Fun For All The Family

In the news over the last week the one thing that has really caught my eye has been that of the planned theme park designed around the Harry Potter movies, due to be built in Florida. I'll be frank: this does sound rather excellent. What is it about theme parks that when we hear about them or actually go to them we turn back into little children?

But what a Harry Potter theme park is doing in America somewhat bugs me. Is not Harry a British institution, like James Bond or the Carry On films? Okay, the latter may have been a bad example, but I suppose it shows just how powerful the boy wizard really is internationally.

Not that we need reminding. There's no doubt that there will be riots when the last book in the series is published later this year, whether its about shops selling out or the actual ending. And then we'll know how it all ends - will this affect the film series? It seems to me that there is a somewhat lack of excitement surrounding the fifth film, Order Of The Phoenix, due out this summer. What will it be like once we know if Harry lives or dies, if Ron and Hermione ever get it on, if Hagrid ever actually says something which doesn't reveal a terrible, terrible secret concealed within the walls of Hogwarts? Time, as ever, will tell.

Personally, I think this opportunity is ripe for different directors to leave their marks on the series, maybe be more adventurous in how they're shot. My favourite one is Prisoner of Azkaban, directed by Alfonso Cuarón; it's just so beautifully filmed, it feels like a proper film and not just a kids movie, like the first two directed by Chris Columbus felt. Let's have more of those, Warner Bros, and leave the theme park to the Americans.

Laters.