Putting Harry Potter to rest

It is midnight, and the mob started cheering as the green hardcovers are finally pulled from the massive pile of boxes, boldly printed "DO NOT OPEN BEFORE JULY 15, 2005."

Welcome to Harry Potter madness. I was at its epicenter during the midnight release of the last two books. It was hectic, but was the most fun one could have while working in a bookstore.

And, yes, I even wore the company-provided star and moon wizard hat and crimson cape.

Fast-forward to July 21, 2007. That night was much the same as the previous one, with eager fans clamoring to get their reserved copies.

After the madness died down and we weary booksellers were able to trudge home, I would usually stay up all night reading the new books. The Half-Blood Prince took me a record 6 hours to read, and somewhere around the hours of 7:00-8:00 a.m., I just had to let out an angry yell when I reached the part where Dumbledore died.

The Deathly Hallows took about 7 hours, but I had to read half at home and half at work. It was not normally the case that we could read while working but it was a slow day, since the Potter-mad population of Mason City had bought their books the night before.

I had decided I knew how I wanted the book to end: both Harry and Voldemort would die. It seemed to be the most logical solution, since "neither can live while the other survives."

Imagine my severe disappointment at J. K. Rowling's rosy ending. But, like many other popular authors such as Stephenie Meyer and Suzanne Collins, the easy way out ends up ruining the entire series.

What is wrong with these authors?

Now as all eight of the movies have wrapped up, my displeasure continues. My husband dragged me to go see The Deathly Hallows Part 2, even though I tried to persuade him to wait until it came out on DVD.

At least there was one upside to the horrible rendition---free popcorn!

Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) was one of my favorites, because of her fabulous rendition of the insane character. Unfortunately, she fell flat in the latest movie. What happened to the demented cackling?

The whole movie just felt so awkward. The clumsy acting, i.e., the weird Voldemort-Draco hug during the kerfuffle between Hogwarts and Death Eaters, made me wish the movie was over.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Harry Potter series---it's been one of my favorites since I was 11, but it's about time the cultural phenomenon be put to rest.

For now, I'll be sticking with Stieg Larsson, who has yet to disappoint. I'm not blaming him about the guaranteed-to-be-awful, soon-to-be-released American remake of "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."

He obviously has no say since he has been dead since 2004.

These bad movie adaptions need to stop. Whatever happened to original movies?

* Ashley Miller is a member of the Pilot-Tribune news staff. Reach her at amiller@stormlakepilottribune.com.