A masterpiece of timelessness. To the ‘where was Harry Potter filmed’, the location was the United Kingdom and London. The entry to the world of magic is gradual, and you have the first row seat to the unfolding of wands, smiles of excitement and big Hagrid.
Author: J. K. Rowling | Release Date: 1997-2007
It’s a world of magic as they say, so do not listen to naysayers and just cross into a realm of limitless potential!
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Having an impression to excite yourself about upon the 1st book was something I lacked, since I had already seen the movies and knew what would happen. Of course, I seethed for additional material to form inside the pages, which would make it all worthwhile.
But the 1st book doesn’t offer much difference than what the movie does. There is no deeper meaning, which books usually give to the visual presentations, but we can give blame to the producer, who followed the book closely and carefully.
Nevertheless, the Philosopher’s Stone is edited to perfection, has beautiful art and shapes of magic, where walls are doors and sticks of wood can make things fly, leviosa to you too.
The exordium is entertaining, despite the looming darkness of the backstory of Harry and the situation of gloom his environment entails. He is a kid who has no choice but to persevere against the hate he never asked for, the hate he wasn’t guilty for.
Yet, the story takes a humorous rumble of excitement, it makes you root for Harry and his success so much that you can’t hold away the grins of grins, when the Dursleys fail with their wishes and muggle-proof plans.
The entry to the world of magic is either just how the story was supposed to build from, or a calculated and perfect plan, since we are all like Harry in the beginning, clueless and green to the fields of unknown hiding in plain sight, the wonders and reaches of the magic world.
Therefore, this excitement doesn’t only hold within Harry, it brims within us, as we understand more and more about this colorful and expansive world of imagination. Even at an age, it can bring our inner child out with smiles and astonishment-unchallenged.
If you haven’t spoiled your mind by watching the movies, this is the slope to trek. But, even if you have, it still is a right choice to undertake.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Just when you had thought things couldn’t get crazier or more special, only to be proven wrong with more, more and more to the glow of richness wherein creativity resides without relent or brakes.
Just like in the Philosopher’s Stone, we step into the Dursley’s home where Harry awaits for the next year of Hogwarts to start. Even if his abilities are feared by his step-family, he is still tightly controlled and influenced by the negativity around him.
Worst of all, none of his friends, Ron and Hermione, have even written him a letter, to which he has no choice but to go through loneliness and doubts.
As unexpected, everything spirals out of control from there on out, in the forms of inflation, old cars and school complications.
Since we talked about the Philosopher’s Stone not offering more content than the movie, I want to address that there is no such issue in the rest of the bulky pages of creativity. They are similar, yet different, and offer way more than you can imagine.
The most intriguing part is the mystery revolving around the disappearances, the Forbidden Forest, the Chamber of Secrets itself and Tom Riddle. I mean, it’s bloody Tom Riddle, who wouldn’t want to know more!?
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
I had thought seeing Voldemort on the back of Professor Quirrell’s bald head was the scariest scene in the series, but then I was proven wrong by the entrance of cloaked and wraithlike creatures. Those creatures’ presence makes one feel as if all happiness has died around them, as if all hope has turned into dust.
“Then, everything went cold, as tho all the happiness had gone from the world.”
Sure, Harry Potter was meant for kids, but as a person out of such diapason of age, I think there’s a lot of material which does overstep the boundaries, especially when you have experience and knowledge for the world around you. A kid cannot understand the effects of depression or the consequences of murder.
And believe me, there are tons of it. You cannot escape magic’s realm of constant antagonism obvious and hidden. Here we have the conundrum of following blindly the status quo or going against it and its established order, while suffering the consequences of those decisions.
“If you succeed tonight, more than one innocent life may be spared.”
The plot twists were unexpected, the atmosphere and dialogue was godly, and Peter was a rat all along. But who can blame the guy, he thought he had joined the winning side, only to be thrown under the wand and be forced into hiding and living as a squeaking rat. Sounds like the existence he deserved for all his treachery.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
I was amused at the ability of Rowling to trick me into believing that these trials for Goblet of Fire were anything harder than what our protagonist and his friends had already persevered through.
I mean, Voldemort himself, even if weak and whimpering; the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, Professor Snape, the Ministry’s Dementors, Aragog’s children, the Dursleys and so on. The challenges at the Goblet of Fire pale away in comparison, yet the reader thinks otherwise, due to good writing.
Nonetheless, we enter again this presumption, this dissonance Harry is going through as he prepares mentally for the trials to come, trials he never wanted any part in. Rita Skeeter was an acceptable addition, especially since I had went through the fake news fiascos and this newly arising cancel culture.
But no matter how smart Rita was, she couldn’t outsmart the smartest witch there ever was, especially after Rita had targeted her.
All things considered, this book was the saddest and most crushing of the prior, since more was brought to the cupboard. There was a part in link to one of the major antagonists, where I felt sadder than ever. A mother would give her life for her child, a father would go against himself for his child.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Having met Cedric’s death in the Goblet of Fire, Harry can now see the creatures named Thestrals, which makes him believe he is losing his mind, something not untrue due to Voldemort’s return.
Harry is no longer the innocent and submissive boy he used to be in the Philosopher’s Stone, as he goes through the thoughts of entitlement that he deserves to know what’s going on around him.
But the darkness inside his head deepens and doubt replaces his trust in everything and everyone, especially in the Ministry, because they’re actively trying to censor anyone who’d think Voldemort has returned.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, where we had the Ministry trying to sabotage the Defense Against the Dark Arts, hence, accidently prompting students to learn on their own and resulting in them achieving top results, ones which they wouldn’t have had achieved if having went through the traditional ways of teaching.
In a way I saw this as a hint to our current situation of education, especially where I’ve studied. Finland wins in this regards tho, lucky them.
If you’ve hated Malfoy or Uncle Vernon’s constant growls of futility, then you’ll come to meet Professor Umbridge, a woman with a disgruntled face and a collection of dishes, which would make one vomit.