Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!

The third installment of the Harry Potter series hit movie theaters today to rave reviews. Most critics attribute the film’s success to new director Alfonso Cuarón, whom David Edelstein suggested take over the Potter movies in this November 2001 review of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. In a November 2002 “Assessment,” Chris Suellentrop slammed Harry as a pampered jock and a fraud. Rob Walker analyzed the marketing strategies of the wizard’s corporate parents in this “Moneybox” while Tim Wu described in this “Jurisprudence” how J.K. Rowling and her minions crack down on Harry Potter knockoffs like Tanya Grotter and the Magic Double Bass. In this “Faith-Based,” Steven Waldman explains why Harry Potter and the “Left Behind” series are more alike than you might think.