date: 07/06/18
Spoiler alert!
It has been a long time since I've read the first Harry Potter book in Russian or seen its screen adaptation in the cinema. Now, I’m kinda old, spoiled by education, and can read critically. Put simply, it's the right time to read this masterbullshitpiece again! (Sorry for my French)
To reach a "reading skill" goal in LinguaLeo, I chose to read Philosopher’s stone. I was shocked, but the book is short. Very short. So short, that I ought to read it at least four more times to level up! Darn points. Meh...
Well, I definitely can conclude, the book is much better than the movie! Plus, Dudley has blond hair... o'rly? Why didn't they find another... Arghhh, nevermind. Well, okay. The title of the book contains the word "Philosopher’s", but in the book she (J.K. Rowling) used the term “sorcerer's” stone. W-H-Y? Well, I don't know, maybe the title was from the U.K. edition, but the text from the adaptation for the U.S.? (According to the Wikipedia page, the titles were different.) Was it adapted? Eh, I don't think so.
I found that the movie cut out a lot of scenes and edited the remaining ones for storytelling purposes. Okay, got it, but in my humble opinion, it makes the movie dry. I didn’t see that the house cup was important to anybody. I didn't feel a real tension between Harry and Malfoy. And God damn it! Why did they exclude Neville from the process?
For me, the main lack of the book is the issue of pacing. Everything is so slo-o-o-o-ow. She stretched the plot for a whole year! I can't understand what You-Know-Who was doing all this time! Is he the best wizard in the world, or what? During the Quidditch match he tried to kill Harry. In public. Hermione noticed Snape, but she was so blind and didn't notice Quirrell, who was sitting RIGHT BEHIND HIM... Incredible luck! I shit you not, it’s the perfect crime, tryin' to kill somebody in public. What a plot twist! And then, what? He stops trying to kill him for a whole year. W-H-Y? Or, no, a better question! Why did he want to kill him before? No answer... Darn book.
What I am trying to say is... I don't know. Maybe I should start writing something? Maybe I will be better at it?