Millennial Mom, Wife, & Woman

Nerd alert. Nerd alert. Nerd alert.

Yes, that’s me warning you that I’m about to geek out on Harry Potter for the next couple paragraphs. I am an avid and devoted fan of the Harry Potter movies. I will watch them several times a year every year because I just love them. But I need to be honest about something… I’ve STILL never read all of the books. I read books 1-3 and then half of 4 and never made it a priority to finish them. I’m sure that sounds ridiculous and I know some people are screaming, “the books are so much better!” And from reading the first three, I do know the books are incredible. BUT there’s just something about the movies that I love so much. I’m going to try to break it down into what I think the 5 main reasons why I love the Harry Potter movies.

1. Music. I mean, as I’m sitting here typing this on my laptop, I have a YouTube video up on my TV of Hogwarts at nighttime with Harry Potter music playing. I just love all the music in the movies. It’s unique, emotional, and creates a lot more excitement and drama when watching the movies. I could legitimately exercise to the music in Harry Potter…that’s how much I love it. Anyone else?
2. Mood. I love that the moods of the movies progressively get darker and darker. But, something to note, is it never starts that light to begin with. It’s just so eerie and it really does a great job of keeping the viewers mood aligned with what’s going on in the movie.
3. CHARACTERS. I mean, how did these films get cast so perfectly? Honestly, there is not a thing I would change in terms of that. From the main characters to even those with smaller roles, I just feel like everyone delivered their characters in the best possible way. Emma Watson, Alan Rickman, and Maggie Smith will forever be some of my favorite actors. May Alan and Maggie rest in peace.
4. The Hogwarts castle. Need I say more? Although Hogwarts got progressively a bit bigger and better throughout the first few movies, it always seemed like such a magical, beautiful place. Having the castle in the middle of green trees, rolling mountains and hills was perfection. Not just the outside of the castle, but the large stairways, the common rooms, and the Great Hall were all places that as a viewer, you dream of visiting when you watch. It makes me feel like Hogwarts is a real place and helps keep the magic of Harry Potter alive.
5. Lastly, the magic. Of course I love the magic part of Harry Potter. Especially when you’re young, you believe that magic might be real, at least to an extent. As you get older, of course you realize that unfortunately that’s not the case. Something I love though is watching the movies and watching all the different degrees of magic that there is and just engaging in this dystopian universe as if it were real. I think that’s part of why Harry Potter is so successful. It brings out of all of us some childlike wonder that almost leaves you in awe as you watch it play out in the movies. Then, wanting to experience that feeling again, I rewatch the movies over and over and over and over and… you get it.

Sometimes I feel like a complete dork because I still love to experience Harry Potter, even when I know what to expect. And I think those reasons I listed above are why. All of those elements create such a unique atmosphere that has become the wizarding world as we now know it. Although 99.9% of me knows that this is all not real and just developed in someone’s creative, intelligent mind… it’s that .1% that will always keep me coming back for more.