings is a literary achievement and Harry Potter is a commercial milestone. Then, why is there so much difference between the movie adaptations based on these two great pieces of writing?
The simple reason, I feel, is the direction of the two movies, which is hugely different from each other. The direction of Harry Potter movies seems like a paid enterprise where each director comes in for different part of the series and does his job and then he’s off. There is no emotional bonding between the director and movie. A director is the heart and soul of any movie and until and unless, he’s not involved in every aspect of the movie, it would always be a topsy-turvy affair. For Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson has given his all. He worked on the movie for more than seven years and developed it like it was his own creation—giving full tribute to the original author of the books as well.
I think the reason for Harry Potter’s failure is over-commercialization of the venture. Warner Bros. are creating the movie just for minting money from the name and fame of Harry Potter books. There is no genuine appeal going with the movies. Had they been stand alone movies without any book to buffer them—they would not have made more than average collections. What I want to say about appeal is evident from the size of the movies, which is a constant source of discussion—why do they make the Harry Potter movies so small? The longer the book, the shorter they are making the movie. It would do no harm to Harry Potter series if the movies were of three-hour duration. That would make the viewers feel more at home and understand the intricacies of the wizarding world better. Now, it is just like pop-corn entertainment. The movie just banks on its special effects, which were also found wanting in the recent installment—Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The producers don’t seem to realize that they are sending to waste one of the greatest stories every written. They are not able to carry the movies to that next level. The climax scenes get overly trimmed, the more dramatic elements are removed and the characters are not allowed to grow beyond mediocre level.
Exactly opposite has been done in the Lord of the Rings where everything is inch-perfect—characters, costumes, special effects, climax scenes, charms and horrors. I hope the producers and directors realize that they are ruining a gold mine of true movie-making. They may be earning a lot of money but they are just loosing the chance of etching their name in the history of Hollywood and for that matter, the world cinema. There are still two more installments to come in this series and as far as the story is considered, they are almost stupefying and stunning. I hope they decide to put in some show after all the destruction. There is still time left.
A dialogue from the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring comes to my mind. In that movie, Gandalf said to Frodo: “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” I hope the Harry Potter producers and directors keep this in mind.
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