Harry Potter has been a household name ever since J.K. Rowling wrote and published “Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone” in 1997. Rowling went on to release six other books in the series, which in turn were made into eight movies that many have grown up watching. While the last film was released in 2011, 2016 proved to be the end of the Harry Potter dry spell with the release of the West End show “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” and the publication of its script in addition to a new movie, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”
However, many fans of the Harry Potter series were disappointed with The Cursed Child book, including freshman Dylan Smith, who read the entirety of the book in four hours after he purchased it.
“The characters just weren’t themselves,” Smith said. “They weren’t the characters that I had read the books over and over again for, they weren’t the characters who I loved watching grow, they weren’t the characters that I compared myself to growing up.”
Smith also added that he did not think the story was well thought out and found many plot holes throughout the script, summing it all up as “bad fanfiction.”
“I felt very betrayed,” Smith said. “I felt like the whole play was just a way for [Rowling] to just rake in more cash and take advantage of her fans.”
Senior Julie White also was disappointed after reading the screenplay of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” and found it “cheesy and the characters lacking depth,” but while attending the study abroad program in England, White still bought a ticket and saw part two of the original play.
“Seeing the actual show on stage really transformed my opinion of the eighth story as a whole,” White said. “In places where the dialogue I read seemed cringe-worthy, the phenomenal actors in the show delivered their lines in such a compelling way that I connected with their characters so much more.”
White added that the effects of the show played a major part in the performance where the book was lacking. The actors’ wands projected flames and patronuses, the stage’s use of lighting and sound effects gave the audience the feel of traveling through time and the transitions between scenes were seamless.
“‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ was an unforgettable experience,” White said. “The show as a whole was just a delightful experience for someone who loves the Harry Potter story and world.”
While the new film “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” has a new set of characters and takes place in America in 1926, several fans are looking forward to its release on Nov. 18, including senior Allie Cook.
“I really like the casting,” Cook said. “I like the diversity of the cast, including race and gender. There’s a broader spectrum of people in the movie.”
Cook went on to say that she will be holding the movie to the same expectations as the other films, despite the unrelated storylines.
“I’m excited that it’s not based on any of the books so that I don’t have to compare it,” Cook said. “I can look at it as a movie, I don’t have to worry about things being left out.”
IMAX movie theaters across the country, including B & B theater in Little Rock, will show all eight Harry Potter films from Oct. 13 through Oct. 20. Tickets are a flat rate of $10.
