Harry Potter

\"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is coming to theaters tomorrow. Film critics and other audience members have already emerged from the London premiere, reportedly "gushing" over the film's magic. One word heard over and over again about the reaction of viewers is "spellbound."\nCritics have said director Chris Columbus remained faithful to the literary work. After all, why would any filmmaker change anything in a movie when its book has captured the hearts of more than 110 million readers? Perhaps this is why the film has generated as much hype as "Star Wars."\nIn Bloomington, tickets began vanishing a week before the movie debut. Box-office outlets say the tickets are selling faster than any other film in the last two years, a whopping 90 percent already sold. Showplace West, off West Third Street, has 12 screens in its building and Harry Potter will take up five of them, something no movie has ever done in any Kerasotes theater. And if the advanced ticket requests continue the way they have been, the theater plans to use even more screens. But Kerasotes isn't only stocking up on screens, but also on concessions. And Showplace West is going to use practically its entire staff for opening night, managers say. \nIn addition to movie theaters, Barnes and Noble has been preparing for opening night. Manager Julie Drake says that the sales for "Harry Potter" really haven't changed because of the movie. "They've held steady all along, really," she says. "They've been selling well, and they're still selling well. It's without a doubt the most widely sold book in the store. And I don't think the movie is going to hurt the sale of the books at all. When kids see the movie, they'll want to read the other books." \nTarget Department Stores is also getting a piece of the action. With the purchase of a large drink, Target offers a special Harry Potter plastic glass with a sampler CD of Harry Potter games attached to the lid. And they have also been successful in selling Harry Potter toys, books, tape cassettes and Halloween costumes. \nThe abundance of Potter memorabilia has caused critics to wonder whether Hollywood will taint the purity of the story by making it into a film. Raymond Gutjahr, a professor of young adult literature, is not too worried but plans to wait and see the movie until after the hype dies down. \n"Books and movies are two different things. I'm not going to compare them," Gutjahr says. "Maybe the movie will do something differently from the book. But you have to go in with an open mind. You can't constantly think that this or that didn't go with what went on in the book. A book and a movie are simply two different things."\nGutjahr adds that the universal themes in the book have caused its widespread popularity. \n"It's very accessible reading," he says. "You have a truly endearing hero, somebody that people have a lot of sympathy for in the book. And then you have a really good villain, you have clear evil, and that propels the narrative forward. You're constantly reading to find out what happens." \nHe says the prevalent themes of friendship and loyalty also causes the story to be appealing to people of all ages.\n"(Rowling) is not doing anything inventive here. It's a fairly straight-forward, simple plot line that really hits the hearts of readers," he says. "I mean, who wouldn't want to be able to suspend the laws of nature. We would all love to have an invisibility cloak. It's a wonderful make believe world, and people love escapist literature." \nPeople also love escapist cinema, and under the current national situation, there couldn't be a better film released at a better time. Already breaking records, this film is predicted to destroy "Titanic"'s record of being the highest grossing film of all time.\nThe expected financial success of the film is mainly due to the hype of fans. People are walking around campus with Gryffindor shirts and Quidditch hats. (Gryffindor and Quidditch are fictional terms in the novels, for those who haven't yet read the books.) Students are also hanging Harry Potter posters on their dorm walls and have dressed up as the wizard for Halloween. \nOne student, sophomore Elizabeth Sabo, is an avid reader of the books. Sitting in a the new Panera Bread store and sipping a mocha, she talks wildly about the novels. \n"The books have such a universal appeal," she says. "Kids can read them and enjoy them, but adults can read them as well, and pull some deeper meaning from them because the books are so multi-faceted and have so many levels." \nIronic how she loves coffee shops, when J.K. Rowling herself spent much of her time in her favorite coffee shop, writing the acclaimed books. From this, Sabo responds, "Well, I've always had a thing for mochas, but knowing that Rowling wrote in a coffee shop just adds to the goodness of the overall experience."\nShe adds that she expects to enjoy the movie because she is so fond of the novels.\n"I know how good the books are, and even if the film is only half as good as the books, that would still mean a great film." \nEven people who haven't read any of the books are excited to see the film, such as senior Missy Brouse who bought her tickets a week in a half in advance. \n"I'm expecting to come out of this movie saying, 'Wow, that was really good,'" she explains. "Everything I've heard from friends and critics and just all the hype its getting -- it's really amazing. I'm wondering if I should read the books before seeing the movie. Every time, I always like the book better, but I think this movie has the potential to be as good as the books"