We Are Wizards

 

Story:

Josh Koury directs this entertaining documentary that explores the sometimes-fanatical world of Harry Potter fandom, the vast subculture made up of fans religiously devoted to the popular fantasy series created by novelist J.K. Rowling (Netflix).

Review:

For a documentary like We are Wizards, which follows a sub-culture based around a book series that’s often re-read and reflected upon, it’s pretty unfortunate that the end product appears to be something its filmmakers haven’t really watched or listened to at all before calling it “complete.”        

The best way to sum up what the film should have been comes from an interview subject who mentions that it's difficult to find people outside of the Harry Potter fan fiction sub-culture to take them entirely seriously.  The documentary, though, is so poorly made and lacks most of the focus necessary to achieve any goals, and it unfortunately presents what looks like a lot of nonsense with a few good moments that somehow got into the final product.          

The problem is not the subject matter, as certain segments of the film make clear.  There are plenty of topics there that can be explored, like the debate over whether some fan fiction Web sites constitute a violation of copyright laws, but the filmmakers chose to focus the bulk of the film on a few fairly unrefined bands that really deserve a lot less time than they get.        

We are Wizards follows bands like Harry and the Potters and the incredibly “original” Draco and the Malfoys (whose song is admittedly at least mildly entertaining but probably not age appropriate for the young audience to whom they are seen playing), and the filmmakers highlight the relative stardom in which the band members bask while sacrificing precious minutes of this documentary that could have been spent elsewhere.        

Maybe I shouldn’t really expect so much, but I find it hard to believe that a fan culture spawned by an incredibly popular series of books read by millions would end up (as the movie seems to suggest) mainly inspiring people to become groupies of terrible bands instead of spending time reading. That lack of a discussion about reading is only one of the inconsistencies that annoyed me during the film.  Along those lines, it’s a subject that should lend itself to some incredible visuals, but the film is filled with stupid looking classic stock footage that often has nothing to do with the film.  Similarly, ideas of a sub-culture can also provide links to some great sociological and cultural research, but only a few experts are interviewed.        

Mainly though, the film just doesn’t connect well with its subjects at all.  The film shows people following their dreams that have been inspired by Harry Potter, but between the shots of screaming fans, the film doesn’t really provide many touching moments for its subjects.        

We are Wizards may be short and seem like a neat film to watch, but you might get more out of picking up any Harry Potter book, opening up to a random page, and reading it for seventy-seven minutes. 

Reviewed by Ryan Pollyea for Documentary Film Online on October 27, 2009

In Conclusion: