Harry Potter and the deeply shallow
The many reasons Harry Potter is overrated

By Taylor “Grumbledore” Wolken

Published: Sunday, July 17, 2011

Updated: Monday, July 18, 2011 23:07

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two, the series finale and culmination of fourteen years of Pottermania, smashed box office records over the weekend with $168.6 million in North American sales besting The Dark Knight. This begs the question, "What has happened to literature?"

The Potter series is a far cry from literary classics, which captivated the hearts and minds of children and adults alike. The Chronicles of Narnia gripped the imaginations of kids and still inspires intellectual debate with its themes. The Lord of the Rings created a dynamic new world full of thoughtful and developed characters in an iconic struggle between good and evil. Harry Potter is just fun.

Throughout the series, Rowling struggles with consistency. Plot holes and literary gimmicks abound.

How does Voldemort recover his wand, which is presumably lost when he originally attempts to kill Potter and destroys himself?

Why is it never again convenient to use the time-turner after Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban? Wouldn't this be a great device to save dear old Sirius from his mysterious demise and prevent your friends from falling into an ambush?

Are we supposed to believe Barty Crouch Jr. drank polyjuice potions for an entire school year to impersonate Alastor Moody and change the tri-wizard cup into a port key rather than grabbing Harry and apporating with him from Hogsmeade?

Why does no one believe Harry didn't kill Cedric Diggory when it is possible to check the last spells cast by Harry's wand? If the Ministry of Magic can tell when Harry casts a patronus charm during a break from school, wouldn't they be able to tell if he cast the killing curse?

Why do the deathly hallows play such a small role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? Why do the three hallows combined allow one to conquer death but in the deathly hallows tale, the cape alone allowed its first owner to escape death?

Voldemort can't kill Harry with his own wand because they conveniently share the same core, but he can't throw a boulder at Harry with his wand? He can't just strangle him or shoot him with a gun? Harry presumably wouldn't be able to attack Voldemort with his wand either.

How do the students in Harry Potter manage to stay alive using the same four spells for seven books? One would expect battling dark wizards requires more than first grade spell knowledge. Isn't casting expelliarmus against those using the killing curse akin to bringing a knife to a gunfight?

Getting past the jumble of conflicting, confusing and nonsensical twists in the Harry Potter series still leaves Rowling's attempt the develop the series intellectually as its readers aged. This last minute effort to add depth to an otherwise shallow series rears its ugly head most obviously in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows.

The Ministry of Magic quickly develops into the full-blown wizardry equivalent of Nazi Germany, seeking out mudbloods in what comes across as a desperate and half-hearted attempt at addressing a serious issue.

After avoiding any romantic development for six books, Ron and Hermione, without warning, become an inseparable item, allowing Rowling to put a check mark by love story on her to do list.

Dobby makes an appearance long enough to die and remind everyone he is free once again shortchanging a serious topic in an effort to add meaning to a series that had previously only been fun.

Then the last, and saddest attempt to add cultural depth, Rowling announced after her last book that Dumbledore had never married or had kids because he was gay. There is little in the books to indicate this but why not give another half-hearted aside to a politically contentious issue if it will create hype and add to the coffers.

The Harry Potter series is fun and entertaining but incredibly overrated. The only true magic in the series is that it managed to develop a massive following over a decade with the literary depth of a Jell-O cup.



Taylor Wolken is a junior economics major and editor-in-chief of The Battalion.

Movies: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2


To quote everyone's favorite wizard, I have this to say: I love magic!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is pure film gold. Everything about this movie, from the acting, to the stunts, to the cgi work, is so well done I found myself forgetting it didn't exist when I saw it at last night's midnight showing. The final chapter in the Potter saga came wrapped in a perfect little package that promised action, adventure, tears, thrills and even a couple laughs, and definitely held true to that promise. Watching the film, I could feel my heart literally beating faster at the action and the lump forming in my throat at the sad moments. It really brought you into the story and made you feel as if you yourself were one of the characters. While I hadn't read the book (more of a movie fan), I had heard about and skimmed through the book a bit, so the majority of it I knew already. From what I saw last night, the film didn't disappoint in sticking true to the story and even adding fan favorites like Molly Weasley's famous "Not my daughter, you *****!" line. Even the epilogue--what I've heard to be fans' least favorite part of the book--was well done, making the characters look tastefully older without going too over-the-top. My personal favorite moments were Ron and Hermione's highly anticipated kiss (I've been a fan of the couple for quite some time), the epilogue, and the final moment when the Dark Lord himself is vanquished for good. The absolute best part of the experience however, believe it or not, was the fans. The theater was packed with countless witches, wizards, Dobbys, and even a couple Bellatrixes. There were crazy moments when A boy dressed as Harry chased a boy dressed as a snitch around the theater, and when a bunch of students chased a Voldemort around, yelling out spells such as "Avada Kedavra" and "Expelliarmus". It surely cannot be said that Harry Potter fans are not die-hard and devoted! The overall Deathly Hallows experience was remarkable and unforgettable, and it brought me to believe that while this may be the final chapter in the story of a young wizard with a lightning bolt scar and glasses, Harry Potter lives on--and will continue to live on--in the pages of the books, in the scenes of the movies, and most importantly, in the hearts of fans everywhere. So, if you're a fan, pick up your wand, grab your Hogwarts robe, and fly your broom to the nearest theater. I can promise your ticket will be money well spent!