I have always found it difficult to form a decent opinion about the Harry Potter series: somehow something has never felt completely right.
As you may have seen they are not on my list of best fantasy series and the movies are placed 7th on my list of best fantasy movies but mainly because of their huge popularity. On the one hand I appreciate the books and enjoy watching the movies but on the other hand they just do not seem to be able to catch my attention.
Not my type of fantasy?
I can think of several reasons why Harry Potter is not my thing. Sure, the story itself is pretty good, the characters are quite well established and the magical elements often are cool and original. However, it just not be the type of fantasy I am into. The series is not particularly epic in scale nor is it mysterious or dark and it lacks the humor I like. Therefore, the series simply lacks the qualities I appreciate in fantasy.
Generation gap?
Another reason for not being a fan of Harry Potter is the fact that I don’t fit in the target age group. Many will say that the series can be read by young and old but I feel that the books but especially the movies are focused on a specific ‘age bandwidth’. The first movies are aimed at very young teenagers and book by book the content and style of the series gradually changes to match this group. Given that I am not a teenager anymore, Potter always appears just a bit childish to me. The Halfblood Prince was even ‘snoggy’ at times.
Conclusion
I can think of other reasons, like Harry Potter being too commercial for its own good but in the end I know that I shouldn’t complain to much. To be honest, we have to be grateful to J.K. Rowling for providing a very nice introduction to fantasy for a couple of million young people. Looking at it like this, she did the entire genre a favor and not just her bank account. However, the series has been quite one-dimensional and personally I believe it to be a good thing that the series is finished and that movies are also coming to an end.
Tags: Fantasy Books, Fantasy Movies, Fantasy Series, Harry Potter
