Harry Potter 1: Book or Movie?
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| Plot
Book: Orphaned Harry Potter finds that mysterious events keep happening to him. On his 11th birthday, he finds he has been accepted to a magical school for witches and wizards. If that isn’t enough, a mysterious scar and a tragic secret make him the most important magical being alive.
Movie: I think the movie does a pretty good job of keeping to the plot. All of the main plot elements are in the story. It is easiest in this book, since it is by-far, the shortest (except for perhaps the second book).
Characters
Book: One of the things I like best about the Harry Potter series are the vivid characters. Each character is its own distinct person. My personal favorites have always been Snape (I’m glad other people are annoyed by children’s antics), Ron (sidekicks get no love), and Dumbledore (he just seems a little crazy).
Movie: Although the actor that plays Harry Potter makes me cringe in spots, I think everyone else was perfect for their roles. I really liked the Dumbledore in this movie- too bad he died.
Setting
Book: Harry Potter is all about the setting and the differences between the magical and human worlds. I think this is probably what made the book successful.
Movie: The movie did all right at translating the setting to the screen. One of the odd things that I didn’t like about the movie’s settings was 1, everything seemed kind of dirty, and 2, the staircases literally moved. That’s not how I saw them in the book.
Feel
Book: I think the book does an amazing job of making it feel like a magical world could be right beyond our eyes.
Movie: I think the movie was a little off, as far as feel goes, but the soundtrack was perfect. That does a lot to make a movie feel right.
Winner
It’s been ages since I read Harry Potter, but I have read the book several times. I think the book is better, simply because it captures more of a universal feeling. However, the movie is well-done, too. I think it was one of the first to spawn movie-versions that are actually close to the original story.
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