Between the first and last instalments of this series, an entire generation grew up. Totalling some twenty hours, it is unprecedented in length; it features a protagonist who embodies all the characteristics of an epic hero; it includes many special effects, some of which are filmic firsts; and it tells a mythic story that narrates one of the most common epic themes – the struggle between good and evil. However, there is hardly a breath of a mention of these films in all the critical material on modern epic currently available.

The series? Harry Potter, of course.

Although there is an increasing body of scholarly work in a wide-ranging number of disciplines on the books and their influence, there is virtually nothing discussing the films as an epic. As Diana Patterson eloquently assesses it:

Admitting Harry Potter to the epic cinematic canon will enable us to examine how the series is unique in being the first epic made for, featuring, and largely made popular by children. Before considering this, however, I want to address the scarcity of academic discussion of the films and speculate about why they have never previously been examined as epic.