Editor's Note: Widespread obsession over releases of the sci-fi or mythical variety serves to remind us that our inner dorky child is alive and well. The Harry Potter series, however, seems to have an even more potent effect, stunting maturity and encouraging outlandish behavior. With the same level of excitement that accompanied "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in 2001, it's almost frightening that the Potter craze has sustained itself for this long. I only wonder what chaos the world will come to when the last movie comes out and the HP addicts have nothing to look forward to anymore (answer: the apocalypse). Here, the Arts staff indulges its obsession and shares thoughts on "the boy who lived."
With the Ministry of Magic's wanted poster for Sirius Black on my wall and having dressed up in a Hogwarts robe for Halloween, my immediate reaction to this Wednesday is "Finally!" Over the past decade, J.K. Rowling's bespectacled wizard with jet-black hair and bright green eyes has won hordes of fans from all age groups the college crowd included. I'm anxiously awaiting the moment when the countdown on my Mac dashboard informs me that the time has finally come.Alicia Kim
I've always dreamed of meeting Daniel Radcliffe. In my fantasy, he would either ask me to join the "Harry Potter" cast; ask me to marry him; or actually be Harry Potter, tell me that I too was a wizard and whisk me off to Hogwarts. Unfortunately, I had just returned home from my DOC trip when I finally did meet him. Needless to say, after sweating for five days in the woods, I did not look like an actor, a mail-order bride or a magical being. So for those of you lining up at midnight for the first screening, I hope there is a storm so you will know what it's like to have your parade rained on. Literally.Fan Zhang
It's going to be impossible for this movie to capture everything the book had to offer, but that doesn't mean the film can't be awesome on its own. If it tries to cram in every great moment from the text, the plot will be choppy and the movie will lag because of it. "HP6" has the potential to be an incredible action-adventure-romance blockbuster, as long as it recognizes its limits. Hopefully, fans will also realize this and won't be disappointed when some of the book's best moments are unfortunately missing from the screen.Alex Duckles
At first, I wasn't sure if I would be excited about the opening of "Harry Potter" I thought I had outgrown Potter-mania. After all, the characters have grown up and settled into middle-class suburbia, the book releases (i.e. opportunities for me to dress up like Hermione) have come to an end, and I have even stopped trying to use the "Alohomora" spell to get into bars without a fake ID.
But when I saw the preview for "HP6" and heard Dumbledore whisper the words "most dangerous dark wizard of all time," the chills returned. Like an old flame reentering my life, Harry Potter reignited our dormant love affair. As long as the romantic scenes between Harry and Ginny aren't cheesy and overdone (see: Harry/Cho kiss from "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"), I'll be the first in line on Wednesday.Evan Lambert
Dear Weasley Twins and Ron,
I am a nice girl of legal age looking for some spice in my life, and I think ginger is just what the magical love doctor ordered. I know you often take the backseat to your over-achieving Gryffindor pal Harry, but I want you to know that this is a bunch of bollocks. You are the true stars who provide me with comic relief just when I start to think Voldemort might jump out from the screen and murder me in my seat. Thank you for this, and please film more unrobed scenes. Your adoring, non-creepy fan, Sarah Frostenson
The sexual frustration that plagued Harry and friends in the fourth and fifth installments finally culminates in "Half-Blood Prince," which is also the first Potter film to carry a "Romance" tag on its IMDb page. Love is in the air, and all those magic wands seem to have taken on a phallic new meaning for the wiz-kids. Of course there will be plenty of old-school wizardry, but I personally can't wait to see Ron and Lavender Brown's sloppy snogging.Allison Levy
I grew up hooked on Harry Potter I was the kid who waited in line at the store to get the book the moment it came out and then ran home to start reading the latest volume in the saga. Every time one of the movies comes out, a little bit of that childhood excitement returns. No matter what the critics say, I have always enjoyed the Harry Potter movies, and I think "Half-Blood Prince" will be no different. Matthew Forman
I've been excited ever since I learned that "Half-Blood Prince" was coming out over sophomore summer. I've never been to a midnight Potter event (romantic dates with Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint ironically always seemed to get in the way), but now that I've sworn off relationships with actors, I look forward to falling for the cutest Harry lookalike at the first screening.Jess Krug
