Tuesday, 19 July 2011

The End of an Era: Harry Potter Review



Seven Books, eight films, and over ten years later we reach the penultimate end to what has been one of the most ground breaking series of all time.
Harry Potter was born on a train somewhere between Manchester to London where J K Rowling penned the characters we have grown to love and admire over the past ten years. The books have captivated the hearts of children and adults worldwide, and the films have gone on to project scenes first created in our imaginations on to the silver screen raking in millions.
The final instalment in the Potter Saga 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Pt 2' was released on Friday (15th July) and sees Harry, Ron and Hermione enter their final battle to defeat the evil Lord Voldermort. The final film is all about the three friends eliminating all three remaining horcrouxes to destroy Voldermort of his remaining power.
The entire narrative is playing at a race against time as Voldermort and his army are closing in on Hogwarts. The once safe haven is being turned upside down at every turn falling debris is crashing to the ground as dementours, giant spiders and death eaters close in on the castle. The pace of the film is breathtaking as the battle scenes increase in electricity as the two sides collide, there is little time to nip to the loo which is what I discovered half way through the film! (So be warned!) If you’ve read the book you will be aware of the films conclusion and as this is sprinkled seamlessly over the internet I’m not going to worry about spoiling the surprise for those that are yet to see the film.
Harry defeats Voldermort, after briefly lapsing into a parallel space where he is again reunited with Dumbledore. At this point it is quite clear those in the cinema who haven’t read the books as endless sobs echo throughout (Honestly!..) At this point if you are not a fan, or an avid reader of the books you may conclude that Harry is in fact dead, but you are mistaken. I never really understood why it is he gets to choose his fate, but alas he does and victory will out.
19 years later, and we get our first glimpse of how Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson may look in 20 years time! In the final cut we see the three friends sending their offspring off to Hogwarts, its history repeating itself.
I am somewhat bias as I am a huge fan of the books. If you are, like me a fan of the novels you may feel a twinge of disappointment as some of the finer details outlined in the book are barely referenced in the film. This has been the case with all the film versions so there’s little change from earlier criticisms there. The famous introduction music is also missing!
If I am to look past the obvious and take the film for what it is I would say it has bought everything I was hoping for, and more. The fast paced narrative of the book has been beautifully crafted into an action packed adventure film and brings a fitting tribute to the series which will be missed by many, including myself.
I have since Saturday night (when I watched the film with my best friends) watched Harry Potter, 1, 2, and 3. I’m still in a whirlwind of Harry Potter hype and I’m still reluctant to accept there will be no more from the magical world we’ve grown up with ( I’m still not quite on the Twlight bandwagon I’m afraid!) The next mystery is (despite a vague announcement by J K herself) what the hell is Pottermore all about, If anyone can divulge I would love to know more...

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