Harry Potter

[TheX]

My wife read the books and listened to the audio books. She LOVES them. I bought her the 8 movie Blu-Ray boxset for her birthday. She likes it when I watch her movies with her so we watched one a weekend.

Just finished the last one, and I have to say...Well done!!!! I did NOT expect to like them, but I did.

 

[Alligatorbling]

Becky is a hardcore fan. I enjoyed the movies, never read the books though. She says its so much more to the story in the books vs movies, as i would have expected.

 

[TheX]

Becky is a hardcore fan. I enjoyed the movies, never read the books though. She says its so much more to the story in the books vs movies, as i would have expected.

Deborah says the movies cover maybe 20%.

 

[Marshall & Moonshine]

I'm in the same boat. My wife loved the audio books and loved the movies. I had a feeling that chick was gonna be hot. Damn if I wasn't right.
Personally I hated what little I was forced to watch of one of those movies, but I recently watched (albeit somewhat peripherally) Fantastic Beasts and it looks like a pretty good movie.
Don't bother telling me the book was better.

 

[Bigfoot410]

I've even gone to Universal to the Harry Potter stuff. It was amazing. Love the whole series.

 

[acstorfer]

I really enjoyed the Harry Potter movies. It was fun seeing the characters and plots develop with the aging of the audience. It started out for the young, and as they grew up it just got darker and darker.

That being said, Fantastic Beasts was a suckfest.

 

[SteveC]

My youngest daughter loved Harry Potter - the books. They were a great part of our time together. Each time a new book would come out, we'd go to the "midnight sale" at our local bookstore. She has the entire collection in First Editions.

When they started making feature films, our thing was to "skip school" and go to the matinee on opening day.

It makes me happy.... and sad, remembering back. She's now 31 and having her first child this summer. WTF did the years go?

 

[OldBenKenobi]

Love the books, hate the movies.

I'm not typically one of those "the book is always better" people. I've always been confused by that. Look at the AFI Top 100 and see how many were based on a book, play or real life (it's a lot), then check to see which ones are more famous for the book (it's very few). But in the case of Harry Potter it's definitely true. There's just so much story that can't be covered in the runtime of a movie.

 

[bulletproof]

I really enjoy the Harry Potter books and movies...My kids got me into them way back. One of the best series there is,IMHO.

 

[Detector]

I'll admit I love the Harry Potter movies. In fact I'm watching Sorcerer’s Stone right now.

 

[Cozmik Cowboy]

Yes, I read all the books. Yes, i watched all the movies.
The books are some of the most wonderful things ever written, and Rowling did an amazing job of tailoring each book to the age her son was at the time (same as Harry's age). I wish they'd been around when I was a kid.
And while the movies of necessity pale in comparison (you couldn't fit everything in), the only better job of turning classic books into film is, IMO, the Lord of the Rings series (which, while great, also omit much - or each would be longer than the 3 together as made) and Game of Thrones.
OldBen, i would argue that popularity is not a fit yardstick for quality; I have seen countless movies and read the books they came from, and the only time the book wasn't better was Sleepers; the movie was good, but the book was truly execrable.

 

[HeartString]

My wife read the books and listened to the audio books. She LOVES them. I bought her the 8 movie Blu-Ray boxset for her birthday. She likes it when I watch her movies with her so we watched one a weekend.

Just finished the last one, and I have to say...Well done!!!! I did NOT expect to like them, but I did.

What's so good about them if you could sum it up best? When I was a kid everyone was reading the Hobbit and Lord of the Rinds. I don't get it.

 

[SteveC]

The story was complex, with many sub-plots that returned in later books. Yet, it was simple enough for younger readers to follow & enjoy.
The characters were developed well and they were quite complex, too. The interaction between them was very nicely orchestrated, again - flowing between books seamlessly.
The writing was superb. It was not in the style of "look at me, I am a writer throwing every trick of prose at you". It was detailed enough for advanced readers to enjoy and pure and simple enough for the younger audience.

The films were just OK... at best they were a greatest hits of the books. I think they were carried largely by the popularity of the books and the hype. Many will disagree and that's OK, too

 

[TheX]

For me, the last 30 minutes of the last film made the rest of them great. It really is one very well connected story.

 

[Jeremiah]

I have no children and I can't blame it on my wife as she hates sci fi and fantasy. I loved the books and movies, I've read and watched them all multiple times. It is still my go to series if I want to read something light to pass the time on long trips.

 

[nauc]

i have all the HP movies on Bluray, theyre awesome

 

[nauc]

i like when Hermine kills Harry at the end and eats him...

 

[OldBenKenobi]

i like when Hermine kills Harry at the end and eats him...

still wuld

OldBen, i would argue that popularity is not a fit yardstick for quality; I have seen countless movies and read the books they came from, and the only time the book wasn't better was Sleepers; the movie was good, but the book was truly execrable.

That's a fair argument, and it can always be backed up with the super popular Bieber example, but there's a big difference between what's trendy now and what has become a true classic not just in its medium but in culture as a whole. Popularity isn't a great yardstick, but does anyone think The Godfather is a better book than it is a movie (and if they do I pity them, because as much as I love the book the movie is on another plane of existence)?

 

[Caleb]

the only time the book wasn't better was Sleepers; the movie was good, but the book was truly execrable.

Off topic, but I would like to add L.A.Confidential to the small group of books that sucked compared to the movie. One of my favorite movies ever, and I found the book damn near unreadable.

I've only seen the first Harry Potter movie and I was pleasantly surprised by how much it stirred my imagination. I've been meaning to read the books for years; to my shame I simply haven't gotten around to it.

 

[Laggspike]

My wife read the books and listened to the audio books. She LOVES them. I bought her the 8 movie Blu-Ray boxset for her birthday. She likes it when I watch her movies with her so we watched one a weekend.

Just finished the last one, and I have to say...Well done!!!! I did NOT expect to like them, but I did.

Jenny and i watches the 8 movies like 2 times a year or something, and we still looooove them!

we tend to find more and more details wherever we look when we see them haha!