Review numero uno.

... Two, three, and four are yet to come.

I had the most pleasant of mornings in the wee hours of Friday, July 15th, 2011. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II was an unparalleled franchise movie experience. It capped a decade of brewing excitement for all things magical. I admit that I have a pinch of Voldemort’s pride. Accordingly, I have fancied myself to urgently record these thoughts before they are lost to the world forever.

Here is my one sentence review: This movie epically concluded one of the greatest stories known to the world. I will go down swinging in defending these words of mine. In no order at all, here are some points that immediately spring to mind as I try to make sense of my feelings for this movie. [Spoilers ahead. Do not read if you have not seen the movie... and you are anything like me.]

Hallows vs Horcruxes. The movie focused on the destruction of horcruxes. In the book, Harry and Dumbledore, struggled with a choice to pursue either “hallows or horcruxes.” I think the movie faithfully followed the destruction of the horcruxes. Dumbledore’s background was not illuminated in the movie as it is in the books. Consequently, the movie audience was not treated to some grand themes proffered by that tangential plotline. However, the more crucial course of action was for Harry to hunt and destroy the horcruxes because that is the point of the whole saga—AK (Avada Kedavra) Voldemort. (...Actually it is to have him reach the equivalency of an AK, Harry would never utter this curse on anyone even on Voldy.)

The scant dialogue as Harry walks through a wrecked Hogwarts was brilliant. The emotional breakdown we all had as we read the book for the first or the nth time was fresh in our memories. (I am using ‘we’ because I refuse to believe I was the only one who cried.) Words were unnecessary to produce the tears that spilled as Harry walked through the room. As a book lover, I loved this movie because it required I Accio 'my feelings' from when I read the book to supplement the emotional fatigue portrayed by the actors on screen.

The music soundtrack was excellent. Hedwig’s theme did not play in this movie because he is flying where Dumbledore now exists. It would have been unnecessary to this movie and it would have onset the tears earlier than the halfway mark. The music that was played caused goose bumps to form. For example, when Narcissa Malfoy asked Harry if Draco was still alive, my eyes widened to E.T.-like proportions (1982 movie of the cutesy alien). For those who know and love the books, I viewed this scene with a pounding heart. Narcissa Malfoy, like other favored Slytherins of mine, is an intriguing character because she is a woman who defied Voldemort! What other character besides Harry and Narcissa defied and lived to tell it? She lied to Voldy because the love for her son outweighed her fear. Am I the only one who cheered for what this woman did? Of course, I have loved that detail long before this movie. The music simply knocked me over with the building emotion I was already experiencing.

A gamut of bodily emotions experienced: Tingling- Minerva McGonagall facing off to Severus Snape. Oh my, it sends shivers of delight down my spine. Roaring (like a lion)- when McGonagall calls Hogwarts to protect itself. Shoot. Just writing this chokes me up. Choking (back tears)- when Snape is (1) summoned to Voldemort and (2) when Harry sees his memories in the pensieve. Gasping- whenever Nagini attacks. CHEERING- when (1) Neville Longbottom welcomes the trio to Hogwarts and introduces him to the students (2) when Molly Weasley attacks Bellatrix (3) when Neville kills Nagini with the sword. Crying/Sniffling- I cried for at least half of it. I think that the emotional investment I placed in the books was summoned for this movie. As to how it was summoned, I think it was simply being in a theater with like-minded fans and amazing mix of friends (peppered with one or two incorrigible ones) who cause me to love HP even more. :)

“Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic.”– Dumbledore at King’s Crossing. This man reigns as a perennial favorite. I wanted to jump out of my seat and run to Dumbledore in a leaping hug when Harry met this wondrous headmaster. This line from Dumbledore is not in the book, but it still sounds like something he would say. This one line is an example of the many phrases that are universal in its application. A smile bursts because of the brightness of the message to anyone with a troubled soul. Words are powerful because they can uplift, strengthen, and encourage; but they can also weaken, hurt, and destroy. As a bibliophile, I have access to many worlds because of the words used to create and describe them.

Geez. I can only write so much before I become energized to leave work and watch it again. What a beautiful ending to a beautiful story. I could not be more pleased... well actually, there was one criticism I had. Harry did not repair his Phoenix feather core wand with the Elder wand. But that is all I can recall at the moment! This movie was made for the fans of the books. Well-done David Yates. Well-done.