Harry Potter and the Midnight Movie

I'm not sure what I want most to talk about from this weekend, but seeing that I haven't posted anything other than quizzes in a couple of days, I feel like a real update is due.

Harry Potter was first, I suppose, on Friday night. (In case you haven't read the book or seen the movie, I will probably give things away, so stop reading now if that applies to you.) Rachel wanted to go to the midnight showing at the IMAX theater at the Franklin Institute, and she talked me into it. Alex had apparently been disappointed in her experience of seeing it earlier, and came to join us. I was ambivalent about the whole IMAX-midnight thing, but when we arrived and they gave us goody bags with our tickets, I was thoroughly charmed. They were little plastic bags with Harry's picture on the outside, and inside were all kinds of fascinating things! Including a wand with a silver-glitter star on top, some really quite excellent stickers of Harry Potter, a weird gel skull thing, a spider ring that fit on my pinky, a lightening bolt temporary tattoo, and... best of all... a sort of star shaped item with many points, that lights up in red and blue when you hit it against a table or something. There were also workers dressed in purple robes with this big machine that occasionally produced huge smoke rings! The whole atmosphere was festive and exciting.

I was a bit less festive-feeling when we got in, though, because my period decided to reassert itself in the absence of a pad, and the wait outside the theater was quite long. And then as the movie began I was seriously concerned that I was going to feel dizzy and sick the whole time, but somehow my brain must have adjusted, because after a few difficult scenes, this passed and i was able to enjoy the film.

And I did enjoy it! I thought it was really, really good, and I was totally caught up in the story. The emotional arc made a lot of sense to me, and was well conveyed. In fact, a lot of it had more impact for me on the screen than it did in the books. I feel like a bad bibliophile for saying it, but it's true. Especially Cedric's death, and his father's reaction to it. In the book, I was sorry that he died, and it had an impact, but I was also... kind of excited that she had taken the story to this level, that the stakes were so high, you know? But in the movie it felt much more raw, seeing Harry's reaction, but especially seeing Cedric's father's reaction, and the way he was just sort of wailing over the body... I could feel that, it was very visceral, and it definitely had an impact.

Also, I had all sorts of reactions to Voldemort that were extremely different than the ones I had in response to the book. I guess in the books, even though I know that Voldemort is the Ultimate Evil Guy, I haven't necessarily felt the extremity of that in any kind of visceral or personal way. I perceive the menace he creates for everybody, but I find him... repugnant, and bad, but not, well... not someone who would be so powerful as to create a stir just by the repetition of his name.

In the movie, I was actually captivated by him. I feel weird saying it, because that's not the "right" reaction at all. But he felt familiar. He felt the way I always expect the "evilest" characters to feel, he had the right mannerisms and behaviors and speech patterns... and I just wanted to watch him. I wanted him to stay on the screen. And I didn't feel frightened, really, I just felt, well... Voldemort is here, and that is him, and it's what I remember. I'm a little scared that I wasn't more scared, actually, even though if I stop to think about it, it's not all that surprising. In any case, kudos and a half to Ralph Fiennes. Absolutely perfect.

Also, every single time Snape was on the screen I just felt this rush of love and approval for everything he did. Alan Rickman is one of the most intensely interesting and attractive men ever, and the character is so marvelous! My hands down favorite type of character... the fucked up, troubled, often petty, but in the end stalwart hero!
And I do believe that is what he is. Snape, I just want to hug you!

Wow, ok, so now we all know I have something of an inner fangirl. Despite my dislike for the term.

I think my one complaint, and I guess it's more about the story than the movie, is that I was slightly unconvinced that they would have such a thing as a Triwizard Tournament if people were known to die in it. I mean, why would they have a contest for 17 year olds, or whatever, where contestants routinely met with fatal situations, just to give them a prize? I think it might have made more sense to not have this "potential for death" thing be a part from the beginning, since the only reason that anybody actually dies is Voldemort's interferance, which is not on the original challenge list.

And... also, I want to say that Neville is really cute. I sort of want him to be the one, even though I doubt that will happen.

And... I guess I will leave it at that for the moment, and post more about the rest of the weekend later. I have a sneaking suspicion that I should do some work today.