"Harry Potter" keeps it up

I have to confess that I am an adult fan of the Harry Potter series, and have therefore already seen the new film "Goblet of Fire". It was great.

But I was a hesitant Potter fan. During the summer of 2001, when the "Goblet of Fire" was being released as a book for the first time, I knew very little about Potter. Of course, I had heard of the series. My brother had given me the first book, the "Sorcerer's Stone" for Christmas two years before it. He was adamant that I would like it but I kept thinking "this is a kid's story" and kept the book on the shelf.

Then during that summer (2001), with all the hype of the new book and the first film coming out, my interest was peaked when I read an article about the movie in Newsweek. I took the book off the shelf and decided to trust my brother's good judgment. And he was right, I loved it. I read the whole book within one full day.

I held off reading the other books until the first movie came out. Then I ate the other books for dinner for the next few weeks. I was caught in its charming net - hook, line and sinker.

As for the movies, they do lack much of JK Rowling's magic from the books - however she does it, she is a literary master. But the movies' directors to this point have been very good at keeping the abridged stories focused on what matters, and watching the visualization of the story is inspiring - it brings out the child in me a little bit each time.

So go see it - but beware - as with the books, the films get darker and more disturbing with each outing - and this one is no different.