[Cerek]

Originally Posted by Larry_OHF Reading the books, I never envisioned a problem but now after seeing this latest movie and then seeing your reactions to it and the storyline in general...I've got a new perspective on the whole story and agree with everything you guys are saying. I never saw Harry as the weakling that he really is until now. I read the books but never made that connection. Nor did I see how strong Hermoine is and how dumb the whole situation is until now. Some really great critiques have been brought up here and I really appreciate your insights.

I suppose it helps that I have not read the books and, thus, had not been swayed by Rowlings explanations (or allowances) of why Harry has not advanced very much in his wizadry. Instead, I went into the movie thinking "Ok, Harry should have a pretty good selection of spells by now and be working on gaining and mastering the more epic spells available", only to see him ask Hermoine to do the mindwipe because "she has always been the best with spells." WTF? Shouldn't he be almost an arch-mage by now? Or at least have power along that level? Everything in the storyline indicates Voldemort is certainly at that level and is one of the most POWERFUL arch-mages alive. It's going to take a helluva lot more than a mid-level wizard with a decided LACK of spells to take someone like him out. My oldest son agrees with me. He has never read the books or watched the movies either, but he has played NWN for a couple of years now and become pretty good at making characters and understanding how things work in the AD&D world.

When Harry deferred to Hermoine in the cafe', I said out loud "Why is he relying on her to cast a spell? Isn't HE supposed to be the Chosen One with the world-shattering magical powers?" My son said "I was just about to ask the same thing."

So, tonight, we went to the local video store and rented the first two movies. It was MUCH more along the lines of what I expected. Hermoine already had a pretty impressive list of spells for a first-year student (improving Harry's eyesight on the train {not really sure what spell that would be}, casting Flame {or perhaps Burning Hands} on Snape's cloak, Knock {on the 3rd floor door}, Searing Light {on the Death Trap vine} and Hold Person {on Neville}) Overall, pretty dang impressive for an 11-yr old half-blood witch.

But Harry and Ron had their strong points as well. Harry showed the innate courage and leadership in the bathroom against the Mountain Troll and Ron managed to get the levitation spell right at the most critical time. Ron was also the only one smart enough to get them across the chessboard. So each member made a significant contribution to the team that the others could not have done. THAT is what I would expect from these three. I've seen the Chamber of Secrets more than the other movies. By the time they reach the Deathly Hallows, though, Hermoine is doing almost ALL of the heavy work (planning for every circumstance, porting them to safety every time (except one), providing almost ALL the spells and protections to keep them safe along the way, etc. By contrast, Harry and Ron act as little more than dead weight 90% of the time. And when Hermoine needs them most, Ron is powerless to muster decent emotion and Harry is too distracted to even notice Hermoine's screams. Seriously? This is the thanks she gets for saving their ASS over and over?

I've seen Chamber of Secrets a couple of times, but will be watching it again tomorrow with a fresh perspective. I'll continue my critique' of the movies (and the overall plot) then.