Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Harry Potter Sucks

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

Jon'sLightBulbs

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 31, 2005
524
0
Chicago
What a banal, contrived soup pot of poorly stitched-together anecdotes involving children running around witnessing MAGICAL events and casting SPELLS. Can somebody tell me what exactly the ghosts running around the dining hall exist for? They don't even seem to interact with potter and friends. Terribly inane.

Let's hear it from other Potter haters. Everyone else who can't wait for Harry Potter 24 can go post somewhere else.

HTH
 
Jon'sLightBulbs said:
What a banal, contrived soup pot of poorly stitched-together anecdotes involving children running around witnessing MAGICAL events and casting SPELLS. Can somebody tell me what exactly the ghosts running around the dining hall exist for? They don't even seem to interact with potter and friends. Terribly inane.

Let's hear it from other Potter haters. Everyone else who can't wait for Harry Potter 24 can go post somewhere else.

HTH
Click to expand...

If you're referring to the movies, I would tend to agree. Chris Columbus butchered the first 2 such that unless you have already read the books, you probably won't get much out of it.

Cuerzon or whoever did the 3rd one, isn't much of a story teller and made the movie choppy at best.

So if your only experience with the whole HP thing is via movies and the craziness that ensues from book/movie releases, I can see where you might get grouchy enough to hop on an anti-Harry soapbox. I used do the same thing with Lord of the Rings. After all, it's just a 3 part movie where the plot is 15 minutes of "oh we made a ring. It's too powerful. Um...better destroy it." followed by 3-4 hours of running away from everything.
 
The movies ruined it for me. I liked the characters imagined in my head from reading the books more than what a bunch of greedy filmmakers and studio blackcoats envisioned. Definitely a butchering of the novels so soon before the series has ended.

Parents should give their kids HP books rather than movie tickets. It's sickening.
 
First off, you can't write a post as such and expect fans not to rebut. It just isn't realistic or fair.

Second off, the ghosts in the dining hall exist to create a mood, and to give life to the setting. If a respected poet was to say to write a poem about a graveyard and mentioned that the only noise made were the sounds of crickets, the crickets might not have any relation to the story, or place in the plot, but they set a very specific mood.

Thirdly, they actually do interact with Potter and his friends. But you are correct, they do not play a major role in the story. Not every character can have a major role.

Lastly, the stories are very good. Rowling has created a world that 99% of people can't help but fall in love with. The characters are interesting and unique. The opinion of an individual, like myself, might not carry any weight, but I think the success of the book speaks volumes. Pun intended.

You are entitled to your opinion, but I feel that it's my duty as a HP fan to SPELL out for you why I am attracted to this MAGICAL world, and defend Rowling's placement of the ghosts in the main hall.

_Emerson
 
mcarnes said:
Can't say I'm much of a HP fan, so count me in. They are kids books anyway aren't they?
Click to expand...

According to J.K. Rowling, no, they aren't.

Could it be that a lack of imagination has contributed to hating such things?
 
I don't particularly care for HP either. I am more of a Narnia person ^^, just like i don't like LOTR but prefer Dune
 
Jon'sLightBulbs said:
What a banal, contrived soup pot of poorly stitched-together anecdotes involving children running around witnessing MAGICAL events and casting SPELLS. Can somebody tell me what exactly the ghosts running around the dining hall exist for? They don't even seem to interact with potter and friends. Terribly inane.

Let's hear it from other Potter haters. Everyone else who can't wait for Harry Potter 24 can go post somewhere else.

HTH
Click to expand...

Please go and find something better to do than bash something a lot of other people, and probably some on this forum love. It actually rather makes one look silly.
 
Thanks, eva, forgot about the Chronicles of Narnia-- read that so long ago, and really ate it up, but have since forgotten most of it. :eek:

I agree w/ a bunch of the previous posters-- I violently dislike the HP movies (that said, I'll still be in line on November 18; was that the date?). But I love the books... well, some of them at least. And if the HP books were only 'children's books,' then why has it attained such world-wide success and sold so many copies? I'm sorry, if each copy went only to a 'child,' then we'd be swamped w/ little rugrats all around us! No, many many adults love the series (in fact, I'd argue that more adults than children love the series).

Just go to see the lines waiting for a book/movie release-- tons of adults dressed up in costume.
 
Im not a Harry Potter fan only because I never read the first couple books. Maybe if I had kids or was a kid when it came out, Id be a fan. Im 26, so it was a smidge after my time. I think I was more into cars and chicks when that stuff came out. Now that it's a phenomenon, its hard for me to take the time to read all 7 (?) books and catch up.
 
agreenster said:
Im not a Harry Potter fan only because I never read the first couple books. Maybe if I had kids or was a kid when it came out, Id be a fan. Im 26, so it was a smidge after my time. I think I was more into cars and chicks when that stuff came out. Now that it's a phenomenon, its hard for me to take the time to read all 7 (?) books and catch up.
Click to expand...


Bah, I'm older than you (albeit not much) and I still like the books. I used to make fun of my wife when she tried to get me to read them. I'd be like "sorry hun, I try to read things at a little higher than 6th grade level." But I must say the books are not unlike pixar films, anyone at any age can get get some form of enjoyment out of them--and generally on different levels.

The books aren't that hard to read. (there are only 6 out now). If you start with the first one, it's short, quick, and enjoyable. Before long, you'll want to find out what happens in the next book. They get longer, but trust me, it's better that way. Besides, you don't want to let a bunch of "kids" books intimidate you, do you? :p
 
Hector said:
it does suck, terry pratchet owns JK.
Click to expand...
The only thing Pratchett owns is a photocopier; he's been turning out the same tired rehashes for years. I was a big fan, but you can only read the same plot so many times.
And he's a total *jerk* for going after JK Rowling in the press; bitter much?
 
Hector said:
example?
Click to expand...
The guards series: same book each time, with the addition of the character develpments of Vimes and Carrot. The major story arcs are great, but there's one story stretched thinly over a repeating formula.

Soul Music (my favourite) is the same as Moving Pictures. Actually, now I think back, The Truth was the same story.

Reaper Man and Hogfather: Same story.

Witches Abroad and Maskerade: Same story.

Fifth Elephant and Night Watch (the last one I read - that was breaking point): Same story.

Hmmm... now I write it down, it's worse than I thought.
 
Badradio said:
The only thing Pratchett owns is a photocopier
Click to expand...
Like that bit :D
he's been turning out the same tired rehashes for years. I was a big fan, but you can only read the same plot so many times.
Click to expand...
and agree with that entirely.

As for Rowling, I find her the style of her writing rather boring an unengaging. And one of the big gripes I have is that she didn't make the lead character female; it could have been a strong role model for young girls.

Wasted opportunity.
 
Yeah, Harry Potter blows serious ass. I mean, witches and wizards, what the hell? It's all a load of bull***** anyway, right? And what's the deal with that Dumbledore fella? He doesn't seem to have any point! Nothing has a point in those books! They read like a schizopsychotic moron wrote them! I mean, find a plot already! Find a point! Jeez! I mean, yeah, kids are reading more and stuff, but why can't they read good books like 'Portnoy's Complaint' and 'Lolita' and 'A Clockwork Orange'? Harry Potter is drivel. Nobody should make so much money off of writing books. Writers contribute nothing to society! Leave the big money where it belongs, with movie stars and pro athletes! J.K. Rowling should crawl in a ditch and die! Worthless! Talentless! Hack!

I'm so glad I have a place like this, an appropriate forum for expressing my outrage at children's books.
 
Jon'sLightBulbs said:
What a banal, contrived soup pot of poorly stitched-together anecdotes involving children running around witnessing MAGICAL events and casting SPELLS. Can somebody tell me what exactly the ghosts running around the dining hall exist for? They don't even seem to interact with potter and friends. Terribly inane.

Let's hear it from other Potter haters. Everyone else who can't wait for Harry Potter 24 can go post somewhere else.

HTH
Click to expand...

Why would you trash anything that gets kids to read? :confused:

When kids are lining up at midnight for a book, of all things, instead of a pair of sneakers or whatever...I don't care what the book is about.
 
First off, I haven't read the books. I have not heard one bad thing about the books, and with the exception of myself, it's amazing how the books have gotten a huge amount of young kids to read. Secondly, I found all 3 movies to date very entertaining, but I do know that from people who have read the books did not like the movies as much as I had. Yet they still enjoyed both, just not at the same scale.

mac-er said:
Why would you trash anything that gets kids to read? :confused:

When kids are lining up at midnight for a book, of all things, instead of a pair of sneakers or whatever...I don't care what the book is about.
Click to expand...

EXCELLENT point. Even in my small town there were huge lineups at the downtown book store. My mom and sister were there, and my cousin even dressed up for it. Harry Potter is a good thing.
 
Mitthrawnuruodo said:
Hey, Jon'sLightBulbs, first gay bashing, and now Harry Potter bashing... :confused:

You're not one of them fun - du'h - mental - ists, are you...? :D
Click to expand...

No way. My "any heteros here?" post was far from bashing. Instead, it was harmless satire. I'm pretty sure a large number of posters here were sick of seeing the same old Any Gays Here thread on the community boards for months on end.

Guilty plea on the Potter bashing charge.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back