As newlyweds my husband and I were, what we would call, house poor. We didn’t eat out, we didn’t buy fancy things, we only bought groceries from WinCo and everything we owned was given to us second hand; but one thing we did have was Blockbuster. It was all ours and we could afford it - kind of. They always had a coupon for a free rental of an older movie when you returned your previous rental. We almost always stuck with the oldies because who doesn’t love free things?
One of our first binge watches was a series that was banned in my household growing up because of the witchcraft it contained. This series of books and movies was made in my prime adolescent years. I was left out of birthday parties, movie nights, Halloween costumes and inside jokes. As you can tell I might still be a bit bitter. When I told my husband about the tragedy of lost childhood memories, he made it his mission to introduce me. That’s when our love affair with Blockbuster really began. We started with the first movie, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
I was enthralled at the movie magic happening before my eyes. Seeing young Harry Potter learn that there was more to the world then he could ever imagine was a thrill. I was hooked. I think I saw a bit of myself in the stories. I had no idea the magic that could happen by watching a movie or reading a book until my husband opened that world for me.
Harry Potter brought my imagination to life. I loved the young energetic group of friends fighting to survive school and the evil forces of the world. Hermoine the young confident, smart girl who strived to succeed and prove herself not just among her peers but to those in authority. Ron the silly boy who lacked all confidence, and sometimes intelligence, but would always be there for you whenever you needed him. Harry Potter the boy who had no idea of his full potential. He was brave, daring and never backed down. He always stood for those less than because he knew what it was like to feel less than.
While I might have been bitter about having to wait so long to be a part of the fan club, I appreciated getting to see the movies progress as they went on. Seeing the cast grow older with the movies. Noticing the very adult things incorporated into a kid's movie. The harsh realities from the very beginning to its end. They managed to tackle tough subjects like bullies, neglect, fear, death, friendships, love, empathy, rage and the awkwardness of growing up.
Almost every day after watching that first movie we would turn in one Harry Potter movie for the next. We knew the DVD series was near the back of the store to the right, 3 shelves down. On one occasion someone had already rented the next movie in the trilogy and we had to settle for something else. We then spent an hour searching for something among the hordes of movies. Blockbuster had turned into our date night. We would look at every move case –even ones we had already seen. Sharing our favorites, being aghast when someone hadn’t seen a movie we had loved, arguing which childhood cartoon was best, talking about our favorite and least favorite actors. It was simple but it was so much fun.
After we finished the Harry Potter trilogy, I read the books. Even more depth and imagery. A fun easy read that gave more background than a movie could. I look forward to the day when my husband and I can read the books and watch the movies with our children. Seeing the magic transfer to their imaginations will bring a whole new love to what we originally experienced. It will also remind us of our young love and the many trips to blockbuster, which sadly is now a mattress store.
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Now I sit and watch my boys watch the Harry Potter series and I am reminded of the magic. I still love the movies and now my boys do too.
