Harry Potter

We are Harry Potter fans in our house. I'm not afraid to admit that. We have all the books, we've read all the books, and we love them. We are also fans of the movies. I've been impressed with the way that different directors have put their own spin on the stories while still remaining true to the ideas established in the books. As the series has gone on, it has become more and more necessary to narrow the amount of detail included in each movie, for the sake of length. Those books are LONG! Each time they do it, I get more and more nervous about the things they'll cut and if the story will be as satisfactory as the book. . .

Truthfully, I don't think we really intended to see the 5th movie right when it opened. The older I get the more claustrophobic I get in crowds. And pregnant, much worse. . . But last night, on a whim, Ben decided he wanted to see the movie because we'll be in the mountains this weekend and wouldn't have a chance to see it until next week.

All of our favorite theaters were long since sold out, of course, so he headed south in search of tickets. We (along with 7 others) ended up seeing Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix in beautiful Payson. Which isn't a huge deal for us. It's not much further than Orem for us. . . but Nick & Jules and the rest had to drive back to American Fork at midnight! Now that's devotion.

I had heard some mixed reviews of this one, so I didn't go in with my hopes especially high, I will admit. But I must say, I really really liked what this new director (David Yates -- a British TV director) did with book 5, and I'm excited that he will also helm the 6th movie. There was very little exposition, very little spoon feeding, and a LOT more subtext than has ever been in a Harry Potter movie before it. There were some surprisingly good performances from the kids, and some great choices made for advancing the plot without leaving too much out. This is definitely one of my favorites in the series. . . Go see it.