The Trouble with Harry

I suffered through Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to see the Narnia trailer.

Before I get to the trailer, I have a few comments about Harry Potter. I fully realize that it’s unfair of me to judge the Harry Potter books by the movies.

But I’m going to do it anyway.

I really only have one complaint about him – he’s a walking violation of the “show don’t tell” rule found in every good writing book. Throughout the movies people come up to him and say, "You're the great Harry Potter!" I don't want to hear that you're great -- you better show me you're great by your deeds. Your ancestry means jack to me -- what have you done?

Harry is alternately bullied or praised, not because of what he’s actually done, but because of his pedigree and potential. Bad guys hate him because they hated his parents. Good guys like him because they think he’ll be powerful one day. People assume that he’s intelligent and is a good student, but time after time, his female sidekick studies harder, works harder, knows more spells and saves everyone’s ass. Frankly, the story ought to be about her. Unfortunately, she's somewhat irritating.

Harry gets special treatment from his school’s administrators because he’s blessed. When he breaks a rule, he’s not punished, since rules shouldn’t apply to him. Oddly, Harry seems to be unaware of the special treatment he receives from the headmaster and others. He acts as if he actually expects to be punished or expelled when he breaks rules; however, he doesn’t seem ashamed when he gets a free pass. You would think that being showered with undeserved props would bother an individual who isn’t, you know, an insufferable asshole.

Anyway, enough about Harry.

The Narnia trailer was a disappointment. Mind you, it didn’t suck. The film quality looked good, the kids didn’t look haughty, the cgi looked decent. However, there was no freaking dialogue! I was really hoping that it would be like the Revenge of The Sith trailer shown during The O.C. -- a teaser that really whets the appetite. Instead, there were a lot of brief flashes of images that give the uninitiated no clue what the movie will be about.

They’re going to have to do better than that.

Aslan looked a little too cgi (something about his movements) and the White Witch didn't look "icy" enough, though her flat black eyes did look evil. Actually, she looks a lot like Galadriel. The battle scenes appeared to be of the quality of Lord of The Rings.