New Potter film evokes mixed emotions

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Harry Potter. I've read all four of J.K. Rowling's books, devouring the fourth 700-page monster in one 24-hour period. I rushed to the theater to see the film adaptation of the novel that started it all, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Needless to say I was more than a little excited to be living in Gildersleeve last year, which sounded like it belonged in the whimsical halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

And I'm not the only one who's fallen under Harry's charms. The courageous young wizard is the perfect hero for young and old alike. He's spunky, lovable, caring and certainly never boring. Rowling works magic with the pen; the second book in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, alone sold over 42 million copies worldwide. Harry's big screen debut garnered $317,557,891, making it the eighth top-grossing movie of all time. Rest assured that "muggles" everywhere will be lining up well before show time in anticipation of his next movie adventure, to be released next Thursday at midnight.

I'm sure I'll venture to Towson next weekend for this much-anticipated sequel film; after all, I've only been looking forward to it for over a year now. At the same time, I think that it will be a bittersweet experience.

First, Chamber of Secrets marks the unexpected finale to a brilliant acting career. Richard Harris, who plays the sage headmaster at Hogwarts, Prof. Albus Dumbledore, succumbed to Hodgkin's disease on Oct. 25 at the age of 72. The Irish actor, twice nominated for an Academy Award, became a star in 1963's This Sporting Life and is also remembered for roles in The Field, Camelot, Patriot Games and Gladiator, among others. Twice divorced, twice bankrupt and twice read last rites, he had a reputation for being a notorious wild man off screen, but nonetheless blended perfectly into his role in the Harry Potterfilms.

Also, though I thought the first Harry Potter movie was highly entertaining and generally faithful to the book, there is no denying that it fell short of its literary counterpart. Sure, it had a fabulous cast, including newcomer and Harry look-alike Daniel Radcliffe as well as more seasoned vets like Harris, Dame Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman. Yes, the special effects were awesome beyond belief, creating the glittering eye-candy that is the magical Hogwarts School and bringing to life the high-flying intensity of Quidditch. Yet somehow, the characters could never be as rich, nor the effects as brilliant, as they were in my imagination when I read Rowling's original masterpiece. I suspect the same will hold true with the Chamber of Secrets.

Perhaps what upsets me most is the increased tendency to merchandize and market movies, a tendency which is extremely evident in the case of our wizard friend. An eBay search turned up no less than 15437 items related to Harry Potter. Certainly a few of these include the movie DVDs or the boxed set of books, but the vast majority are gadgets and gizmos designed to turn Harry into a household commodity. You can get clothing of all varieties, games, puzzles, jewelry, figurines, posters, bedding, trading cards, holiday decorations, video games and even Jelly Belly's rendition of the infamous Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, which include such tasty delicacies as booger, sardine and vomit.

This phenomenon is not unique to the case of Harry Potter. Since I began editing for Arts & Entertainment, I've received a lot of promotional mail designed to induce favorable reviews. So far, I've collected a long-sleeved shirt for Knockaround Guys, a magnetic Reese Witherspoon changeable doll for Sweet Home Alabama, a Jackass barf bag, many Jackie Chan masks for The Tuxedo, a Lilo & Stitch beach ball, Formula 51 coasters and lewd door hangers compliments of The Rules of Attraction. (This is only a partial listing, mind you.) Harry Potter is only following the current trend with movies, that is to compete to prove Madonna right when she sang, "We are living in a material world..."

This fact is especially depressing, however, in relation to the Harry Potter franchise. Unlike many other stories, Rowling's books deserve attention in their own right without all these bells and whistles. After all, they are good enough to rank on many required reading lists in middle schools around the world and controversial enough to have landed on a lot of banned book lists, too. This merchandizing detracts from her work; Harry Potter is meant to be read and imagined, not watched and played with.

Will I see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? Yes. Will I like it? Probably. Will I get some Harry Potter commodity for Christmas? Maybe. More than slick Hollywood productions or Harry Potter collectibles, however, the adventures that Rowling's next book will inspire in my own imagination are what I look forward to the most.