The the books as well, and vice-versa.
When one refers to themselves as a Harry Potter fan, the two mediums are often inextricable--when one loves Harry Potter, they usually love all things Harry Potter. The question is, does either medium have what it takes to stand the test of time?
Over-Hyped: Right Thing, Right Time
It's hard to say, but it's very possible that one of the things that the series owes its great success to is simply arriving at the right time, and meeting a need that people happened to have.
Many people grew up with the series, and J.K. Rowling coming out with a new book in a timely manner, followed by another movie, allowed a sort of comradeship for people to grow up alongside, making the series personal. In this way, it's very special but doesn't necessarily speak to an elite quality--especially in relation to the films.
Lasting: Magic Is Ageless
Magic is something that a person of any age can be drawn in by. It's alluring and provides an outlet of escape for many.
For this reason, someone who became a fan while young can easily remain one their entire lives. And, for that matter, the series is more likely to remain popular because aged fans may introduce their own children, and so forth.
Over-Hyped: The Fan Base
People love to have something to worship; it's simply human nature. The Harry Potter series garnered massive amounts of fans, and much deservingly so.
However, with such huge fan bases come people who are simply attracted to the fanbase itself, and not so much the material. Many who feel the need to jump onto a bandwagon and feel part of a community may have fallen in love with the fandom, therefore skewing the accuracy of how beloved the series really is.
Lasting: It's All About Love
Most will tell you that at the root of Harry Potter is the exploration of love. The series explores love and the many forms it takes, and champions love as the strongest power of all in a world where magic power is literally everywhere.
Something that depends on such a timeless topic is likely to do well throughout the ages, because even if society's ideas of love shift, different ideas of love will always be relevant.
Over-Hyped: The Actors
One of the reasons the series remains so huge is because of people's obsession with the actors themselves. This happens with many creations, unfortunately--the popularity of the piece itself becomes overshadowed by the fetishization of those who create it.
The series may be beloved, but looking back, the acting of many main characters was not exactly top-notch and is often humorous to re-visit in comparison to much better works.
Lasting: People Love An Underdog
Harry Potter is, in simple , the tale of an underdog, and people love that. Harry himself is a misfit who is treated poorly and doesn't know how to fit in.
He's lonely, desperately wants human connection, and struggles to figure out who he is supposed to be. This describes many people, and pretty much all teenagers--giving the series a good chance it will always get an audience.
Over-Hyped: Special Effects
Too much of the time the movies prioritize special effects and long sequences of thrilling, shocking action-packed scenes. Such things are given attention over more subtle focuses, like the particular humor of the book, or in-depth characterization.
At the time of their release, the movies pleased many with such tricks, but as time goes on technology will always get better, and so relying on this to make the movie notable at the time makes them less remarkable now.
Lasting: Relatable
Both the books and the movies feature character dynamics that are greatly relatable, in ways that have persisted throughout most of human history and so are likely to continue so.
Fantasy has proven to be an excellent genre in which to explore human life, and Harry Potter is no exception to this. Viewers follow a very human (despite being a wizard) protagonist through the flux and flow of friendship, finding mentors, romance, and facing death--all issues that viewers will continue needing to be discussed.
Over-Hyped: The Humor
While the movie has its moments, it hardly compares to the witty and efficient writing of the book. J.K. Rowling is highly adept at quick and concise characterization, and it doesn't take long for readers to get a knack for a character's humor and for group dynamics.
The films fall short in this way, supplying mostly cheap laughs in comparison to what is found in the hard copy. In this way, the movies fall short, but the books will surely persevere.
Lasting: Attentive Writing
Some will say what they like about J.K. Rowling, but it cannot be denied that she is a thorough, attentive, and intricate writer.
The delicate plot lines laid down in her early works re-appear woven into smart, satisfying stories in later works, and by the time one gets to the end of the series they are not let down by simple plot tie-ups like many long series will resort to. While the films leave out much of the more fascinating, in-depth parts of the books, they still do a pretty good job of representing the most important bits.
