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J.K. Rowling is the author of the most successful book series in history, but her attempt to take on...
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J.K. Rowling is the author of the most successful book series in history, but her attempt to take on a new career as a screenwriter hasn’t been as smooth as she may have thought it would be. The sequel(续篇), “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”, shows that even the most successful author in the world is in need of checks and balances when making the transition to cinema.
Following the sale of half a billion copies of the Harry Potter series, Rowling is working hard to extend and enrich the mythology she created around the child wizard. In contrast to the eight Harry Potter movies, which were based on the seven books and most of which were written by experienced screenwriter Steve Kloves, the “Fantastic Beasts” series is scripted only by Rowling. This time she skipped the bookstores and went straight to the movie theater.
The “Fantastic Beasts” series takes its title from one of Harry Potter’s textbooks. The leap backward in time, a new set of adult heroes and a globe-spanning background show that Rowling is in tune with her fans and the spirit of the times. Harry Potter and his friends started out as a typical product of 1990s naivety, but since then the loyal veteran audience has experienced the shocks of the 21st century and grown mature and discouraged. The “Fantastic Beasts” series feel less like children’s fare; they deal with adults and frightening events that occurred in Europe at the end of the 1920s.
It’s 1927, and the criminal Grindelwald has escaped from prison to Europe. The hero, Newt Scamander, a zoologist of fantastic beasts, prefers to distance himself from politics and maintain his improvised nature reserve in London. But the young Prof. Dumbledore reminds him that neutrality is not an option in hard times. Dumbledore urges him to cross the Channel to Paris and stop Grindelwald, who is trying to plot a war to ensure the purity of the wizard race.
The rough outline of the plot constitutes only part of the movie. There are many other characters who appear in the mystery. I will mention the boy Credence who continues to have a central role in the struggle between the hero and the villain, even as his background remains a mystery. Similarly, Newt’s brother and partner, the snake-woman Nagini, and other new and old characters hint at an obscure past and future. Rowling populates her world with characters large and small, odd beasts and simplifies its story to lay the foundation work of the universe. The film lays strong foundations of mystery, but forgets to build any sort of structure above them. It’s like a construction site where the budget ran out too fast.
With movie screens full of superheroes and fantasy films, and every studio trying to float a fictional universe, Rowling is today’s most creative builder of cinema worlds, but there’s still a difference between her and a mega-corporation like Disney. Every character and beast is there because Rowling said so, not because the marketing division thought it would promote sales of merchandise. Rowling clearly has a true passion to create a mythology, and just as clearly, she hasn’t yet finished creating it.
The “Fantastic Beasts” series offers a world even fuller than that of Harry Potter. Once more she collaborates with David Yates, who directed the last four Harry Potter movies and now the two “Fantastic Beasts” pictures. Still, the world she’s created would be even more wondrous if Rowling had only filled it out with a crystallized or at least coherent plot. In the Harry Potter series, she mostly succeeded in making the films into independent works. But without experienced screenwriters to mediate between her imagination and the screen, the two “Fantastic Beasts” episodes are more like a chess game in which the creator moves characters from A to B as part of a broader strategy---which remains unclear.
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is a film made for existing fans and doesn’t bother to appeal to a new audience. Not by chance does it offer a more mature world for fans who have grown up at least as much as Daniel Radcliffe. For them, the movie delivers the goods, but little of the magic remains. If Rowling continues to put out films without a beginning and an end, her world will collapse, leaving only the middle. It may be entertainment with captivating characters and effects, but it’s not a movie.
1.What changes has J.K. Rowling made in her writing career?
A. She was forced to abandon her original writing career and start a new one.
B. She was determined to skip the bookstores and publish books on her own.
C. She started a new fantasy book having nothing to do with the Harry Potter series.
D. She tried to enrich the Harry Potter series as a screenwriter rather than a novelist.
2.Who are probably the target audience of the “Fantastic Beasts” series?
A. Kids newly introduced to magic. B. Teenage students with grand dreams.
C. Adults going through life changes. D. Professional critics of fantasy books.
3.What are the features of the “Fantastic Beasts” series?
A. Complex story and exciting characters.
B. Simple story but abundant characters.
C. Childish story and strange characters.
D. Sad story but inspiring characters.
4.Big corporations like Disney choose movie characters and beasts based on _____.
A. potential profitability of the movies B. preference of their screenwriters
C. consultation with the original author D. investigation into successful films
5.How does the author explain Rowling’s failure to create a clear plot?
A. By describing shooting processes. B. By listing official statistics.
C. By drawing a comparison. D. By citing examples.
6.What does the author think of J. K. Rowling’s performance as a screenwriter?
A. It is really a disappointment for movie goers.
B. It is widely acknowledged by her book fans.
C. There exits much more magic in her screenplay.
D. There is still much room for improvement.
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