Harry Potter: The Exhibition(ist)

Paper due dates are approaching, finals are just around the bend, and the days are growing shorter, engulfing Cambridge in metaphorical and actual darkness. “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light,” said Albus Dumbledore in the movie “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” This month, Boston’s Museum of Science is putting a spotlight on “Harry Potter: The Exhibition.”

The exhibition features over 200 authentic costumes and props from the popular “Harry Potter” film series, all on display just as they are set up in the movies. An adult ticket, priced at $26, gives you a full day of access to famous artifacts such as Harry’s original wand and the Marauder’s Map. In addition, the audio tour will let you listen to behind-the-scenes stories from the film’s creators.

Julia E. Cain ’11, who visited the exhibit several weeks ago, said that its appeal is the level of detail that fans can only appreciate up close.

For example, Professor Umbridge’s educational decrees from “The Order of the Phoenix” start out with actual text, but the fine print at the bottom simply reads: “blah blah blah.”

“It made me laugh, knowing that that is there and that the person who made these props amused themselves by writing that,” Cain said.

But the exhibition is geared towards Harry Potter enthusiasts, and those searching for a stronger link between the magic in the wizard world and the science in ours may be disappointed.

“There is a lot that they could have done with maps, or geography even, that could have made it educational, and it’s just not at all,” said Dara B. Olmsted ’00, the resident tutor who organized a trip for Mather House. “I don’t know why it was at the Science Museum.”

“Harry Potter: The Exhibition” runs until February 21, 2010.