Great end of an era

Rating: Null/10 (22 September 2011)

The ten-year wait is finally over. Daniel Radcliff and company shine yet again in Part II of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, an emotionally magical culmination of a generation. At first, the decision of director David Yates to split the last movie into two parts annoyed and confused me. As much as I didn't want to say goodbye to these characters that I feel I have grown very close to, I didn't want to wait for almost a year to see Potter prevail and defeat Voldemort in the final battle. I mean I would have sat through a five-hour feature that I already knew the ending of but I may be in the minority on that one. Actually, that part's probably not true. But, after seeing Part II, I see why Yates prolonged the series—and I am very glad that he did. Obviously, the final installment is all about the ultimate showdown between Harry and Voldemort. After a drawn out, basically action-less Part I, its counterpart was packed with explosive and heart-racing action, emotional turmoil, and "unexpected" plot twists from the minute the familiar logo slowly crept onto the screen in time to the unmistakable Harry Potter theme music. Although Part I was great for character development, it was really just used as a stage to prepare for the non-stop epic battle that was Part II. The floodgates of the film opened with the gang trying to steal a horcrux from Gringotts bank. Part humor, part seat-gripping thriller, with a huge dash of special effect, the 2-hour and 10-minute movie-- the shortest of the series-- was as mind blowing as I expected. As with some action movies, battle scenes and special effects can get drawn out to the point of exhaustion and annoyance. I can only watch things blow up in my face and people punching one another for so long. Luckily this was not the case with my beloved Harry Potter. When the fighting, spell casting, and fire breathing dragons got to be almost too much, the characters would be right there, peppering the scene with a subtle yet humorous remark or a deep comment, which helped the viewer stay interested and connected to the plot and the characters. Faithful fans of Harry Potter have been following the trio of friends since the movies hit the big screen in 2000. Many began the journey when JK Rowling released the first book in 1997. Being one of those Potter patrons from before the turn of the century, I feel as if I have grown up with the characters, so to see the whole franchise end as magically as it began was very emotional for me, as well as my fellow movie goers. After seeing all seven movies in the same two theaters—the local theater on Main Street in Ramsey, NJ and at the Garden State Plaza Mall, I had the privilege to see this movie on a random summer Thursday afternoon in Boston with two of my best friends. Not so surprisingly, the crowd that joined us was no different from the crowds I have experienced when viewing every other Potter production. Despite it being 2:30 p.m. in the middle of the week and almost two weeks after the movie was released, the theater was sold out. The crowd ranged from young children to their grandparents, all who remained enraptured the entire time. I expect that everyone was on the edge of their plush, red seats, ignoring their obligatory and over-priced bag of popcorn and large soda as the story unfolded on the large screen. We all gasped at the appropriate moments, laughed at the cleverly delivered wittiness, and all held our breathe at the highly anticipated, "AVADA KEDAVRA," bellowed by Lord Voldemort, striking Harry down in the center of the Forbidden Forest. When the lights slowly rose after the final scene, in which we see Harry, Ron and Hermione, creepily portrayed as adults with children, I had tears in my eyes. Walking out of the theater, I was pathetically crying, realizing that it was actually over. Being the same age as the characters, I have grown up with them and the final movie solidified an end of an era for me, and many others. As sad as I am to have reached the end, I am pleasantly content with how strictly the movie adhered to the book. It tied up every last detail of the whole saga. Now, I just can't wait for it to be released on DVD so I can revisit this epoch anytime I please.